Father Corby of Notre Dame

Father Corby

The chaplain can be one of the unsung heroes in any military. They do not carry a weapon, they do not lead great charges, they generally do not operate in the limelight. Occasionally they get mentioned because of some selfless act performed during the height of battle to aid the wounded or because they themselves were cruelly killed by the enemy.  Rarely in the general Civil War literature are chaplains singled out.  One specific exception is Father Corby.

Father Corby was sent to the army in part to serve as a counter-balance to the Protestant chaplains serving in great numbers. There were many Catholic soldiers in the Union army, most famously serving with the Irish Brigade. The Fathers of Notre Dame felt that they needed priests.  Father Corby was one of several dispatched to the Army of the Potomac.

Father Corby became famous for one particular instance.  Just before the Irish Brigade went into battle on July 2nd, 1863 at Gettysburg, Father Corby gave a general absolution to the men.  What many don't know is that this act was intended to follow a medieval practice. He didn't intend to just absolve the men surrounding him, he intended it for the Catholic troops on both sides of the field.

Father Corby with Corby Hall in background

This act was immortalized in bronze on the field of Gettysburg in 1910. A duplicate statue and set of plaques were installed in front of Corby Hall on the campus of Notre Dame University in 1911.

Detail of feet. Note the spurs, riding gauntlets and hat

Plaque in front.

Plaque on Side

Informational Sign

Overview... how the men of the Irish Brigade might have seen him

This one moment is famous enough to have been also immortalized in the film Gettysburg. I will not share a still from there due to copyright, but if you have the Director's cut edition of the film or the Blu-Ray disc of it, the scene can be viewed at 1:58:58 in the movie, shortly before the segment with the 20th Maine and Little Roundtop. It is only about 40 seconds in length but it gives an idea of the scale of an infantry brigade as well. Father Corby himself is on screen for but a few seconds, but the entire short scene is worth it.

Priests from Notre Dame. Father Corby sits in the front row on the right

-Corporal


Gardner, Alexander, photographer. Harrison's Landing, Va. Group of the Irish Brigade. Harrison's Landing United States Virginia, 1862. July. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/cwp2003000093/PP/. (Accessed February 24, 2018.)