The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-08

New York. March 1T. J. Morgan,
lats colonel of the Fourteenth United
States Colored Infantry and brevet
brigadier general United States Vol
unteers has written an open letter to
the Tribune with reference to Adju-
tant General Corbins military record
during the civil war.
He states that he is prompted TO
write the letter by the frequent mem
tioning of his name in connection with
the senate resolution of inquiry as to
the military record Of General Cor
bin.
Colonel Morgan's letter deals prin-
cipally with the battle at Nashville.
Tenn, Dec. Il and 10, 1864, during
which he was in command of an i'm
provised division of white and colored
troops. The officers commanding regi-
ments under hin included Lieutenant
Colonel Charles H Grosvenor, now
member of congress; Colonel (now gen.
crab w. 7. Shafter and Lieutenant
Colonel (nOW generaD COrbin. Writing
of this battle, Colonel Morgan says:
Colonel Shaftef and Colonel Gros-
venor acquitted themselves with great
credit, Shafter showing special activ-
ity and courage and suffering the loss
Of many Of his men.
4 was not with Lieutenant Colonel
Corbin during the fighting, but Off
GERS reported to me after the battle
was ended that he had betrayed such
cowardice as to excite the ridicule of
both officers and men. ! spoke to him
about it and he at once rendered me
his resignation, subsequently, however,
Withdrawing IL
Lacked Necessary Courage.
In my official report of the battle
l said that [ thought that Lieutenant
Colonel Corbin did not have the cour-
age requisite to command brave men.
Many years afterward when the re
4 belllon records We're about to be pub
! lished, l was urged to expunge that
! sentence before the report was pub
/ liShed. This I declined to do on two
grounds. First, because l did not feel
at liberty TO alter the records, believ-
ing that such action on my part and
on that of other officers would not only
| tend to destroy their historical accur-
acy and value; and, second, because
subsequent events closely connected
/ with my report and my record would
u
L preferred charges against Lieuten-
ant Colonel C0rbin, based upon the in
formation I had received and believed
to be correct, and on these charges he
was brought to trial by a cOurtmartial,
which, however, acquitted him.
! subsequently he united with others
and preferred charges against me, on
which 1 was brought to trial. The
findings of the cOurtmartial were set
aside. I was given the command of a
brigade by the personal act of Gov
/ ernOr Thomas; was subsequently pro-
NOTED by the president as brevet brig
adler general. and was confirmed by the
senate. In August, 1865 the war being
over. 1 left the service. Lieutenant
COrbin became colonel of the regiment.
and if I mistake not he has remained
continuously in the army from that
time to the present, a period of nearly
thirty-five years.
Regrets the Affair.
/ 81 regret that any one has seen fit to
bring up this matter, for l am of the
opinion that the Nashville incident
ought not at this time to have weight
in determining the question as TO
whether the adjutant general of the
army should be made - jOr general
CCrbin and l were at mat time both
very young volunteer officers. with but
little experience in either life or ser
vice, and = seems to me that neither
his act a. a soldier or mine as a com
handing officer ought to be Judged by
( the severe military standard of the reg
ular army.
I believe at tn time that Colonel
Corbin had betrayed cowardice, sCS.
ported. and 1 felt it my duty to court
martial him. But the judgment of the
CCortin,,e.l on, - -