THOMAS "BOSTON" CORBETT - LINCOLN'S MAD AVENGER
Thomas "Boston" Corbett was born in London England in 1832. At the age of 7 his family moved to Troy New York. Corbett learned to be a hatter while still a child. He eventually married but his wife died in childbirth after delivering a stillborn child. Corbett took to drinking and became a drifter moving from town to town. He was converted to Christianity while listening to a street preacher in Boston. Thomas began calling himself Boston after the city where he was converted. He began trying to look like Jesus by growing a beard and wearing his hair long. Joining a Methodist Church Corbett was very demonstrative in the way that he worshiped. He would shout "Glory to God" at weird times, which annoyed the other church members.
In July 1858 he lusted after two prostitutes that were walking down the street. Afterwards he felt so bad about it that he took a pair of scissors and clipped off his testes, castrating himself. He then went to a prayer meeting, took a walk, and had dinner before he sought medical help from a doctor. At the beginning of the Civil War Corbett joined the Union Army. The night before he left for the army he preached a sermon in which he said he would have no mercy on Southerners and would shoot them all on sight. Corbett would dress down his officers when they cursed asking "don't you know that you are breaking God's law?" He then refused to return to the ranks until he received an apology from them. Corbett was eventually sent to the guard house for insubordination. He was on picket duty one night and returned to camp without his rifle. Corbett announced that he only signed up for three months and his enlistment ended at midnight. At first he was arrested and condemned to death by firing squad but soon his sentence was commuted to discharge from the army.
He reenlisted in September 1863 and joined the 16th New York Cavalry. It was reported that every time he killed a Confederate soldier he would shout "amen, glory to God". His unit was chasing John S. Mosby one day, aka the "Gray Ghost", and part of Corbett's unit was cut off. Mosby's men killed or captured most of his comrades but he would not surrender. He held off 26 Confederates until he ran out of ammunition and then he fought them off with a club. Mosby was impressed with Corbett's tenacity and sent him to Andersonville. I have been to Andersonville and that place had to be a hell hole. In less than a year 13,000 men died there of starvation, disease and abuse. Corbett escaped and was hunted down by bloodhounds and recaptured. After five months he was released and he rejoined his unit.
In July 1858 he lusted after two prostitutes that were walking down the street. Afterwards he felt so bad about it that he took a pair of scissors and clipped off his testes, castrating himself. He then went to a prayer meeting, took a walk, and had dinner before he sought medical help from a doctor. At the beginning of the Civil War Corbett joined the Union Army. The night before he left for the army he preached a sermon in which he said he would have no mercy on Southerners and would shoot them all on sight. Corbett would dress down his officers when they cursed asking "don't you know that you are breaking God's law?" He then refused to return to the ranks until he received an apology from them. Corbett was eventually sent to the guard house for insubordination. He was on picket duty one night and returned to camp without his rifle. Corbett announced that he only signed up for three months and his enlistment ended at midnight. At first he was arrested and condemned to death by firing squad but soon his sentence was commuted to discharge from the army.
He reenlisted in September 1863 and joined the 16th New York Cavalry. It was reported that every time he killed a Confederate soldier he would shout "amen, glory to God". His unit was chasing John S. Mosby one day, aka the "Gray Ghost", and part of Corbett's unit was cut off. Mosby's men killed or captured most of his comrades but he would not surrender. He held off 26 Confederates until he ran out of ammunition and then he fought them off with a club. Mosby was impressed with Corbett's tenacity and sent him to Andersonville. I have been to Andersonville and that place had to be a hell hole. In less than a year 13,000 men died there of starvation, disease and abuse. Corbett escaped and was hunted down by bloodhounds and recaptured. After five months he was released and he rejoined his unit.
Corbett testified against Captain Henry Wirtz during his trial for war crimes. Wirtz was the Confederate commandant at Andersonville. He would be the only Confederate to be executed for war crimes. When Abraham Lincoln was shot the 16th New York Cavalry was sent South to hunt for John Wilkes Booth. They caught up with him in Richard Garrets tobacco barn in Virginia. Corbett's unit set the barn on fire trying to flush him out. David Herald, one of Booth's fellow conspirators surrendered but Booth was prepared to fight to the death. Corbett saw Booth through a large crack in the side of the barn and shot him in the back of the head. Not far from the same spot in his head that Lincoln had been shot. The bullet clipped Booth's spinal cord, paralyzing him. Booth, barely alive was dragged out of the burning barn to die later on Garrets front porch. Corbett was arrested for disobeying orders. His orders were to take Booth alive. The charges were soon dropped by order of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Boston received his share of the reward money of 1,653.85 and became a temporary celebrity.
Corbett remained a religious fanatic and because of that people lost interest in him. He went back to making hats and displaying more and more signs of erratic behavior. At a Grand Army of the Republic reunion in 1875 he pulled a gun on two men who he overheard saying that they didn't believe he killed Booth. The public soured on him so he moved to Concordia Kansas. There he bought 80 acres of land but never built a house. Instead he lived in a hole in the ground. People sought him out to lecture on the death of Booth but each time he would give a fire and brimstone sermon instead. Corbett became a recluse and only came out at night. On one occasion he showed a female neighbor the grave that he had dug for himself and the blanket that he wanted to be buried in.
After many incidents in which he threatened people with his pistol and displaying erratic behavior he was committed to the Kansas State Mental Asylum. Corbett escaped on May 26, 1888. A friend gave him a horse on the provision that he head to Mexico and never come back. After June 1, 1888 he was never officially seen again. He may have gone to Mexico but there is circumstantial evidence that he died in a huge fire at Hinckley Minnesota in 1894. A Thomas Corbett was listed as one of the dead. The fact that Boston was a hatter may explain his insanity and erratic behavior. Mercury was used in the process of making hats and had been breathing the vapors since he was a child. This is where the phrase "mad as a hatter" comes from.
Corbett remained a religious fanatic and because of that people lost interest in him. He went back to making hats and displaying more and more signs of erratic behavior. At a Grand Army of the Republic reunion in 1875 he pulled a gun on two men who he overheard saying that they didn't believe he killed Booth. The public soured on him so he moved to Concordia Kansas. There he bought 80 acres of land but never built a house. Instead he lived in a hole in the ground. People sought him out to lecture on the death of Booth but each time he would give a fire and brimstone sermon instead. Corbett became a recluse and only came out at night. On one occasion he showed a female neighbor the grave that he had dug for himself and the blanket that he wanted to be buried in.
After many incidents in which he threatened people with his pistol and displaying erratic behavior he was committed to the Kansas State Mental Asylum. Corbett escaped on May 26, 1888. A friend gave him a horse on the provision that he head to Mexico and never come back. After June 1, 1888 he was never officially seen again. He may have gone to Mexico but there is circumstantial evidence that he died in a huge fire at Hinckley Minnesota in 1894. A Thomas Corbett was listed as one of the dead. The fact that Boston was a hatter may explain his insanity and erratic behavior. Mercury was used in the process of making hats and had been breathing the vapors since he was a child. This is where the phrase "mad as a hatter" comes from.
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