Today, we tend to use the word "hero" rather casually. To us, a rock star, actress, sports figure or a reality television celebrity could be heroes. To the ancient Greeks, who coined the word, this would be laughable and probably insulting.
The Greeks saw a hero as a person who undertook and completed a special challenge or task at great personal risk; motivated only by honor and glory. The prototypical Greek hero was the legendary Achilles, the main character of Homer's The Iliad. He was considered to be the best warrior of the Greek world. Although blessed by the gods with the skills of war, he was cursed with great hubris and blinding bouts of rage.
At first Achilles sat out the war because he was feuding with the Greek king Agaemennom. After thinking about it, Achilles changed his mind. There were so many Trojans to kill and so much glory to gain he had to go. He lived up to expectations both as a skilled warrior and as a serious troublemaker. .
By the 19th century the concept of "hero" had evolved. The hero's quest was to be undertaken more for the public good than for personal glory and honor. With this framework in mind, let's take a look at the life of Henry Clark Corbin.
Henry Cark Corbin was born in 1842 in Monroe Township. He was educated at the prestigious, private Clermont Academy of New Richmond. He was better known at the school for his pleasant personality than for his academic accomplishments. After graduating from the Academy, he taught school. That career was interrupted by the Civil War. Corbin obtained an officer's commission with the 79th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He transferred to the 14th United States Colored Troops and led his men at the bloody Battle of Nashville. He left the army at the war's conclusion as a 23 year-old brevet brigadier general.
Corbin returned to Batavia to study law. But fate, in the form of General U.S. Grant, intervened. Grant, attending a reception at a relative's home in Batavia, offered Corbin an officer's commission in the regular army. The young veteran was really set on becoming an attorney, but could not reject an offer from the commanding general of the U.S. Army. He accepted the commission, starting a forty-one year long career in the army.
In June of 1892, while stationed in Los Angeles, Corbin received orders to gather a sufficient force and proceed to Tuba City, Arizona to quell a disturbance at the Moqui (Hopi) Indian reservation. The Moqui were upset because they were being forced to send their children to the government schools.
The order was vague. With no specified rules of engagement limiting him, Corbin was given great latitude on how to resolve the situation. This incident occurred less than two years after 200 Sioux men, women and children were massacred at Wounded Knee. Most Americans agreed with Ohioan General Phillip Sheridan's belief that "the only good Indian is a dead Indian". Not only would a massacre of the Moqui be seen as justified, but would have fast-tracked Corbin to promotion or could have jump-started a career in politics.
Corbin tried to negotiate with the Indian leaders, but they refused to meet with him. They told him they would open fire on him if he came to their village. Corbin's options were narrowing. His officers urged him to attack. Corbin felt that an attack was justified, but he wanted to see if he could accomplish his mission without drawing blood. He ordered his men to ride around the village with bugles blaring and guidons snapping in the wind as a show of strength.
After the demonstration, Corbin and some of his staff approached the village. He saw armed Moqui in their defensive works. Though clearly outnumbered, Corbin boldly demanded the tribesmen lay down their arms. It must be said that Henry Corbin, at six foot four inches tall, and weighing more than 200 pounds, had a commanding presence. The leaders quickly complied with the demands to surrender. They laid down their arms, were arrested and taken to Fort Wingate, New Mexico, to serve time for their actions.
Walking into an armed camp with just a few members of his staff as back up, was an act of personal courage. Ending the crisis peacefully while at the same time accomplishing his task was also an act of moral courage. Years later he summarized the incident in his autobiography:
"Thus ended without bloodshed a disturbance of considerable dimensions. It possessed many conditions that would have justified a battle and consequent military glory. I have always thought that this was a service of greater importance than I was ever given credit for by the War Department."
General Corbin's greatest service came during the Spanish American War when he was the army's adjutant general (equivalent to today's army chief of staff.) and President William McKinley's personal military advisor. President McKinley said that Henry Corbin was the man most responsible for winning the Spanish American War. When he died in 1906, Lt. General Henry Clark Corbin was the army's highest ranking officer. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery alongside his second wife, Edythe.
