Union Siege Line from May 21, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi

CORINTH CIVIL WAR DRIVING TOUR STOP 20

Union General Henry Halleck was so apprehensive of another surprise Confederate attack like the one he experienced at Shiloh that at the end of each day’s march towards Corinth in May 1862, his troops dug trenches to help defend the ground they had covered. After a day or two they packed up and continued their marched, leaving the old trenches behind and digging new ones that night. Seven distinctive trench lines covering forty miles were dug during the march. According to the Corinth Civil War Driving Tour brochure, this siege line was dug on May 21st, the first new line after the one dug on May 19th (Stop 19).

Unlike some of the other Union siege line stops on the Corinth Civil War Driving Tour, at Stop 20 there is no National Park Service sign that gives the dates the siege line was dug, only an outdated identification sign put up a long time ago by the city of Corinth. To find the site, use 5000 North Harper Road as a GPS reference point (house across the street from the sign). When you depart from Stop 19 and head west, Harper Road is the first street on the left. The sign is about a quarter mile down on the right.

Civil War-era trenches now appear as nothing more than shallow gullies due to 150+ years of erosion. Unless pointed out, most people will have no idea what they are looking at. At Stop 20, look into the woods next to the road and you’ll see what I assume is the trench. Keep in mind that not only were the Union earthworks eroded over time, but many were also plowed under by farmers and land developers. In this case, there are houses on either side of the short stand of trees that line the road. The trench seems to be confined to within the trees, so perhaps this is all that remains of the May 21st earthwork due to the surrounding land development.

Below is a photo of the trench, but it is hard to discern the shape in two dimensional images. They are much more distinct in real life.