William Corby

Rev. William Corby, CSC (October 2, 1833 – December 28, 1897) was an American priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Corby is perhaps best known for his giving general absolution to the Irish Brigade on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, which was dramatized in the film Gettysburg. Fr. Corby also served twice as President of the University of Notre Dame. The school's Corby Hall is named for him, and a statue of him similar to that at Gettysburg stands outside this building on the Notre Dame campus.

Fr. Corby was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Daniel, an Irish native, and Elizabeth, a Canadian.

Widely remembered among military chaplains and celebrated by Irish-American fraternal organizations, his statue with right hand raised in the gesture of blessing was the first statue of a non-general erected on the Gettysburg Battlefield.

See also

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA #Chaplains in Civil War

Further reading

• Bergen, Doris L. (ed.), The Sword of the Lord, University of Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, IN. 2004. ISBN 0-268-01275-9.
• Corby, Rev. William, CSC., Memoirs of Chaplain Life: Three Years with the Irish Brigade in the Army of the Potomac Edited by Lawrence F. Kohl. Fordham University Press: New York. 1992. ISBN 0-8232-1251-3

External links

• [1]
• William Corby Archives, University of Notre Dame

Academic offices
Preceded by Patrick Dillon	President of the University of Notre Dame 1866–1872	Succeeded by Auguste Lemmonier
Preceded by Patrick J. Colovin	President of the University of Notre Dame 1877–1881	Succeeded by Thomas Walsh