Moses Robinette
Moses Johnson Robinette was a Union veterinary surgeon who was pardoned by President Abraham Lincoln after Moses attempted to murder a fellow Union soldier. He is also the maternal great-great-grandfather of Joe Biden.
Early Life
Moses was born in Maryland to Jesse Robinette and Dorcas Johnson. His grandfather, George C. Robinette, was a militia captain during the Revolutionary War. By 1861, Moses was married and ran a small hotel in Virginia. However, his wife died in 1862 and his hotel was burned to the ground, allegedly by Union soldiers.American Civil War
Moses joined the Union Army and worked as a civilian veterinary surgeon in late 1862 or early 1863. He was assigned to the Army of the Potomac’s reserve artillery and tasked with keeping healthy the horses and mules that pulled the ammunition wagons. His qualifications for the position, as someone without formal medical training, were unstated.On March 21, 1864, Moses was drunkenly speaking to a female cook about a wagon-driver named John J. Alexander. Alexander, who was within earshot, became enraged and the two engaged in a brawl. In the midst of the struggle, Moses produced a knife and stabbed Alexander multiple times. Alexander survived and Moses was arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to two years hard labor in a military prison to the Dry Tortugas islands in Key West, Florida. However, three Union officers: John S. Burdett, David L. Smith and Samuel R. Steel, wrote to President Abraham Lincoln petitioning for Moses's release which was supported by Waitman T. Willey. On September 1, 1864, Moses was officially pardoned by President Lincoln and released.