LT. GENERAL HENRY C. CORBIN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 01/02/1901 - HFSID 24104

HENRY C. CORBIN
As Adjutant General, he signs a typed letter to an (ultimately successful) applicant to West Point (1901).
Typed Letter signed: "H. C. Corbin" as Adjutant General, 1 page, 8x10½. War Department, Washington, D.C., 1901 January 2. On letterhead of the Adjutant General's Office to William W. West, Jr., Highland Falls, N. Y. In full: "I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, and to inform you that, in accordance with the request therein contained, the place of your examination for admission into the Military Academy has been changed from Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md., to West Point, N.Y. Very respectfully". Accompanied by original 9x4 envelope, addressed by an unknown hand. 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.