The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-25
C)RB|N'S WAR RECORD
MADE THE ORIGINAL
CHARGES
COUNTER CHARGES ALSO MADE
Man Who Had the Present Adjutant
General COurt-MartiaIed Doesn't
Think the Incident Should
he Reviewed.
le New York Tribune OF a recent date

Ine New York Tribune Of recent date
contained the following:
Slr: Pendlng the consideration of the
Oil DIIi IoT making the present adjutant gem
seaa saaa OF tne army a major general the
Corplns S military record during the Civil
war ana as my name has been repeated
~ connected with the question L beg the
privilege or a little space in your columns
Tor pr1ef statement of the essential
tacts. In October, 1868, by direction OF
tin the sTane secretary OF war, | began at Gala
teenth United States colored infantry
had the rank OF lieutenant colonel and III.
=. Corbin was associated with me as
major. After had completed the organ
izat1on or the Fourteenth l was author
lzed by Gen. George H. Thomas to or
game the Forty second and Forty-fourth
United states colored infantry, and sub
sequently l organized the First colored
brigade of the Army of the Cumberland:
NY my a duties We're largely administrative
fourteenth Maj. Corbin was made lieu
tenant colonel. Upon him devolved chief
;l,, ~ the work of drilling the regiment,
IL TO a high state of efficiency in the
manual of arms and In the execution of
company and battalion movements The
ton, Ga; Pulaski. Tenn, and Decatur,
Ala under my own personal command,
Lieut.. Col. Corbin.
=, AT the decisive battle at Nashville.
Tenn. Dec. II and 10, 1864, | had the hon
or OF opening the fight on the extreme
ieIt OIL our line with an improVised divis-
ION consisting Of a small brigade of white
troops, comprising fragments, | think. of
tIn ttlIee reelments under command of Lieut.
Col Charles H. Grosvenor, now q member
or congress; a brigade of colored troops
under command of Col mow Gen.) W.
H. =, sGhaiter, Gal COMPRISING his own regiment,
the seventeenth United States colored in
fantry; the Forty-fourth United States
colored infantry, under Col. L. johnson:
flle sn rourteenth United States colored in
ment of the Eighteenth United States
colored infantry, under Maj JOY, and a
section of the Twentieth Indiana battery,
VEoer Wo 1.,o command of Capt. Osborn, L think
W we we're notify engaged during both days
OF the ilght, and received great praise
tnOI1 ION ooth Gen. Steedman, my immediate
coInmhander; CO. 1rhd & and Gen. George H. Thomas,
mac Inade q 6rigadier general. Col. Shafter
and Col. Grosvenor acquitted themselves
with WIN great credit, Shafter showing spe-
many of his men. l was not with TJent
Col. Corbin during the fighting. but off.
9eb+ 9eLs VINO were, reported to me after the
such coWardtce as to excite the ridicnle
OF poth officers and men. spoke to him
apout II, and he at once rendered me his
d.s ddesigHiaIi9n' yir subsequently. however, with
IN In my official report of the battle said
S tnat thought Lieut. Col. Corbin did not
comma
M MnLaVe men; Many years afterwards,
when the Rebellion records were abont
70 De published, I was urged to expungs
ished fIlht sehTehce 3 before the report was pub
uSHed. Ih1S L declined to do on two
grounds-frst, because I did not feel at
nperty TO alter the records, believing that
sucn tS actlon on my part and on that Of
other officers would naturally tend TO de-
stroy their historical accuracy and value.
ana, second, because subsequent events
closely connected with my report and nv
PLANTATION. w
/ preferred charges against Lieut.. Col
Corpin based upon the Information I had
received and believed to be correct, and
on these charges he was brought TO trial
quilted him.
Subsequently he united with others and
preferred charges against me, on which
l. was brought to trial. The findings of
the court-martia1 were set aside 1 was
gwen, gwen the command Of a brigade by the
quently promoted by the president as
brevet brigadier general, and was con.
hrmed by the senate. In August. 1865.
THe ie,,t war r. oeIng over, l left the servicej
Lieut.. Col. Corbin became colonel of thu
regiment, and, If mistake not, he has
remained continuously in the army from
that time to the present, period Of near
ly thirty-five years.
l regret that any one has seen fit to
bring up this matter, for I am OF the
opinion that the Nashville incident ought
iAOl al lIllS time 10 nave weight i'll de-
termining the question as to whether the
adJutant general of the army should be
made major general. Corbin and l were
at that time both very young volunteer
officers, with but little experience in
either life or service, and it seems to me
that neither his act as soldier nor mine
as commanding officer ought to be
judged by the severe military standing of
the regular army. believed at that time
that Col. Corbin had betrayed cowardice,
so reported, and felt 1t 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.
The question whether the adjutant
general Of the army should be a major
general is one to be determined by eX-
perts, and do not feel called upon at
the present time to pass any opinion upon
1t. My object in writing this communi-
cation is TO state facts as they occurred,
so as to remove from the public mind
many misapprehensions and misunder-
standings. Very respectfully,
II. j. Morgan,
Late Colonel Fourteenth US. c. l. and
Brevet Brigadier Generaf, U. S. A.