LT. GENERAL HENRY C. CORBIN - DOCUMENT SIGNED 01/24/1901 - HFSID 24105

 

HENRY C. CORBIN
As US Army Adjutant General (1901), he signs a typed letter directing West Point applicant William West to present himself for a qualifying examination.
Typed Letter signed: ""H C Corbin" as Adjutant General, 1 page, 8x10½. War Department, Washington, D.C., 1901 January 24. To William Whitehead West, Jr., Asheville, N.C. The letter instructs West to report to present himself before a board of officers at West Point, N.Y., on March 1, 1901, to be examined on his qualifications for admission to the US Military Academy. His admission would be contingent on the failure of another candidate, the primary candidate from the State of North Carolina at large. Ink note (unknown hand) copies the letter to US Senator J. G. Pritchard of North Carolina. (Although not mentioned in this letter, West was also the alternate candidate from North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, so the failure of either primary candidate would open the door for his admission.) Henry Clark Corbin (1842-1909) was a Civil War volunteer, twice decorated for gallantry and rising in rank from 2nd lieutenant to brevet major general. In 1866, he joined the regular army, starting over as a 2nd lieutenant and serving ten years commanding Buffalo Soldiers in the American West. Appointed to the White House staff by President Hayes in 1877, he served as Secretary of the Sitting Bull Commission. He became a close confidant of President Garfield, and was with Garfield when he was shot and when he died. Appointed Adjutant General by President McKinley in 1898, he played a key role in organizing US force deployments for the war with Spain, sleeping in his office to keep up with the work load. However, he vocally criticized the Rough Riders as a detriment to the military effort, and successfully opposed the awarding of the Medal of Honor to Theodore Roosevelt. William W. West, Jr. did graduate from West Point in 1905, and saw duty in France in World War I. Retiring as a colonel in 1919, he was a member of the US Olympic polo team of 1920. Horizontal fold creases. Lightly toned and creased. Otherwise, fine condition.