Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/409

 CORBY

CORCORAN

1853-55, and on board the steamer Wabash, 1861- 63, as a part of the South Atlantic blockading squadron. His ship was engaged at the battle of Port Royal, Nov. 7, 1861, and at the capture of Forts Beauregard and Walker. He received his commission as commander, July 16, 1862, and during 1863 was commandant at the Naval acad- emy, Annapolis. He commanded the Anc/vsta, 1864-65, and was fleet captain of the West Indian squadron, 1865-66. His captain's commission was dated July 25, 1866, and his last cruise was in command of the South Atlantic squadron in 1868, on the flagship Gucrricrp. He w{is in charge of the ordnance department at Pliiladelphia and was retired Jan. 5, 1874, making his residence in Philadelphia, where he died in 1901.

CORBY, William, educator, was born in Detroit, Mich., Oct. 2, 1832; son of Daniel Corby. His father was a native of Ireland and his mother a Miss Stapleton of Montreal, Canada. His ancestors removed from France to England and thence to Ireland and America. He was educated in the public schools, by a j^rivate tutor, and at Notre Dame university, 1853-60. As a member of the order of the Holy Cross he was not permitted to take degrees. He was made I^refect of discipline at Notre Dame and was ordained priest in 1860. He was pastor of St. Patrick's church, South Bend, Ind., and pro- fessor of philosophy' and director of the manual labor school of Notre Dame university, 1860-62; chaplain of the 88th N.Y. volunteers and of the Irish brigade of New York, 1862-65, and was present at the battles under McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, Meade and Grant, being especially con- spicuous on the battle-field of Getty.sburg. He was vice-president of Notre Dame university in 1865; president of that institution, 1866-72; founder of the College of the Sacred Heart, Watertown, Wis., 1872, and its president, 1872-77 ; president of Notre Dame for a second term, 1877- 81 ; and provincial of the congregation of the Holy Cross in the United States, 1881-97. In 1892 he was elected assistant general of the order for the entire world. He was made mis- sionary apostolic by Pope Pius IX. ; was elected a member of the military order of the Loyal Legion, May 8, 1896; and was a founder of Notre Dame post, G.A.R., and commander of the post. In 1897, by motion of Gen. Lew Wallace, he was elected chaplain of the Indiana commanderj' of the military order of the Loyal Legion. He published Chaplain Life: ITiree Years in the Army of the Fotomac (1894). In 1867 he founded the Scholastic Year, afterward Xotre Dame Scholastic. He died in Notre Dame, Ind, Dec. 28, 1897.

CORCORAN, James Andrew, R.C. domestic prelate, was born in Charleston. S.C, March 30, 1820. H^ was educated at the Propaganda col-

lege, Rome, and was graduated with honors as a linguist. He was ordained at Rome, Dec. 21, 1842, by Cardinal Fransoni, and in 1843 assisted in reorganizing the diocesan seminary, Charleston, S.C, being its professor of theology, 1844-51, serving at the same time as chaplain to the sisters and rector at the cathedral. He was secretary of the provincial council at Baltimore in 1855 and in 1858, and of the plenary council of 1866. In 1862 he went to the relief of the yellow fever sufferers in Wilmington, N.C., and re- mained there as pastor till 1868. He was selected by the American bishops to represent the Roman Catholic church of the United States in the gen- eral council of the Vatican, and in 1871 was appointed professor in the Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo, Philadelphia. He was editor of the United States Catholic Miscellany, Charles- ton, S.C, for fifteen years, 1846-61. He edited The American Catholic Q^iarterly Eevieic, Philadel- phia, 1876-89. He was named Rt. Rev. Mgr. and Domestic Prelate in Rome, Dec. 16, 1883, and received from the Proi:)aganda college the degree of D.D. He died at St. Charles seminary, Phila- delphia. Pa., Jvily 16, 1889.

CORCORAN, Michael, soldier, was born in Carrowkeel, Ireland, Sept. 21, 1827. His father, a captain in the British army, gave to him a good education and obtained for him a commission on tlie Irish constabulary in 1845. He resigned in 1849, being unwilling to oppress his people, and immigrated to America. He was appointed to a clerkship in the New York post-ofiice and later in the office of register of the county. He joined the state militia as a private in the 69th regiment and bj' promotion through the successive grades became in 1859 colonel of the regiment. Wlien in 1860 the state militia was ordered out in honor of the visit of the Prince of Wales, he refused to muster his regiment and his court-martial for the offence was pending in 1861, when he led his regiment to the defence of Washington. He built Fort Corcoran on Arlington Heights. Va., and led his regiment at the first battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861. He was wounded and captured and spent nearly a year in Confederate prisons, being held as hostage to prevent the punishment of captured Confederate privateers. He refused his liberty as long as it was conditional on his not taking up arms against his captors, and it was not until Aug. 15, 1862, that an exchange was effected. He was commissioned brigadier-gen- eral to date from the time he was captured and he organized the Corcoran legion, which he com- manded in the battles on the James, near Suffolk, in April, 1863, and his force held in check the Confederates marching upon Norfolk. Tlie legion was attached to the army of the Potomac in August, 1863, and while riding with Gen. Thomas