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| Father Corby at sunrise- Gettysburg (source: julianalove1023) |
A bronze statue of Father William Corby - priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, professor and president of the University of Notre Dame - is situated outside a brick building named for him on the campus. He stands on a rock – his right hand raised in blessing.
The statue - known somewhat irreverently to generations of “Fighting Irish” alumni at that football-crazy university as “Fair Catch Corby" - is an exact copy of another one that stands at the edge of a field near the small town of Gettysburg in southern Pennsylvania.
These statues are reminders of an almost forgotten story about the man they depict, the regiment he served, and one crucial moment during the epic three-day struggle in and around that field in the summer of 1863.
outside Corby Hall on the University of Notre Dame campus.
Here's the story
When the Civil War exploded across this country in 1861, Fr. Corby left his faculty position at Notre Dame and offered his services as a Catholic chaplain for the 88th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment – one of five volunteer regiments of mostly Irish immigrants that composed the famous Irish Brigade.[1]
Renowned for their green battle flags, their famous Gaelic war cry: “Faugh a Ballaugh” (“clear the way”), this brigade became famous for their toughness, tenacity, and their will to fight. They suffered the third highest casualty rate of all the Union Army brigades in the Civil War. [2]
Late on the afternoon of July 2, the Confederates, under the command of General James Longstreet, attacked the Union left, positioned near the Round Tops. Over the next two hours, the fighting in this area was nothing but a series of confusing attacks and counter-attacks by as many as eleven different brigades! Because of the horrific casualties, the soldiers called it the “Bloody Wheatfield".
Finally, there were no other units available in the area – they were either fighting for their lives or had fled in retreat. The Union lines were buckling.
At that crucial instant in America's history, only the Irish Brigade stood between the Confederate assault and victory.
A messenger galloped up with the Irish Brigade’s orders: Counter-attack across that open wheat field, and crash headlong into the middle of Longstreet’s attack, and then hang on until reinforcements could be assembled.
The officers and men of the brigade knew this attack – without any support – was tantamount to suicide. The odds against the majority of them surviving was high.
Fr. Corby knew it too.
He spotted a nearby boulder…
Colonel St. Clair Mulholland, an officer in the Irish Brigade, described the moment that followed:
There are just a few minutes to spare before starting [the attack], and the time is occupied by one of the most impressive religious ceremonies I have ever witnessed. The Irish Brigade…stood in columns of regiments…Father Corby stood on a large rock in front of the brigade.
Addressing the men, he [Corby] explained what he was about to do, saying that each one could received the benefit of the absolution by making a sincere Act of Contrition…and reminding them of the right and sacred nature of their trust as soldiers and the noble object for which they fought…and as he closed his address, every man fell on his knees, with head bowed down. Then, stretching his right hand towards the brigade, Father Corby pronounced the words of absolution.
The scene was more than impressive, it was awe-inspiring…I do not think there was a man in the brigade who did not offer up a heartfelt prayer. For some it was their last… [1]
Thirty-seven percent of the Irish Brigade were killed or wounded that day, but their attack was successful. It blunted the Confederate assault and gave the Union army the time it needed to transfer more units. The Union left was stabilized. [2]
Following his service in the war, Fr. Corby returned to Notre Dame to teach and eventually served as its vice president, and twice as its president. His book about the Irish Brigade – Memoirs of a Chaplain’s Life (published in 1893) - became a best seller. [1]
The Aftermath – Gettysburg, 1910
Father Corby passed on December 28, 1897 at 64 years of age, and he is buried at Notre Dame’s Holy Cross Cemetery. But because of the efforts of Colonel Mulholland and others, that moment at Gettysburg lives on.
In October 1910, a statue was unveiled at Gettysburg commemorating Fr. Corby’s “Act of Absolution”. It was the first statue of a non-general erected on the battlefield. The ceremony was attended by the survivors of the Irish Brigade, and many dignitaries – including Father Cavanaugh, then-president of the University of Notre Dame. [3]
A year later, an exact replica of the Gettysburg statue was erected on Notre Dame’s campus.
Of all the accolades Father Corby received, I think his nickname, "Fair Catch" would be the honor he'd most enjoy.
The Civil War was a patchwork of torn loyalties, whispered dreams, and strange events—those forgotten moments, people, and stories that shaped a nation. This was one of them.
Mac
═══ ⚔ 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒔 ⚑ ═══
If you enjoyed this Gettysburg story, here's another one called The Dust of Time - the forgotten account of an officer with the 1st Minnesota.
Works Cited
[1] Corby, The Very Rev. William. (1889). Memoirs of Chaplain Life. Chicago IL: La Monte, O’Donnell & Co.. Retrieved September 4, 2017 from https://archive.org/details/memoirschaplain00corbuoft
[2] Fox, William F, Lt. Col. USV. (1889). Regimental Losses in the American Civil War 1861-1865. Albany, NY: Albany Publishing Co. p.118. Retrieved September 7, 2017 from https://archive.org/stream/reglossescivilwar00foxwrich#page/118/mode/2up/search/irish+brigade
[3] Notre Dame in the Civil War Blog by Jim Schmidt @ http://notredamecivilwar.blogspot.com/2010/10/fair-catch-corby-part-ii-1910.html
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