Apr. 26 — The Real First Avenger
On April 26th, 1865, Boston Corbett was arrested after disobeying Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s orders to take traitor John Wilkes Booth alive, and instead shoot him in the head, avenging Lincoln and becoming The First Avenger.
Booth had been on the lamb for nearly two weeks when federal agents finally tracked him down to a tobacco farm in Virginia. Edwin M. Stanton had set out direct orders to take Booth alive to be put on trial.
However, when agents arrived at the farm, Booth refused to surrender. Lighting the farm on fire, they were going to smoke him out.
In Corbett’s account, he could see Booth moving around inside the fiery barn, holding a rifle and preparing for a gunfight. Out of self defense (…maybe…) Corbett fired a single round which found it’s way directly into Booth’s neck, killing him within three hours.
When his Lieutenant found out who shot Booth, Corbett was immediately arrested and taken to D.C. to be court-martialed for disobeying Stanton’s orders.
After hearing the statement himself, Stanton paused and, instead of charging the man, said, “The rebel is dead. The patriot lives; he has spared the country expense, continued excitement and trouble. Discharge the patriot.” And thus our hero was vindicated.
One newspaper even wrote that Corbett “will live as one of the World’s greatest avengers” officially dethroning Captain America as “The First Avenger.”
TWT #116
Originally published at http://www.todaywasterrible.com on April 26, 2019.
