LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 December Civil War Auction #674  / 

72182

BUMMER CAP OF “BOSTON CORBETT” SARGEANT WHO SHOT

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:36,250.00 USD Estimated At:75,000.00 - 80,000.00 USD
BUMMER CAP OF “BOSTON CORBETT” SARGEANT WHO SHOT
<B>BUMMER CAP OF SERGEANT THOMAS P. “BOSTON” CORBETT, THE MAN WHO SHOT JOHN WILKES BOOTH, 1865.</B></I><BR> The unique forage cap of the mysterious and tormented Sergeant Boston Corbett of the 16th New York Cavalry. The Union soldier that shot and killed Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Presented to Al. Fostell by Col. Murphy<B>. </B></I><BR><BR>Corbett was born in London, England. His family immigrated to New York in 1839 <BR>He eventually took on the trade of a hatter in Troy, New York. There has been speculation that the use of mercury as part of the hatter's trade was the cause of Corbett's later mental problems. Following his wife’s death, Corbett moved to Boston, and continued working as a hatter. He became a born again evangelical Christian and changed his name to Boston. He began to wear his hair very long. On July 16, 1858, in order to avoid the temptation of prostitutes, Corbett castrated himself with a pair of scissors. Afterward, he ate a meal and went to a prayer meeting before going for medical treatment. <BR><BR>The self-mutilation did not keep Corbett from enlisting at the start of the war and then reenlisted twice more. He was captured by Confederate partisan John Mosby in June 1864 and sent to Andersonville Prison. He escaped, was recaptured, and spent the rest of the war in Andersonville until liberated near the end of hostilities. Corbett was selected as part of the detachment that pursued Booth, ultimately cornering him at the Garrett farm. Corbett claimed God ordered him to disobey orders and shoot Booth. He was arrested for violating that order, but Edwin Stanton pardoned him.<BR><BR><B>Provenance: </B></I><I>Al. Emmett Fostell Collection,</B></I><B><I> </B></I></B></I><I>catalog item # 687</B></I><BR><BR><B>Condition:</B></I> Very fine <BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Smal (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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