The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-08
A Manly Letter,

Davis. Adjutant General Corbin
Il invites the fullest investigation
of his military record since he
entered the army. 1t has been alleged
that during the civil war, when Cen
eral Corbin was lieutenant colonel Of
the Fourteenth Colored infantry. he
acted In a manner unbecoming SOL
dier He was fully tried by court mar
tial at the time and honorably ac-
quilted but enemies have persisted In
casting this old accusation in his face
and he now says: II desire to place
myself at your command in aiding you
to make a searching examination Of my
record as a soldier. with a view to as
certaining all the truth, and / wish to
say in all earnestness, If a search re-
veals TO you suggestion of unworthi-
ness, l will close the discussion, so far
as I am concerned by authorizing you
to present my resignation from the SER
vice to the president" Continuing, he
says:
l will gladly give you any assistance in
facilitating an examination of the records
made, day by day, from the time when,
as IL lad of 19, ! left my fa,hers farm IN
southern Ohio and entered the volunteer
army. l am now closing my thirty-eighth
year of continuous service; u service,
modest though IL has been, l claim to
have beer honest and faithful My SER
vice in the volunteer army covered nearly
four years. having in that time held com.
missions of six grades, from second lieu
tenant to and including that of colonel
of which ] was honorably discharged.
Not only this. but General Grant, while
secretary of war ad interim uwo years
after the trial herein discussed had been
of record in the war Department., con-
ferred upon me by authority of the pres
ident two brevets. one of major, for gall
liant and meritorious conduct in the bat
tie of Decatur, Ala. and another of lieu
tenant-colonel for like service in the bat
tie of Nashville, covering the exact dates
set forth in the specifications to the
charges tried. Following my discharge
from the volunteer service | was ap-
pointed a second lieutenant i'll the regu-
lar army, and in July, 1866, was appoint
ed "A captain in one of the new regiments,
and so far as L am aware. without the
solicitation of any influence outside of
the military service. / had been an Of
ficer of the army more than fourteen
years before l had the honor of the per-
sOnal acquaintance of any member of
congress or any one else in touch with
the authorities in Washington My first
ten years in the regular army were spent
with my company in the then remote
western states and territories of Kansas,
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and
Texas having in that time marched in
different expeditions against hostile III
dians and changes of station from Fort
Riley, Kan, Chen the western terminal
of the railroads leading to the west. to
Fort Brown at the mouth of the Rio
Grande. the distance traversed and the
difficulties of this service being fully un-
derstOod only by those who have mad the
experience. During all these ten years
l was never absent from duty a single
day from any cause whatever. / served
fourteen years as a captain of infantry
and in the adjutant- generals department,
nine years in the grade of major. seven
years in the grade of lieutenant colonel
and two years in the grade of colonel and,
at the time of my appointment as adiu-
tant-general, was the senior colonel in
the department. Your attention is also
invited to the fact that the president ten
dered me the commission of major-gen-
eral of volunteers, which had the honor
to decline, so that all these Offices Qim-
tied in number by law) might be given TO
officers serving with troops in the field.
have now served in the regular army
more than a third of a century, and
have beer absent from duty from any
cause less than thirty days.
This manly letter will win for Cen
eral Corbin the sympathy which prop
erly goes to men who are bounded
without cause. What the influences
are that have introduced a state Of
feud between Corbin and certain other
officers of the regular army stationed
at Washington, notable among them
if common report be true. the major
general commanding, civilians do not
have the means of knowing: but it Is
earnestly to be hoped that the inves-
tigation which has been proposed by
the senate in connection with the
army reorganization bill will go to the
bottom of the situation and clear it
up, once for all.