The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-12
THELATE GEN. CORSE.

Gen. John NJ. Corse, the Hero of AL
toona," died at his home in Winchester
Mass, last Friday.
General Corse comes from Huguenot
family which settled in Virginia about
| 100 years ago. He was born in Pitts
burg, April q, 1885, but his parents soon
removed to st. Louis and afterwards to
Burlington, Ia. He was educated in the
public schools of Burlington, and sub
sequently went to West Point, N. Y,
where he graduated in 1857. He re-
signed his position in the army and
went to The albany law school. He
opened law office in Burlington, but
was not able to practice long before the
war called him to put on his shoulder
straps again.
he ran in 1860 for lieutenant governor
of Iowa on the Stephen A. Douglas tick
ket, but after the firing on Fort Sumter
he accepted an appointment as major of
the Sixth Iowa infantry, and took part
in the Fremont campaign in southwest
Missouri. He was then detached and
appointed judge advocate and inspector
general on General Pope's staff and
served with that general through the
New Madrid and Island No. 10 cam
paigns. He was next at Shiloh.
He was now promoted to colonelcy,
and was present with his regiment
through the siege of Vicksburg and also
at the siege of Jackson, and for gallant
and meritoriOus services at Jackson he
was made Brigadier General and given
the command of the fourth division of
the Fifteenth Army corps. Corse was
one of the youngest brigadier generals
in the service, but also one of the most
N,,,, NnI IL 30 l. -, i 90
phis and over to Missionary Ridge, he
led the assaulting army of General Sher-
man, ard had leg broken by shell and
months absence he returned and was
given position on General Sherman's
staff as inspector general.
General Corse is most widely known
as the hero of Altoona. On the day that
Mcpherson was killed in front of Allan
ia, July %, 1854, General Logan re-
quested the appointment of General
COrse to the command of division, and
he was assigned to the command of the
second division of the Sixteenth Army
corps. 1t was while COrse commanded
this division that Hood moved around
in the rear of Sherman's army and at
tackled the supplies at Altoona. Corse
was detailed with 1900 men to look after
these supplies, and on arriving on the
scene he found himself face to face with
determined and desperate enemy, out
numbering his forces four to one. The
opposing columns met at Altoona Pass
and a terrible battle was fought. Eight
hundred of the 1900 men under General
Corse were shot down, but the survivors
held their ground and never showed
their backs to the enemy, although i'm
mensely outnumbered. General Corse
sent to Sherman for ASST lance, and
message came back saying that re-en-
forcements were on the way, and asking
if he could hold the tort until they ar
rived, late in the afternoon.
1t was then that General Corse wrote
the famous dispatch which so pleased
Sherman that it may be found printed in
his story of the march to the Sea-" 81
have lost cheek bone and an ear, but l
can lick h-ll yet" was the way the dis
patch read. 1t was this stirring incident
of the war, it is said, that suggested the
Moody and Sankey hymn, Hold the
Fort" The bravery and gallantry of
General Corse in this engagement won
for him promotion to the rank of Major
General.
General Corse was with Sherman on
bne nlaIcn 10 Jne sea, ana subsequently
through the CarOlinas, and was engaged
in all the affairs from Atlanta to Benton
vile, N. G. At the close of the war he
was assigned to the command of the De-
partment of the Northwest, comprising
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana and Da-
kota, and conducted an Indian Cam
paign to successful issue. In 1866 he
was appointed lieutenant colonel of the
Twenty-seventh United States infantry,
but declined to accept the position and
was mustered out.
He removed to Chicago, where he be-
came Interested in railroad enterprises.
In 1867 he was appointed by President
johnson collector of internal revenue.
In 1869, at the close of his term, he went
to Europe, where he remained for four