In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, and to appease my very Irish wife and boss, here is the story of the most beloved Irish chaplain in American military history:

According to Catholic doctrine, one of the most important duties that a priest administers is the act of "Last Rites," which is a form of absolution that is given to a dying person. In time of war, this provides a problem as men obviously fall on the battlefield without having a priest nearby. In order to compensate for this absence, Catholic chaplains would perform a universal form of this prior to the battle. Much like their Protestant peers, the Catholics would gather together on the eve of (or hours before) an anticipated engagement, but their ceremony would include a special ritual that would prematurely absolve them in the event that they were killed.

This 'Mass' was extremely important to brigades that were made up of immigrants such as the Irish and German contingencies. Perhaps the most famous of these was "The Irish Brigade," who deployed with Father William Corby. On The American Civil War website, they describe his invaluable service: "For many Civil War soldiers, both North and South, religion served to provide hope and meaning given what they endured during this bloody, violent conflict. When possible, men of the church would take an active role in lending such to the troops both during times of idleness and of combat."

They add, "The Reverend Father William Corby, chaplain to the Union's Irish Brigade among others, extended general absolution to all soldiers, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. He was also known to administer Last Rites to the dying on the field while under fire. Prior to the conflict in the Wheatfield on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, he offered general absolution to the Irish Brigade. Despite the loss of 506 of their men during that day's battle, one soldier stated that, because of Father Corby, "He felt as strong as a lion after that and felt no fear although his comrade was shot down beside him." Not the only example of heroism by people of the clergy, Chaplain William Hoge ignored the Union Blockade to bring Bibles to Southern soldiers."

Father Corby was born in Detroit on October 2, 1833 to Daniel, a native of King's County, Ireland and Elizabeth, a citizen of Canada. Daniel became a prominent real estate dealer and one of the wealthiest landed proprietors in the country. He helped to found many Detroit parishes and aided in the building of many churches. His son William was educated in the common schools until he was sixteen and then joined his father's business for four years. Realizing that William had a calling to the priesthood and a desire to go to college, Daniel sent him and his two younger brothers to the ten year old university of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The Congregation of the Holy Cross staffed the school then, as now.

After graduation, Corby returned to the school as a faculty member. During the Civil War, he volunteered his services as a chaplain in the Union Army at the request of Father Sorin, who was the Superior-General of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. Corby resigned his professorship at Notre Dame and was assigned as chaplain to the 88th New York Volunteer Infantry in the famed Irish Brigade of Thomas Francis Meagher. It has been written that he boarded the train with a song on his lips - singing, "I'll hang my harp on a willow tree. I'm off to the wars again: A peaceful home has no charm for me. The battlefield no pain."

For the next three years, Father Corby ministered to the troops with great enthusiasm. This made him popular with the men. According to the Catholic Cultural Society, "Chaplains, like officers, won the common soldiers' respect with their bravery under fire. Father Corby's willingness to share the hardships of the men with a light-hearted attitude and his calm heroism in bringing spiritual and physical comfort to men in the thick of the fighting won him the esteem and the friendship of the men he served. Frequently under fire, Corby moved among casualties on the field, giving assistance to the wounded and absolution to the dying. For days after the battles, he inhabited the field hospitals to bring comfort to men in pain."

Known for their glorious (and disastrous) charge at Fredericksburg, the Irish Brigade also made a gallant stand at Gettysburg, where their priest has been forever memorialized in a modest statue that stands near the Pennsylvania Monument. The CCS recalls this as the defining moment for BOTH the brigade and their chaplain: "Before the Brigade engaged the Confederate soldiers at a wheat field just south of Gettysburg, Father William Corby, in a singular event that lives in the history of the Civil War, addressed the troops. Placing his purple stole around his neck, Corby climbed atop a large boulder and offered absolution to the entire unit, a ceremony never before performed in America. Kohl, editor of Corby's memoirs, tells us that Father Corby sternly reminded the soldiers of their duties, warning that the Church would deny Christian burial to any who wavered and did not uphold the flag. The members of the Brigade were admonished to confess their sins in the correct manner at their earliest opportunity."

After repenting in the eyes of their Lord, the Irish Brigade plunged forward into battle and were met with a massive volley of fire from the Confederate forces. At the end of the day, 198 of the men whom Father Corby had blessed had been killed. A tragedy? Yes. But it was dulled by the fact that the departed heroes had been absolved and blessed prior to the engagement. This surely made the family and friends of the dead, a little less sad, believing that their loved ones received the promise of salvation. Father Corby's presence was invaluable and a great comfort to all who attended his services. He is perhaps, the most famous and revered Catholic priest of the entire Civil War.

Following the war, Father Corby returned to Notre Dame in 1865 where he was made vice president. Within a year, Corby was named president. At the end of his term at Notre Dame 1872, Father Corby was sent to Sacred Heart College. He returned to Notre Dame as president in 1877 where he became known as the "Second Founder of Notre Dame" for his successful effort to rebuild the campus following a fire. Later he became Assistant General for the worldwide order.

Father Corby wrote a book of his recollections, entitled "Memoirs of Chaplain Life." He stated, "Oh, you of a younger generation, think of what it cost our forefathers to save our glorious inheritance of union and liberty! If you let it slip from your hands you will deserve to be branded as ungrateful cowards and undutiful sons. But, no! You will not fail to cherish the prize--it is too sacred a trust--too dearly purchased."

He died in 1897, and as he was being buried, surviving veterans of the Grand Army Of The Republic are said to have sang this song: "Answering the call of roll on high. Dropping from the ranks as they make reply. Filling up the army of the by and by."

Excerpts taken from 'The Southern Cross: A Civil War Devotional' by Michael Aubrecht. Copyright 2008, Patriot Press.

As posted below, my wife and I joined Facebook last week and we have already reconnected with a dozen friends and colleagues. (She more than I, as people seem to still like her.) I have also been contacted via email by several former teachers of mine; all great guys, all who retired, and some who are Civil War enthusiasts working on a book project. What this means is that my 8th grade math teacher is now co-editing a collection of soldier’s letters for publication and he and his associates have asked if they could query me from time to time. Of course I told them I would be more than happy to assist with whatever they need. Still, if you would have told me back in 1984 that someday I would be advising my Middle School teacher on a Civil War book, I would have shot milk through my nose. (Best of all they have put me in contact with my 6th-grade history teacher who started me down this road in the first place.) Tomorrow evening I am meeting with a film director from Georgia down at the Fredericksburg Battlefield to walk the sunken road and discuss a very special documentary project. I’ll post some pics later this week.

I just finished posting the transcripts from my latest lecture on the book "Christ In The Camp: The Great Revival during the War Between the States" by Rev. J William Jones (1886). This 60-minute talk was given at Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church and details the role that religion played in the Army of Northern Virginia. From the establishment of chaplains in the Confederate army to the 'Great Revival,' Jones' recollections show how faith can aid both citizens and soldiers in times of war. These lessons are just as relevant today.

I am currently in the process of preparing an updated version of my talk on Fredericksburg’s historic churches for a March 20th engagement at Manassas Museum. Based on my book “Houses of the Holy,” the original version was a 90-minute presentation that I gave at Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church as part of their Community Lecture Series. Although it was very well-received, I don’t want to go any more than 60-minutes on Friday as it is an evening event followed by a book signing. Of course you never know how long a Q&A might last.

Instead of using two short stories per church, I’m trimming it down to one story apiece. I also intend to spend more time speaking to the broader perspective of the church’s conflicts (both religiously and politically) prior to Virginia’s secession. There will be an area set up in the museum’s gallery with a running slideshow depicting the 70+ photographs that I acquired for the book (many from the NPS, some unpublished) and a large board with little-known facts about each church. I hope to see you there and I will be sure to share some photos of the event here.

I recently did an interview spot for our local radio station on the book. Listen to MP3.

For more information on my talk, please visit the Manassas Museum’s event calendar.

At the insistence of a colleague, I set up my first Facebook page today. I guess if you can’t beat the cyber-social-networking-types, you might as well join them. My page is located here and was added to my links. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

With the exception of a speaking engagement at Manassas Museum on the 20th, I have cleared my entire calendar in order to focus on acquiring sources for my upcoming "American Chronicles" book on Confederate encampments in Spotsylvania County. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have identified a variety of potential sources listed in the NPS' Bound Volumes catalog and I will be spending several days up at Chatham copying them for transcription into the book.

Our county and the surrounding area hosted thousands of troops and there appears to be a nice collection of quotable materials from the southern contingency. As this book is to be presented in a chronicles-format (verbatim transcripts with introductory narratives by me), I want to make sure that it is more than just a good read. I have already published three books based on my faith (meant to uplift), two based on neglected topics (meant to educate), and my goal now is to write one that will become a respected research tool for others.

Much like my study on Fredericksburg’s historical churches, this project is of special interest to me as I live in the vicinity of several sites. Three of them are marked by VA roadside markers:

Lee’s Winter Headquarters E-38: During the winter of 1862-1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee maintained his headquarters in a small clearing in the woods in this vicinity. The camp contained only a few tents and nothing but a flag to indicate it was Lee’s headquarters. By mid-February the Army of Northern Virginia showed signs of scurvy and malnutrition, so Lee sent Lt. Gen. James Longstreet and a few other divisions to southeastern Virginia to gather supplies and counter Union forces. Lee remained at the site until late March 1863, when a serious throat infection forced him to take shelter at the nearby Thomas Yerby’s house. [2002]

Longstreet’s Winter Headquarters E-41: Following the Battle of Fredericksburg in Dec. 1862, Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet established his headquarters in a tent near here. His command center was in close proximity to Generals Robert E. Lee and J. E. B. Stuart. Longstreet commanded the Army of Northern Virginia’s First Corps, a force totaling approximately 40,000 men. In Feb. 1863 Longstreet left Fredericksburg with the divisions of Maj. Gens. George E. Pickett and John B. Hood to conduct an independent military operation near Suffolk. He rejoined the Army of Northern Virginia in May following the Battle of Chancellorsville. [2002]

Stuart E-8: At this point J. E. B. Stuart had his headquarters and cavalry camp in December 1862. [1995]

The REAL challenge with this project is to highlight the camp locations which are not well-known. This requires quality research and a willingness to spend the time necessary to uncover the data. As the final product is part of The History Press' "American Chronicles Series," the turnaround on the manuscript will be relatively quick. Therefore my pre-production work must be thorough.  

On a related side-note I was contacted by George Skoch, a renowned map maker, CWPT logo designer, and former co-editor of Blue & Gray Magazine. We discussed the possibility of putting together a couple maps IF the data to create them existed. Of course we won’t be able to determine that until I get into the archives and see what reference is available. I can’t wait to get started.

After four years, it was about time for an upgrade and I will continue to add new elements as time goes on. As you can see, I went with a simple, military-style-sheet and I hope to upgrade the quality of my posts to match the improved quality of the template. My original blog archives are still accessible via the link to the top right. As I am reinventing my online identity I thought I would reintroduce myself to new readers (below). As a reminder, I will be speaking at Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church this Wed. night at 6:30 on J. William Jones’ book "Christ in the Camp" as part of their Christian Classics Series. Next week I will be doing both a lecture on Fredericksburg's historic churches and a book signing at Manassas Museum on Friday, March 20th at 7pm. As usual, I will post the transcripts and slides over on my website.

Michael Aubrecht is a historian and author from Fredericksburg. He is a happily married father of four, as well as a devout Presbyterian. He attends Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church in beautiful Central Virginia and lives near the historic Massaponax Church, just a few miles from the 'Stonewall' Jackson Shrine.

In late-summer of 2008, Michael was appointed to the board for the National Civil War Life Museum Foundation, and commissioned to act as an event advisor (providing expertise in Civil War-era baseball) for the 1859 County Fair and Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania VA Sesquicentennial Committees.

Michael's personal interests include Southern Civil War history, 19th-20th century baseball, and the positive role that Christianity played during the War Between the States. His non-fiction book titles include: "Onward Christian Soldier: The Spiritual Journey of Stonewall," "Christian Cavalier: The Spiritual Legacy of JEB Stuart," "The Southern Cross: A Civil War Devotional," and "Houses of the Holy: Historic Churches of Fredericksburg."

He is currently in the process of completing "You Stink! Major League Baseball’s Terrible Teams and Pathetic Players" with co-author/historian Eric Wittenberg and researching "Campfires at the Crossroads: Confederate Encampments in Spotsylvania County" as part of The History Press’ American Chronicles Series.

From 2000-2006 Michael was a contributing writer for Baseball-Almanac.com, and has written over 375 studies on MLB history, as well as an online eBook titled "Luckiest Fans On The Face Of This Earth: History of the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic."

In 2005, Michael was commissioned to write the Introduction to noted UK sport's author John White's "Baseball Miscellany," and in 2006, he optioned the rights to one of his most popular baseball stories on the life of Jackie Mitchell for a film titled "Strike Out Queen." He is also featured in four consecutive 'Faith Writer's Anthologies,' as well as 'The SPC Post,' 'Cross-Times,' 'Pop Flies,' and 'The Citizen's Companion.'

Michael is a longtime member of Faith Writers, founder of The Jefferson Project, co-founder of The Jackson Society, an Associate Member of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans, Honorary Member of the John Bell Hood Historical Society and Lee's Lts., a supporter for the Gettysburg Foundation and also a contributing writer for various newspapers and magazines including 'The Free Lance-Star' and 'Civil War Historian.'

In 2008, Michael won Second Place in the Civil War Preservation Trust’s national endangered battlefield photography contest. In 2007, he was recognized by The Free Lance-Star for penning letters that had an impact in the community, and in 2006 he received citations from the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughter's of the Confederacy.

From 1994-2000, Michael received a number of citations from the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin. This includes the prestigious AEGIS Excellence Award and multiple Lightning Awards. An experienced associate art director and designer, he has also won multiple Creativity Awards (#'s 32-35) and a #36 Silver for a cover story on Colin Powell for Selling Power magazine.

Michael is periodically available for guest speaking, book signing, interviews, radio, and online chat presentations. Discounts and/or fees waived for church, military, heritage, and non-profit groups.

Visit Michael’s website at www.pinstripepress.net or contact him directly at ma@pinstripepress.net.