The Madman and the Assassin

[RJNorton]

Thanks to Bob Cook for sending an alert on this upcoming book.

The Madman and the Assassin: The Strange Life of Boston Corbett, the Man Who Killed John Wilkes Booth

"As thoroughly examined as the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth have been, virtually no attention has been paid to the life of the Union cavalryman who killed Booth, an odd character named Boston Corbett. The killing of Booth made Corbett an instant celebrity whose peculiarities made him the object of fascination and derision. Corbett was an English immigrant, a hatter by trade, who was likely poisoned by the mercury then used in the manufacturing process."

http://www.amazon.com/Madman-Assassin-St...on+corbett

[HerbS]

Corbett was a"wack job".I feel that mercury[hatter in Troy,NY]got to his brain,thus,a[mad-hatter].Work place danger at it's best!

[Gene C]

(11-24-2014 10:15 AM)HerbS Wrote:  Corbett was a"wack job".

In more ways than one

[brtmchl]

I remember hearing that Corbett had castrated himself. Today, Corbett would be considered mentally unfit for duty. I wonder what his men and officers thought of him.

[RJNorton]

(11-24-2014 12:08 PM)brtmchl Wrote:  I wonder what his men and officers thought of him.

Hi Mike. I found a quote in Myths After Lincoln by Lloyd Lewis. Lewis writes, "Before he (Corbett) was mustered out on August 17, 1865, Lieutenant Doherty commended him highly, declaring that "in military capacity he is second to none in the service."