Battle of Corinth

Battle of Corinth (3 Oct 1862 - 4 Oct 1862) - A U.S. Civil War Battle fought between Union forces under Major General William S. Rosecrans (Cullum 1115),and Confederate forces under Major General Earl Van Dorn, (Cullum 1162), and Major General Sterling Price. Known as Battle of Corinth and sometimes as the Second Battle of Corinth. The battle was fought in and around the town of Corinth in Alcorn County for control of the rail junction at Corinth, Mississippi. The battle resulted in a Union victory and Union occupation of the town until their departure on 24 Jan 1864. The strategic value of Corinth to the South's cause was easy to understand, it was the crossroads for the south's two longest railroads the Memphis & Charleston the south's only east-west line, and the Mobile & Ohio line a major north-south line. These rail lines provided service over the deep south for troops and supplies between the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast. Siege of Corinth The defeat of Confederate forces at nearby Shiloh in April 1862 resulted in Confederate forces falling back into the town of Corinth and a mass of Union troops then laying siege to the town. Confederate General Beauregard evacuated Corinth on 30 May 1862 largely unscathed after a three-day siege. General Halleck was deceived into believing that Confederate reinforcements were pouring into the town of Corinth by rail when in fact the Confederate troops were leaving by train. When General Halleck finally entered the town he found it deserted. This conflict became known as the Siege of Corinth and it set the stage for the Battle of Corinth some four months later. Battle of Corinth Union troops immediately began strengthening the town's defenses by adding an outer ring of six artillery redoubts (Batteries A-F). In late September and October 1862, they erected six additional batteries in and around Corinth. Batteries Lothrop, Robinett, Williams, Phillips, and Tannrath were established by Captain Frederick E. Prime, (Cullum 1450), on the College Hill line. In October 1862 Confederate forces under Major Generals, Van Dorn, and Price attempted to retake the town from the Union garrison under Major General Rosecrans but were unsuccessful. The three-day battle was one of the largest and bloodiest in the western theater. Battle Casualties Union Confederate Total Total Engaged 23,000 22,000 45,000 Killed 355 473 828 Wounded 1,841 1,997 3,838 Captured/Missing 324 1,763 2,087 Total Casualties 2,359 4,838 7,197 Source: Various Current Status Part of National Park Service interpretive center for Corinth, Alcorn County, Mississippi. Location: NPS Interpretive Center for Corinth 501 W Linden St, Corinth, MS 38834 Maps & Images Lat: 34.93730 Long: -88.53035 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: ?' GPS Locations: 34.93730, -88.53035 interpretive center See Also: U.S. Civil War U.S. Civil War Portal Battle of Shiloh Civil War Defenses of Corinth Sources: Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields Corinth During the War by Margaret Greene Rogers for the Corinth Area Convention Visitors Bureau. Links: Wikipedia - Second Battle of Corinth Visited: 14 Sep 2020