Time for a memorial honoring Boston Corbett?

[Steve]

I read the article Roger linked to and just wanted to add a few extra thoughts on this topic... although I wanted to wait until after the holiday weekend was over (especially with a topic that describes bullet wounds and tracks).

I was impressed with the article and it showed a realistic scenario of how Booth could've easily self-inflicted his wound even if he was intending a quick suicide but his injuries slightly changed the trajectory of how the gun was pointed. The way Booth was acting at Garrett's Farm leads me to believe he intended to kill himself/not be captured alive, so now that possibility can't be dismissed based on the forensic evidence. That doesn't necessarily mean that Booth fired the shot, though.

There is one problem with the paper that I have to point out. At the time of the confrontation with Booth, Corbett was a sergeant in a cavalry regiment which, unlike infantry units, did issue pistols to enlisted personnel. Although the extent to which cavalry regiments issued pistols to enlisted soldiers during the Civil War is sometimes exaggerated, the fact remains Corbett was an NCO and in the investigation afterwards, as far as I know, nobody questioned the caliber of the bullet of Booth's wound in regards to whether Corbett was the shooter. So I think it's a reasonable supposition that Corbett was indeed issued a pistol.

I also have to agree with Laurie that Corbett wasn't in it for the money. But one also must ask if Corbett would actually lie about shooting Booth? Would the "witness for the gospel" be worth the lie? I can't imagine a sane, honest, devout, and religious person would think that, but then again Corbett wasn't sane.