Military career Boston Corbett

sgt. boston corbett, union army.

in april 1861, in american civil war, corbett enlisted private in company of 12th regiment new york militia. corbett s eccentric behavior got him trouble. carried bible him @ times , read passages aloud regularly, held unauthorized prayer meetings , argued superior officers. corbett condemned officers , superiors perceived violations of god s word. in 1 instance, verbally reprimanded colonel daniel butterfield using profanity , taking lord s name in vain. sent guardhouse several days refused apologize insubordination. due continued disruptive behavior , refusal take orders, corbett court-martialed , sentenced shot. sentence reduced , discharged in august 1863.

corbett re-enlisted later month private in company l, 16th new york cavalry regiment. on june 24, 1864, captured confederate colonel john s. mosby s men in culpeper, virginia , held prisoner @ andersonville prison 5 months. released in exchange in november 1864 , admitted army hospital in annapolis, maryland treated scurvy, malnutrition , exposure. on return company, promoted sergeant. corbett later testified prosecution in trial of commandant of andersonville, captain henry wirz.

wanted poster john wilkes booth, john surratt, , david herold (1865)


pursuit of john wilkes booth

on april 24, 1865, corbett s regiment sent apprehend john wilkes booth, assassin of president abraham lincoln, whom booth fatally shot on april 14, 1865. on april 26, regiment surrounded booth , 1 of accomplices, david herold, in tobacco barn on virginia farm of richard garrett. herold surrendered, booth refused. barn set on fire in attempt force him out open, booth remained inside. corbett positioned near large crack in barn wall. in 1878 interview, corbett claimed saw booth aim carbine, prompting him shoot booth colt revolver despite secretary of war edwin m. stanton s orders booth should captured alive. lieutenant edward p. doherty, officer in charge of soldiers captured booth , herold, stated bullet struck booth in of head, inch below spot shot had entered head of mr. lincoln. booth s spinal cord severed, , died 2 hours later.

boston corbett

lt. colonel everton conger thought booth had shot himself. after realizing booth had been shot else, conger , lt. doherty asked officer had shot booth. corbett stepped forward , admitted shooter. when asked why had violated orders, corbett replied, providence directed me . arrested , accompanied lt. doherty war department in washington, d.c. court martialed. when questioned edwin stanton booth s capture , shooting, both doherty , corbett agreed corbett had in fact disobeyed orders not shoot. however, corbett maintained believed booth had intended shoot way out of barn , acted in self-defense. stated, ...booth have killed me if had not shot first. think did right. stanton paused , stated, rebel dead. patriot lives; has spared country expense, continued excitement , trouble. discharge patriot. upon leaving war department, corbett greeted cheering crowd. made way mathew brady s studio have official portrait taken, crowd followed him asking autographs , requesting tell them shooting booth. corbett told crowd:

i aimed @ body. did not want kill him....i think stooped pick fired. may account receiving ball in head. [w]hen assassin lay @ feet, wounded man, , saw bullet had taken effect inch of ear, , remembered mr. lincoln wounded same part of head, said: god have...god avenged abraham lincoln.

eyewitnesses booth s shooting contradicted corbett s version of events , expressed doubts corbett responsible shooting booth. officers near corbett @ time claimed never saw him fire gun (corbett s gun never inspected , lost). claimed corbett came forward after lt. colonel conger asked had shot booth. richard garrett, owner of farm on booth captured, , 12-year-old son robert contradicted corbett s testimony acted in self-defense. both maintained booth had never reached gun.

while there criticism of corbett s actions, largely considered hero public , press. 1 newspaper editor declared corbett would, live 1 of world s great avengers. part in booth s capture, corbett received portion of $100,000 reward money, amounting $1,653.84 (equivalent $26,000 in 2016). annual salary u.s. sergeant $204 (equivalent $3,000 in 2016). corbett received offers purchase gun used shoot booth. refused stating, not mine-it belongs government, , not sell price. corbett declined offer 1 of booth s pistols did not want reminder of shooting booth.