Corinth in Alcorn County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Strategic Importance of Corinth
Photographed by Tom Bosse, August 23, 2020
1. Strategic Importance of Corinth Marker
Inscription.
Strategic Importance of Corinth. . With the outbreak of the Civil War, the NE Miss. Village of Corinth assumed a strategic value surpassing all but a few Southern cities. Here the Souths two longest railroads met. The junction of the Memphis and Charleston (the Souths only E-W line) and the Mobile and Ohio (a major N-S artery) gave Corinth the sobriquet “Crossroads of the Confederacy”. Federals launched an offensive in the west in Feb. 1862, with the capture of Fts. Henry and Donelson up the Tenn. R. After the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, victorious Union armies under Maj. Gen. H.W. Halleck converged on Corinth to begin what would be, in numbers of troops engaged, the greatest siege in the history of the western hemisphere. During the Siege of Corinth, Halleck wired Washington, “Richmond and Corinth are now the great strategical points of war, and our success at these points should be insured at all hazards”. Conf. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard wired Richmond from his post at Corinth: “Can we not be reinforced? If defeated we lose the Miss. Valley and probably our cause ” Beauregard was reinforced, but he could not hold Corinth, and the town was evacuated on May 30, 1862. In Oct. 1862, Conf. forces under Maj. Gens. Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price attempted to re-take Corinth, then garrisoned by Fed. Troops under Maj. Gen. W.S. Rosecrans. At the end of three days fighting, Corinth was secured for the Union. The Battle of Corinth was one of the largest and bloodiest of the western theater. With the results of Shiloh at last consolidated, 7 Corinth now safely in Union hands, two avenues of conquest were open to Fed. Armies: one led to Vicksburg and control of the Miss. R. and one led ultimately to Atlanta.
With the outbreak of the Civil War, the NE Miss. Village of Corinth assumed a strategic value surpassing all but a few Southern cities. Here the Souths two longest railroads met. The junction of the Memphis and Charleston (the Souths only E-W line) & the Mobile & Ohio (a major N-S artery) gave Corinth the sobriquet “Crossroads of the Confederacy”. Federals launched an offensive in the west in Feb. 1862, with the capture of Fts. Henry & Donelson up the Tenn. R. After the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, victorious Union armies under Maj. Gen. H.W. Halleck converged on Corinth to begin what would be, in numbers of troops engaged, the greatest siege in the history of the western hemisphere. During the Siege of Corinth, Halleck wired Washington, “Richmond and Corinth are now the great strategical points of war, and our success at these points should be insured at all hazards”. Conf. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard wired Richmond from his post at Corinth: “Can we not be reinforced? If defeated we lose the Miss. Valley and probably our cause ” Beauregard was reinforced, but he could not hold Corinth, & the town was evacuated on May 30, 1862. In Oct. 1862, Conf. forces under Maj. Gens. Earl Van Dorn & Sterling Price attempted to re-take Corinth, then garrisoned by Fed. Troops under Maj. Gen. W.S. Rosecrans. At the
Click or scan to see this page online
end of three days fighting, Corinth was secured for the Union. The Battle of Corinth was one of the largest and bloodiest of the western theater. With the results of Shiloh at last consolidated, 7 Corinth now safely in Union hands, two avenues of conquest were open to Fed. Armies: one led to Vicksburg and control of the Miss. R. & one led ultimately to Atlanta.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
Location. 34° 56.299′ N, 88° 31.247′ W. Marker is in Corinth, Mississippi, in Alcorn County. It is at the intersection of Polk Street and East Linden Street, on the right when traveling north on Polk Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Corinth MS 38834, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically ast Mississippi in the North Mississippi Hills. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 629 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 25, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
