May 19, 1862: Union Siege Lines

Address: Located between N. Harper Road and Cantrell Road on Mississippi Highway 2

Hours of Operation: Sunrise to Sunset, Daily

Federal commander Major General Henry W. Halleck’s systematic approach on Corinth had been beset with obstacles from the start, mainly due to wet weather. His vast army group, consisting of three armies, commenced their advance on April 29, 1862. It rained nearly every day for the first two weeks of the advance, turning dry ravines into fast moving streams and dry fields into bottomless swamps. Forced to corduroy roads and construct numerous bridges, the Army of the Ohio, in Halleck’s center, was reduced to a crawl. In order to maintain a contiguous line, Major General George Thomas’s Army of the Tennessee on the right was forced to match the sluggish pace.

Logistical issues also plagued operations. Halleck began the campaign with an insufficient number of supply wagons, and that, along with the road conditions, made feeding his army and animals difficult. To provide the required daily ration of food to an army of 120,000 men with 30,000 horses and mules required over 500 tons of supplies per day!

On the far left, Major General John Pope’s Army of the Mississippi was able to utilize established roads on high ground and had marched to within six miles of Corinth by May 2, 1862. Perceived as the most immediate threat, General Pierre G. T. Beauregard struck at Pope’s exposed forces near Farmington on May 9, 1862, and though the attack failed, it did succeed in blunting Pope’s rapid advance.

By May 15, 1862, Halleck was confident enough to order a broad advance across his entire line, yet problems persisted. In the center, Major General Don Carlos Buell felt the order to move was at his own discretion and drew Halleck’s ire with his lack of movement. Thomas, however, promptly pushed his five divisions forward.

On the extreme right Major General William T. Sherman’s division crossed Phillips Creek and drove Confederate defenders from the high ground around the Russell House while Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman pushed the enemy beyond Bridge Creek to anchor Thomas’s left flank.

Brigadier General Thomas A. Davies’ division, squarely in the center of Thomas’s line, occupied these earthworks on May 19, with Brigadier General Stephen A. Hurlbut to the right and Brigadier General Thomas J. McKean to the left.