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Written by Rick Stedman
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Saturday, 01 October 2011 00:00 |
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Shooting out of bunkers in Corinth, Mississippi, has a different meaning today than it did 150 years ago. Today this tiny town in northeast Mississippi has several very nice golf courses, but the focus of any visit here during the Civil War’s sesquicentennial must be on what happened in the past, even if the town’s motto is “History is only half our story.”
Most have heard of the Battle of Shiloh, which was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with 24,000 casualties, but fewer know of the key role played by Corinth, 22 miles south. Corinth was one of the great strategic points of the war because of its vital crossroads for the Memphis & Charleston and the Mobile & Ohio railroads. Corinth’s rail junction connected the Confederate States from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Gulf of Mexico to Kentucky. Trains were the main method of moving men and materiel. The side that controlled these railroads enjoyed a tremendous logistical advantage, as the North soon discovered after taking control of Corinth in 1862.
A great place to start discovering the past in Corinth is at the Civil War Interpretative Center, which is a unit of the Shiloh National Military Park. This 15,000-square-foot facility features interactive exhibits, a multimedia presentation on the Battle of Shiloh, and a video on the Battle of Corinth. The center of the building stands near Battery Robinett, a Union fortification and important site of some of the bloodiest fighting during the October 1862 Battle of Corinth.
Honoring Fallen Soldiers
Four years ago, Corinth town officials decided on a yearly event to honor the 12,000 soldiers from both the North and South who died during the two major battles in 1862: the Siege of Corinth and Battle of Corinth. Again this year, on November 12 and 13, Corinth will become aglow with 12,000 luminaries placed around the city in honor of those casualties. More than 300 volunteers will help with the event. The luminaries will be spread across Battery Robinett at the Interpretive Center and into the downtown area. Free carriage rides will be offered, merchants will hold open houses, and a Civil War Encampment will be held at the Civil War Interpretive Center. Re-enactors who are extremely knowledgeable about the Civil War era will share details about the way life was back then.
Other Corinth sites worth visiting include the Contraband Camp, Jacinto Courthouse, the Railroad Crossing and Coca-Cola Museum.
Called the Contraband Camp because slaves were considered contraband during the war, this camp housed slaves who had fled Southern plantations for safety behind Union lines. Today, a portion of this camp has been set aside to commemorate the events, with bronze figures placed along a trail to depict those who endured so much during the war and after.
Jacinto Courthouse was established in 1836 and served as the county seat of Tishomingo County. The courthouse includes a park area, walking trails and an RV dump station.
The Railroad Crossing is the famed crossroads of two railroads, the Memphis & Charleston and the Mobile & Ohio. These were the only two major standard-gauge railroads in the Confederacy and prompted the Battle of Shiloh as well as the Battle of Corinth. The tracks are in the same beds and still in use today.
For anyone who has ever enjoyed a Coke, a visit to the Coca-Cola Museum is a must.
Though in retrospect the Civil War seems fruitless, it still is a sad part of our history. Sam Watkins of the First Tennessee Infantry wrote the following: “America has no north, no south, no east, no west. The sun rises over the hills and sets over the mountains, the compass just points up and down, and we can laugh now at the absurd notion of there being a north and a south. We are one and undivided.”
The Civil War Discovery Trail, an initiative of the Civil War Trust, links more than 420 sites in 24 states. The trail allows visitors to explore battlefields, museums, parks, antebellum plantations and houses, underground railroad sites, cemeteries, and other destinations that bring history to life. For more information or to obtain a copy of the Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail, call 800-CW-TRUST.
Civil War Facts:
Some 10,500 armed conflicts occurred during the Civil War, ranging from big battles to minor skirmishes.
During the Civil War, an estimated 625,000 soldiers lost their lives. Comparatively, there were 405,399 American deaths in World War II, 116,516 in World War I, 58,151 in Vietnam and just under 6,000 in other wars since 2001.
The “War of Northern Aggression” is the term many Southerners used to describe the Civil War.
Pittsfield Landing was the North’s name for Shiloh. Numerous battles had two names, one designated by the North, and the other by the South.
In the Shiloh cemetery is a grave marked “G.W. Black.” This Civil War soldier is a relative of President Barack Obama.
Corinth Area Golf Courses
And finally, about those golf courses: There are five 18-hole courses and three 9-hole layouts in the greater Corinth area. Hillandale Country Club, a par 71, has been a local institution for six decades. Shiloh Ridge Athletic Club is another par 71 that also features the area’s only clay tennis courts and full-service health spa. Just across the Tennessee state line is Pickwick Landing State Park and Winfield Dunn Golf Course. Open seven days a week for public play, the Winfield Dunn course has a beautiful and difficult par four second hole. Shiloh Golf Course in Adamsville, Tennessee, is a semi-private course that is also open to the public. It boasts a scenic par four fifth hole. Professional golfer Jerry Pate designed Shiloh Falls Golf Course, also located in Pickwick and open to the public. It features a par three hole that drops in excess of 100 feet from tee to green.
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer and writer who lives in Yakima, Washington. Rick writes a weekly golf blog, “The 19th Hole,” which is published every Saturday at rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
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