Thomas “Boston” Corbett was an immigrant from England who joined the Union army when the Civil War broke out in 1861. A cavalryman, he was part of a patrol that discovered Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth hiding in a Virginia tobacco barn. Corbett mortally wounded Booth, which made the soldier an instant celebrity. Boston Corbett battled fame and mental illness the rest of his life.
Thomas Corbett, Nineteenth Century Immigrant
Corbett was one of the millions of European immigrants who flooded into the United States during the coursed of the nineteenth century. He was born in London in 1832, but his family emigrated to New York when Thomas was seven years of age. Eventually he became a hatter and was married. But tragedy struck when his young wife died in childbirth. The baby also died. Utterly devastated, the hatter took to drink.
Corbett moved to Boston, where he became something of a religious fanatic. He grew his hair long, in imitation of Jesus, and changed his first name to “Boston,” in honor of the place where he had been converted.
Corbett and Mercury Poisoning
As time when on Corbett became quite strange. During services, he insisted on adding an “er” in reciting prayers, as it “Oh Lord-er” he would shout, “Hear-er our Prayer-er” But worse was to come.
On the evening of July 16, 1858, Corbett saw two attractive ladies. They probably were prostitutes, and though he resisted temptation, he felt “ungodly.” He got a pair of scissors and castrated himself, in part to obey Mark 19, 12 “… They have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of God’s sake.”
Even more incredibly, Corbett went to a prayer meeting and had dinner before seeking medical help. It was amazing, given the state of medical knowledge at the time, he did not die of infection.
Some have speculated Corbett’s irrational behavior was due to his line of work. Hatters used solutions of mercuric nitrate in the felting process. Mercury is toxic, and can cause neurological damage. It’s the source of the phrase “Mad as a hatter.”
Boston Corbett in the Civil War
When the Civil war began in 1861 Corbett joined the Union (Northern) army as a cavalryman. He was a brave soldier, but still displayed odd, quirky, even “insane” behaviors at times. He was captured by the Confederates in 1864 and served time in Andersonville prison before being exchanged.
The Manhunt for John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was a famous actor, and when he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater he made no attempt to disguise himself. Hundreds of Union soldiers took part in one of the biggest manhunts in American history. Corbett, now a sergeant in the 16th New York cavalry, was one of them.
Corbett’s patrol cornered Booth in a Virginia tobacco barn on April 26, 1865. The barn was set afire to drive Booth out, but the actor refused to surrender. Corbett saw Booth through a crack in the barn and shot him with his army revolver. Booth, paralyzed by Corbett’s bullet, died in great agony a few hours later.
Boston Corbett: Hero or Madman?
At first, Corbett reveled in his hero-celebrity status. Then, he grew paranoid, avoiding crowds and drawing a gun when people came up for an autograph. He eventually moved to Concordia, Kansas, where he lived in a dugout and became known as an odd semi-recluse. The bizarre behavior continued. In one instance, he screamed and waved a pistol at some locals became they were “wickedly” playing baseball on Sunday.
Some misguided people secured a job for Corbett as a Third Assistant Doorkeeper in the Kansas State Legislature in Topeka, Kansas. But Corbett was an emotional time bomb, and eventually he “exploded.” On Feb 15, 1887 he caused legislators to scatter and dive for cover when he (again!) started raving and flourishing a pistol.
He was committed to an insane asylum, but escaped in 1888. Corbett was never heard of again, though rumors abounded. Some said he became a travelling salesman. Others said he died in the great Hinckley (Minnesota) fire of 1894. We will never know for sure.
Sources:
Thomas Goodrich, The Darkest Dawn: Lincoln, Booth, and the Great American Tragedy (Indiana University Press, 2005)
David Dary, True Tales of Old Time Kansas (University of Kansas, 1984)
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