— Ch. 1 · The Hat Maker's Fumes —
Boston Corbett.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
Thomas H. Corbett was born in London, England, on the 29th of January 1832. He arrived in the United States with his family in 1840 at the age of seven or eight years old. The Corbetts moved frequently before settling in Troy, New York. As a teenager, he began apprenticing as a milliner. This profession involved treating fur to produce felt for hats using mercury(II) nitrate fumes. Excessive exposure to this compound can lead to hallucinations and psychosis. Historians have theorized that the mental issues Corbett exhibited were caused by his regular contact with these toxic vapors. The condition known as erethism plagued many hat makers during that era.
A Vision Of Self-Harm
In the early 1850s, Corbett met and married Susan Rebecca, who was thirteen years his senior. He became an American citizen on the 9th of June 1855, taking the oath in a Troy courthouse. The couple then moved to Richmond, Virginia. Corbett had a hard time finding work because of his vociferous opposition to slavery. His wife died at sea on the 18th of August 1856 while they were returning to New York City. Grief stricken, he began drinking heavily and eventually became homeless. A street preacher confronted him after a night of heavy drinking and persuaded him to join the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1857, Corbett worked at a hat manufacturer's shop on Washington Street in Boston. On the 16th of July 1858, he struggled against sexual urges and read Matthew 5:29 and Matthew 19:12 from the Gospel. Years later, a friend recounted Corbett saying that the Lord directed him to castrate himself. He did so with a pair of scissors before eating a meal and attending a prayer meeting. He was released from medical care on August 15.Prisoner At Andersonville
On the 19th of April 1861, Corbett enlisted as a private in Company I of the Union Army's 12th New York State Militia. He always carried a Bible and regularly held unauthorized prayer meetings. He once reprimanded Col. Daniel Butterfield for cursing and taking the Lord's name in vain. The Army court-martialed Corbett and sentenced him to be shot. His sentence was reduced and he was discharged in August 1863. He re-enlisted later that month in Company L, 16th New York Cavalry Regiment. On the 24th of June 1864, Confederate troops led by John S. Mosby captured many of his comrades. Corbett continued to fire at the enemy from behind a persimmon tree using a seven-shooter repeating rifle. The Confederate Army succeeded in capturing him only after he ran out of ammunition. A junior officer aimed a pistol at his head but Captain Chapman objected. Corbett was taken to Andersonville Prison where fellow prisoner William Collins relayed an incident about his conduct. Five months later, in November 1864, the prison released Corbett in a prisoner exchange. He was admitted to a military hospital in Annapolis, Maryland, where doctors treated him for scurvy and malnutrition.The Siege At Garrett Farm
On the 14th of April 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. The regiment was based around the Potomac in Vienna, Virginia on Good Friday. On Monday, April 24, Corbett volunteered when his regiment was sent to capture Booth. On Wednesday, April 26, the regiment surrounded Booth and David Herold in a tobacco barn on Richard Garrett's farm. Lt. Edward P. Doherty asked Corbett to deploy men right and left to surround the area. Herold surrendered, but Booth refused, crying out that he would not be taken alive. The regiment set the barn on fire to force Booth out into the open. Lt. Colonel Everton Conger ignited hay clumps and slipped them through cracks near Corbett. Booth walked to the flames to assess whether he could extinguish them. Corbett claimed they saw Booth aim his carbine to fight his way out. Corbett requested permission from Doherty to enter alone but was denied. He moved back to his position near a large crack in the wall. Corbett then shot Booth through the crack with his Colt revolver.The Death Of An Assassin
Booth screamed in pain and fell to the ground after being struck in the back of the head behind his left ear. Three of Booth's vertebrae were pierced and his spinal cord was partially severed. Mary Clemmer Ames later wrote that the bullet entry spot mirrored Lincoln's wound but caused exquisite agony. Booth remained in agony until sunrise when his breathing became labored. He gasped for air as his throat continued to swell before dying from asphyxia approximately two to three hours after the shooting. Doherty told Corbett to ride to neighboring farms to find breakfast. Corbett rode off to pray and asked the Lord about the shooting. He felt a clear consciousness that it was an act of duty. The soldiers dragged Booth onto the porch where he asked for water. Booth pleaded to be turned on his side but the move did not relieve his suffering. He uttered his last words gazing at his hands: "Useless...useless." Booth died shortly thereafter while making a gurgling sound.Fame And Paranoia
Corbett testified in the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators on the 17th of May 1865. Initial newspaper reporters described him as a simple man devoted to his faith. One editor declared that Corbett would live as one of the World's great avengers. For his part in the capture, Corbett received $1,653.84 of the $100,000 reward money. His annual salary as a US sergeant was $204. He refused offers to purchase the gun he used stating it belonged to the Government. Southern sympathizers sent letters threatening to kill him so he kept a gun nearby. In 1875, Corbett got into an argument with several men over Booth's death at a Soldiers' Reunion in Caldwell, Ohio. He drew his pistol on the men but was removed before firing. In 1878, Corbett moved to Concordia, Kansas, where he acquired land and constructed a dugout home. Throughout the rest of his life, he was paranoid that Booth's family or friends would come and kill him.The Disappearance And The Fire
In January 1887, Corbett was appointed assistant doorkeeper of the Kansas House of Representatives in Topeka. On February 15, he became convinced officers were discriminating against him. He jumped to his feet, brandished a revolver, and chased officers out of the building. A judge declared Corbett insane and sent him to the Topeka Asylum for the Insane. On the 26th of May 1888, he escaped from the asylum on horseback. He rode to Neodesha, Kansas, where he briefly stayed with Richard Thatcher. When Corbett left, he told Thatcher he was going to Mexico. Conjecture arose that he settled in a cabin near Hinckley, Minnesota, and died in the Great Hinckley Fire on the 1st of September 1894. This theory relied on speculation about a name appearing on a list of dead victims. In September 2024, genealogical evidence proved the man who died in the fire was Thomas Gilbert Corbitt from Steuben County, New York. Proofs included Civil War pension filings dated the 19th of September 1890 and a newspaper article from the 24th of September 1894 announcing Thomas Corbitt's death.Common questions
When and where was Boston Corbett born?
Thomas H. Corbett was born in London, England, on the 29th of January 1832.
How did Boston Corbett die according to recent evidence?
Genealogical evidence from September 2024 proves that Thomas Gilbert Corbitt from Steuben County, New York died in the Great Hinckley Fire on the 1st of September 1894, not Boston Corbett himself.
What caused mental health issues for Boston Corbett during his career as a milliner?
Excessive exposure to mercury(II) nitrate fumes while treating fur led to hallucinations and psychosis known as erethism among hat makers.
Why did Boston Corbett castrate himself in 1858?
Corbett believed the Lord directed him to castrate himself after struggling with sexual urges and reading Matthew 5:29 and Matthew 19:12 from the Gospel.
Who killed John Wilkes Booth and how did it happen?
Boston Corbett shot John Wilkes Booth through a crack in a tobacco barn wall on the 26th of April 1865 using a Colt revolver.