Provost Marshal Headquarters

Provost Marshal Headquarters. . William H. Moss received a tavern license in 1857 for his new inn, the Moss House Hotel. After the Battle of Shiloh, the Moss House, like Corinth's other hotels and public buildings, was pressed into service as a hospital. When Union troops occupied the city on May 30, 1862, the hotel became the headquarters of the District Provost Marshal., The Provost Marshal's staff served as the military police for the city. In addition, the Provost Marshal was responsible for arresting deserters, enlisting volunteers, writing passes, maintaining lists of seized property, providing licenses to sutlers, and administering the Oath of Allegiance., Major General William S. Rosecrans took command of the District of Corinth just one week prior to the Battle of Corinth, and had yet to appoint a Provost Marshal when the fighting began. During the battle, (October 4, 1862), Colonel Patrick E. Burke was appointed "Commandant of the Post.” Burke's 14th Missouri Volunteers (known as the Western Sharpshooters) and the 22nd Ohio, were pulled off the firing line and sent into the city to "guard and patrol the town.” They gathered up over 500 stragglers, captured 20 prisoners and a Confederate battle flag, and performed the first count of Confederates killed on the field., (captions) , The Provost Marshal's office is clearly marked in this detail of a Corinth map drawn by Private Charles Budd of the 2nd Iowa Infantry. Shiloh National Military Park, Lt. Col. Rigdon S. Barnhill (seated, center) was the Provost Marshal of the District of Corinth, on the staff of Brig. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge (seated, left). Barnhill was killed at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864. Dodge House Museum, Council Bluffs, Iowa, A post-war image of the Moss House Hotel. In 1875 it was known as the Enoch's House., A formerly enslaved family arriving in Corinth would check in with the Provost Marshal's office before proceeding to the Corinth Contraband Camp.