The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-08
IT SHOULD HAVE NO WEIGHT.
MORGAN WRITES OF CORBIN INCL
DENT AT NASHVILLE.

Hates his Iurt IN referring
Charges Against the Present Adju-
tnnt GeneraI-Grew Out of Reports
Which Came to Him After the Bat
tie of NashviIIe-Says the Case Was
settled Long Ago and should Re
So Regarded.
New York. March 1T. ]. Morgan. late
colonel of the Fourteenth United States
Colored Infantry and brevet brigadier gem
eral United States volunteers. has writ
ten the following open letter TO the Tri-
bune with reference to Adjt. Gen. Corbin
military record during the Civil War:
Pending the consideration of the bill
for making the present adjutaut general
of the army a major general, the Senate
has Instituted an Investigation into Gen
Corbin's military record during the Civil
War, and as my name has been repeated
ly connected with the quest ton, l beg the
privilege of little space in your paper
for a brief statement of the essential
facts. In October, 1868, by direction of the
Secretary of War, l began at Gallatin.
Tenn. an organza ton of the Fourteenth
United States colored infantry. ! had the
bin was associated with me as major.
After / had completed the organization
l was authorized by Gen. George II.
Thomas TO organize the FOrty-Socond and
Fourty-fourth United States Infantry and
subsequently, l organized the First colored
brigade of the army of the Cumberland.
My duties were largely administrative.
When | was promoted as Colonel of the
Fourteenth, Maj Corbin was made lieu
tenant colonel. Upon him devolved chief
ly The work of drilling the regiment,
which he did very successfully, bringing
it TO high state of efficiency in the man.
uai Of arms ana in the execution of COM
pany and battalion movements.
At the Battle of Nashville.
'fAt the decisive battle of Nashville.
Tenn, Dec. II and Is. 1864, | had the hon
or of opening the fight on the extreme
LETT of our line with an improvised di
vision consisting of a small brigade of
white troops, comprising fragments, /
think, of three regiments under command
of Lieut.. Col. Charles H. Grosvenor, NOW
member of Congress; a brigade OF negro
troops under command of Col. NOW GEM
w. Il. Shafter, comprising his own regi-
ment, the Seventeenth United States Col
ored Infantry the Forty fourth United
States Coored Infantry, under Col. l..
johnson, the fOEIIGeilLn OUlltu OldlcS
Coored Infantry under Lieut. Col. Corbin,
a fragment of the Eighteenth United
states Col0red Infantry under alloy and
a section of the Twentieth Indiana Bal
terry under command of Capt. Osborne, L
think. We We're holly engaged during
both days of the fight and received great
praise from both Gen Steedman, my i'm
mediate commander, and Gen. George II.
Thomas, on whose joint recommendation
] was made q breVet brigadier general.
Col Shafter and Col GrosvenOr acquit
ted themselves with great credit, Shafter
showing special activity and courage, and
suffering the loss of many of his men. l
was not with Lieut.. Col. Corbin during
the fighting, but officers who were report
ed to me after the battle was ended that
he had displayed such cowardice as to
excite the ridicule of both officers and
men. ! spoke to him about it, and ne
at once rendered me his resignation, sub
sequently, however, Withdrawing It,
Would Not withdraw 1t.
'In my official report of the battle
said that l thought that Lieut.. Col Cor
bin did not have the courage to command
brave men. Many years afterWard, when
rebellion records were about 10 be pub
lished, I was urged to expunge that SEN
tence before the report was published
This 1 declined to do on two grounds
first, because l did not feel at liberty to
alter the records, believing that such ac-
tion on my part and on that Of other Of
fcers would not only tend to destroy their
historical accuracy and value; and second,
because subsequent events closely con-
nected with my report and my own re-
cord would be incomplete without proper
explanation
"a preferred charges against Lieut.. Col.
Corbin based upon the Information l had
received and believed to be correct, and
he trac ycri1t 10 fria |
by a courtmartial, which, however, ac-
quilted him.
subsequently he united with others and
preferred charges against me, on which I
was brought TO trial. The findings of the
dourtmartiaI were set aside. / was given
the command of brigade by the personal
act of Gen. Thomas was subsequently
promoted by the President as brevet brig
adler general, and was confirmed by che
Senate.
Il 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 de
termining the question as TO whether the
adjutant general of the army should be
major general. Corbin and were at that
time both very young volunteer officers
with but little experience in either lire
or service, and it seems to me that neith-
er his act as a soldier, nor mine as a
commanding officer ought to be judged
by the severe military standard of the
regular army ! believed a that time
that Col Corbin had betrayed cowardice,
so reported, and felt il my duty to court
martial him. But the judgment of the
court did not sustain me, and the Incl
dent should be regarded as closed"
-~-o-~-
STOCKNEN AT kISSIMMEE.