Boston Corbett

Boston Corbett. Thomas H. "Boston" Corbett was a Union Army cavalryman who gained lasting notoriety for fatally shooting John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in a Virginia barn in April 1865. His life was marked by intense religious fervor, erratic behavior, and a dramatic final disappearance. Corbett's actions at the Garrett farm remain a subject of historical debate, cementing his place in the lore of the American Civil War and its turbulent aftermath.

Early life and background

Born Thomas H. Corbett in London, he immigrated with his family to New York City as a child. He later apprenticed as a hatter in Troy, New York, a trade known for exposing workers to toxic mercury fumes, which some historians speculate contributed to his later mental instability. After the death of his wife and child, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he experienced a profound religious conversion under the preaching of Methodist evangelist Charles Grandison Finney. It was during this period that he legally changed his name to Boston, symbolizing his rebirth, and famously castrated himself with a pair of scissors to resist sexual temptation, an act that underscored his extreme religious zeal.

Military service and the Civil War

Corbett enlisted in the Union Army following the outbreak of the American Civil War, joining Company I, 12th New York State Militia. He later served in the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment. His service was punctuated by incidents of insubordination due to his refusal to follow orders he deemed un-Christian, such as not cursing and praying loudly for his enemies. He was captured by Confederate forces in June 1864 and imprisoned at the notorious Andersonville prison in Georgia. His survival of the horrific conditions at Andersonville further solidified his belief in divine protection, and he was discharged as a sergeant later that year.

Shooting of John Wilkes Booth

Following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Corbett was part of the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment detachment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Everton Conger, that tracked Booth to the Garrett farm in Port Royal, Virginia. On April 26, 1865, after Booth refused to surrender, the barn was set ablaze. Corbett, positioned at a crack in the barn wall, claimed he saw Booth raise a carbine to fire and, acting to prevent the assassin's escape, shot him. The single bullet struck Booth in the neck, paralleling the wound Booth had inflicted on Lincoln. While Secretary of War Edwin Stanton initially praised Corbett's action, the decision to shoot rather than capture Booth was later questioned during the conspiracy trial of the other accused plotters.

Later life and disappearance

After the war, Corbett struggled to adjust to civilian life. He worked briefly as a hatter and as a Methodist preacher in New Jersey and Massachusetts, but his erratic and sometimes violent behavior led to brief confinements in mental asylums, including the Topeka Asylum for the Insane in Kansas. In 1887, after threatening individuals at the Kansas State Capitol with a pistol, he was committed again. He escaped in 1888 and fled. The last credible report placed him in Hinckley, Minnesota, in 1894, just before the devastating Great Hinckley Fire. He was presumed to have perished in that conflagration, though his body was never identified.

Legacy and cultural depictions

Boston Corbett remains a controversial and tragic figure, often portrayed as a zealous avenger or a mentally unstable individual. His life has been explored in numerous works about the Lincoln assassination, including books by James L. Swanson and Bill O'Reilly. He has been depicted in various films and television series, such as the 1998 television film The Day Lincoln Was Shot and an episode of the series Timeless. A memorial plaque to Corbett exists in Manhattan, Kansas, near his former homestead, and his story is frequently cited in discussions of post-traumatic stress disorder among Civil War veterans. Category:American Civil War soldiers Category:People of the American Old West Category:People associated with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln