The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-03-08
CORBlNS '(6NfARlCE.'
Colonel Morgan Writes Of the In
oident in Corbin's Life.
COLONEL PREFERRED CHARGES

On the Strength of Reports Sub init
ted by Officers After the Battle OF
Nashvllle-Corbfn Was Acquitted Of
the Charges by Court Martial.
New York, March ST. j. Morgan,
late colonel of the Fourteenth United
States colored infantry, and brevet
brigadier general, U. s. ", has written
an open letter to The Tribune with
reference to Adjutant General Corbin's
military record during the civil war.
Colonel Morgan tells Of the organiza-
ton of the regiment for the war be-
tween the states, and says the regi-
ment was in battle four times--at Dali
ton. Ca; Pulaski, Tenn, and Decatur,
Ala. under his personal command, and
at Nashville, Tenn, under that Of
Lieutenant Colonel Corbin. He con-
tinues:
"At the decisive battle at Nashville,
Tenn. Dec, IA and 10, 1864, l had the
honor Of opening the fight on the ex-
IRENE left Of our line with an i'm
provised division. consisting of small
brigade of white troops, comprising
fragments. think, of three regiments
under the command Of Lieutenant
Colonel Charles H. Grosvenor, now a
member Of congress; brigade Of col
oTed troops under command Of Colonel
(now GeneraD w. X. Shafter; the
Forty-fourth United States colored in
fantry, under Colonel L. Johnson; the
Fourteenth United States colored in
fantry, under Lieutenant Colonel Cor
bin, fragment Of the Eighteenth Uni
ted States colored infantry, under Ma
jor Joy. and section of the Twentieth
Indiana battery, under command OF
Captain Osborne. We were holly en-
gagged during both days Of the fight
and received great praise from both
General Steadman, my immediate COM
mander, and General George H.
Thomas, on whose joint recommended
tiOns l was made brevet brigadier |
general. Colonel Shafter and Colonel |
Grosvenor acquitted themselves with
great credit, Shafter showing special
activity and courage, and suffering the
loss Of many Of his men. I was not /
with Lieutenant Colonel Corbin dur
ing the fighting, but officers 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 1t, and he
at once rendered me his resignation,
subsequently, however, Withdrawing 1t.
"In my official report Of the battle
I said that thought that Lieutenant
Colonel Corbin did not have the cour-
age requisite to command brave men.
Many years afterward, when the Re
hellion Records were about to be pub
lished, l was urged to expunge that
sentence before the report was pub
lished. This declined to do, because
l did not feel at liberty to alter the
records, and because subsequent events
closely connected with my report and
my own record would be without
proper legislation.
II preferred charges against Lieuten-
ant Colonel Corbin based upon the in
formation had received and ?'ieved
to be correct, and on these charges he
was brought to trial by court mar
tial, which, however, acquitted him.
Subsequently he united with others
and preferred charges against me, on
which I was brought to trial. The
findings Of the court martial were set
aside. I was given the command of
brigade by the personal act Of GEN
eral Thomas, was subsequently pro-
noted by the president as brevet brig
adler general and was confirmed by the
senate. In August, 1865, the war be-
ing over, left the service; Lieutenant
Colonel Corbin became colonel of the
regiment, and II l mistake not he has
remained continuously in the army
rom that time to the present, a period
If nearly So years.
II regret that any one has seen fit
o bring up this matter. for l am of
he opinion that the Nashville Incl
lent ought not at this time to have
weight in determining the question as
o whether the adjutant general of the a
rmy should be made major general. r
'orbin and l were at that time both =
cry young volunteer officers, with but d
title experience in either life or SER +
ice, and 1t seems to me that neither Z
is act as soldier or mine as COM 9
handing officer ought to be judged by n
he severe military standard of the h
ocular army. believed at that timo
bat Colonel Corbin had betrayed cow +
rdice, so reported, and felt it my T
uty to court martial him, but the 4
ldgment of the court did not sustain II
le, and the incident should be regard "
d as closed" h