Siege of Corinth

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Siege of Corinth

Date	April 29, 1862 – May 30, 1862
Location	Corinth, Mississippi
Result	Union victory

Belligerents

United States (Union)

CSA (Confederacy)

Commanders

Henry W. Halleck

P.G.T. Beauregard

Strength

roughly 120,000

nearly 65,000

Casualties and losses

1,000

v • d • e Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers

Fort Henry – Fort Donelson – Shiloh – Corinth

The First Battle of Corinth (also known as the Siege of Corinth) was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to June 10, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.

Following the Union Army victory at the Battle of Shiloh, the Union armies under Major General Henry W. Halleck advanced on the vital rail center of Corinth, Mississippi. Made cautious by the staggering losses at Shiloh, Halleck embarked on a tedious campaign of offensive entrenchment, fortifying after each advance. By May 25, 1862, after moving five miles in three weeks, Halleck was in position to lay siege to the town. It has often been remarked that Halleck's cautious campaign failed to take full advantage of a glittering array of talented Union officers, including (in the words of one of them, John Pope), "Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, McPherson, Logan, Buell, Rosecrans and many others I might mention."^[1]

Confederate commander General P.G.T. Beauregard saved his army by a hoax. Some of the men were given three days' rations and ordered to prepare for an attack. As expected, one or two went over to the Union with that news. The preliminary bombardment began, and Union forces maneuvered for position. During the night of May 29, the Confederate army moved out. They used the Mobile and Ohio Railroad to carry the sick and wounded, the heavy artillery, and tons of supplies. When a train arrived, the troops cheered as though reinforcements were arriving. They set up dummy Quaker Guns along the defensive earthworks. Camp fires were kept burning, and buglers and drummers played. The rest of the men slipped away undetected, withdrawing to Tupelo, Mississippi. When Union patrols entered Corinth on the morning of May 30, they found the Confederates gone.