Boston
Corbett
was born in England in 1832. When he
was seven years old his family emigrated to the United States and
settled in New York City. Corbett later
moved to Troy where he worked as a hatter. He married but his wife
died in childbirth.
After the death of his wife Corbett moved to Boston
and found employment as a hatter. He became an evangelical Christian
and began wearing his hair very long in the style of Jesus. To avoid
the temptation of prostitutes, Corbett castrated himself with a pair
of scissors.
On the outbreak of the American Civil War
Corbett joined the Union Army and eventually
reached the rank of sergeant in the 16th New York Cavalry. He was
captured by the Confederate Army on 24th
June, 1864, and was held captive at Andersonville
Prison. He was eventually released and he returned to his unit.
When John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham
Lincoln on 14th April, 1865, Corbett was one of the 26 cavalrymen
in the party sent to capture him. They eventually caught up with Booth
and David Herold at a barn owned by
Richard Garrett. The federal troops had been ordered to take Booth
and Herold alive. They were ordered to surrender but only Herold came
out of the barn.
When Booth refused to surrender, the barn was set on fire. While this
was happening, Corbett found a large crack in the barn and shot Booth.
His body was dragged from the barn but he died a couple of hours later.
Corbett was initially arrested for disobeying orders but on the instructions
of Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of
War, Corbett was released and eventually received his share of the
reward money which amounted to $1,653.85.
After the war Corbett worked as a hatter in Connecticut and New Jersey.
In 1878 he had a complete mental breakdown and lived in a dugout a
few miles outside Concordia, Kansas.
Corbett was appointed assistant doorkeeper of the Kansas House of
Representatives in Topeka. On 15th Febuary, 1887, he made an attempt
to kill "heretics" in the legislature hall with a revolver.
No one was hurt and after being arrested was declared insane and sent
to the local asylum.
On 26th May, 1888, Boston Corbett escaped from the Topeka Asylum for
the Insane. Except for a brief stay with Richard Thatcher, a man he
had met while a prisoner at Andersonville
during the Civil War, Corbett was never
heard of again.
(1)
Boston Corbett, testimony before the Military Tribunal investigating
the death of Abraham Lincoln (17th May,
1865)
After
making inquiries at the house, it was found that Booth was in the
barn. After being ordered to surrender, and told that the barn would
be fired in five minutes if he did not do so, Booth made many replies.
He wanted to know who we took him for; he said his leg was broken;
and what did we want with him; and he was told that it made no difference.
The parley lasted much longer than the time first set; probably a
full half hour; but he positively declared that he would not surrender.
After a while we heard the whispering of another person - although
Booth had previously declared that there was no one there but himself
- who proved to be the prisoner Herold. Although we could not distinguish
the words, Herold seemed to be trying to persuade Booth to surrender.
Then Booth said, "Oh, go out and save yourself, my boy, if you
can;" and then said, "I declare before my Maker that this
man here is innocent of any crime whatever."
Immediately after Herold was taken out, the detective Mr. Conger,
came round to the side of the barn where I was and set fire to hay
through one of the cracks. In front of me was a large crack in the
barn. I saw him make a movement toward the door. I supposed he was
going to fight his way out. He was taking aim with the carbine. I
took steady aim of my arm, and shot him through the large crack in
the barn. He lived, I should think, until about 7 o'clock that morning;
perhaps two or three hours after he was shot.
(2)
Captain Edward Doherty, testimony
before the Military Tribunal investigating the death of Abraham
Lincoln (22nd May, 1865)
We requested Booth and Herold
to come out of the barn. Herold eventually surrendered. I searched
him and found a map of Virginia. Just at this time the shot was fired
and the door thrown open, and I dragged Herold into the barn with
me. Booth had fallen on his back. The soldiers went into the barn
and carried out Booth. I took Herold and tied him by the hands to
a tree opposite, about two yards from where Booth's body was carried,
on the verandah of the house, and kept him there until we were ready
to return. Booth in the mean time died.
(3)
Robert Garrett, who witnessed the killing of John
Wilkes Booth
was interviewed by H. G. Howard in his book Civil War Echoes
(1907)
Through the cracks could be
seen the form of Booth standing in the middle of the building, supported
by his crutch. In his hands he held a carbine. At this instant, Sergeant
Corbett fired through a crack in the wall. He said afterward that
Booth had a gun to his shoulder and was about to kill one of the officers.
This is not so, as I was standing within six feet of Corbett when
he fired the shot, and Booth never made a motion to shoot.
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