Category:Civil War Defenses of Corinth

Civil War Defenses of Corinth (1862-1865) - A set of U.S. Civil War Fortifications established during 1862-1865 in Corinth, Alcorn County, Mississippi. Abandoned at the end of the war in 1865.

Corinth Confederate Defenses

Prior to the Battle of Shiloh, Confederate forces created extensive breastworks, called the Beauregard Line, on the eastern and northern side of Corinth. Work on these breastworks and on an inner line of 5 crescent-shaped rifle pits was resumed after the Confederate defeat at Shilo. Shilo was only 20 miles from Corinth and a Union attack was imminent. General Beauregard was greatly outnumbered and without heavy siege artillery so he decided to abandon Corinth. Elaborate measures were used to fool Union troops and cover the evacuation including Quaker guns (log guns) manned with dummy gun crews. When Union General Halleck's troops entered Corinth Beauregard's troops were gone.

Union troops immediately began fortifying the town first with an outer ring of artillery redoubts and then later with an inner ring of batteries.

Corinth Outer Ring Union Fortifications

The Union garrison strengthening its defenses by adding an outer ring of six artillery redoubts (Batteries A-F).

• Corinth Battery A
• Corinth Battery B
• Corinth Battery C
• Corinth Battery D
• Corinth Battery E - 34.93955, -88.55229 (S)
• Corinth Battery F - 34.94785, -88.55243 (R)

Corinth Inner Ring Union Fortifications

In late September and October 1862, Union forces erected six additional batteries in and around Corinth. Batteries Lothrop, Robinett, Williams, Phillips, and Tannrath were established by Captain Frederick Prime on the College Hill line. In September 1862 Rosecrans ordered the batteries in the College Hill Line connected by breastworks and covered with abatis. Work continued at Battery Powell, the only inner battery on the north.

• Battery Robinett Fort Robinett - 34.937798, -88.529803 Roberts 450
• Battery Powell (2) Fort Powell (2) - 34.94203, -88.51706 Roberts 450
• Battery Phillips Fort Phillips - 34.93134, -88.53442 Roberts 450
• Battery Williams Fort Williams (13)- 34.93269, -88.52841 Roberts 452
• Battery Madison (3) Fort Madison (6) - 34.92987, -88.51350 Roberts 446
• Battery Tannrath Fort Tannrath - 34.92520, -88.53133 Roberts 451
• Battery Lothrop Fort Lothrop - 34.92461, -88.52735 Roberts 446
• Battery Chapman Fort Chapman - located east of the railroad Roberts 442

Corinth Camps

• Camp Blythe (1862) was located on the Monterey-Corinth Road (North Parkway) Roberts 442
• Camp Moore (6) (1862) was also located nearby. Roberts 449
• Camp Davis (2)

Current Status

The Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is a unit of the Shilo national Military Park and it includes some of the important sites of the Corinth battlefield including a partial replica of Battery Robinett. Many of the historic sites are in other places and access to the other sites is via a driving tour. Some earthworks are still visible but most are not. As you do the driving tour excellent markers and reader-boards tell the story and point out important locations. A particularly rich location is Duncan Park where an actual track intersection resides along with great markers and reader-boards.

See Also:

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X.
• NPS - Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

Links:

• North American Forts - Corinth Civil War Defenses
• Wikipedia - Corinth Civil War Defense Sites

Visited: 14 Sep 2020