Montgomery Dent Corse—Alexandria native, banker, and commander of the 17th Virginia Infantry during the Civil War—was seriously injured during the catastrophic collapse of the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. On April 27, 1870, the floor of a packed courtroom gave way during a contested election hearing, plunging spectators into the chamber below. More than 60 people were killed and over 100 injured. He remained active in Alexandria’s civic and veteran life, helping dedicate the Appomattox statue in 1880. Corse died in 1895 and is buried in St. Paul’s Cemetery, just a short distance from Bethel Cemetery, where the base of the removed Appomattox monument now stands.
