The Mississippi Civil War Sesquicentennial continues and in the coming months we will be highlighting Museum Division collections related to 1862 and the Civil War. Special thanks to Nan Prince, Asst. Director of Collections, for writing this series.
The town of Corinth in northeast Mississippi was a strategic railroad junction valued by both Federal and Confederate forces. Following the battle at nearby Shiloh in April and a siege of the town in May, the Federal army occupied and fortified Corinth. On October 3, 1862, Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn’s Army of the West Tennessee engaged Major General William Rosecrans’ Union army. Heavy fighting continued the next day and culminated in frantic hand-to-hand combat at Battery Powell and Battery Robinett. Federal forces repulsed Van Dorn’s attack causing him to withdraw. Both sides experienced heavy casualties.
The collage pictured below commemorates the Battles of Shiloh, Corinth, and Farmington and pictures the aftermath of the bloody fighting at Battery Robinett. In the photograph are shown the bodies of Col. William Rogers and members of the 2nd Texas who were killed in the attack on Battery Robinett.
Artifacts from the Museum Division collection that are not on exhibit are available for viewing by appointment. Please contact Nan Prince, Assistant Director of Collections, by email to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
National Park Service, “CWSAC Battle Summaries: Corinth,” http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ms002.htm.
National Park Service, “The Siege and Battle of Corinth: A New Kind of War,” http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/113corinth/113corinth.htm.