Corinth Contraband Camp exhibit in Corinth, Mississippi

CORINTH CIVIL WAR DRIVING TOUR STOP 13

800 North Parkway Street, Corinth, Mississippi

As was often the case once Union troops took control of a Southern city, any slave in the area who could escape his or her plantation made a bee-line to the new haven. So many slaves made the journey to Corinth that a small settlement was formed. At its peak the camp housed 6,000 people and had over 100 wooden structures including a school, church, hospital, and cabins, each with its own garden. This distinguished the Corinth camp from others that were nothing more than tent cities.

Life at the Corinth Contraband Camp

The newly freed blacks filled all the roles needed in a town, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers, bakers, seamstresses, etc. Many worked to help the Union cause. In 1863 when the Union began forming black military units, men from the camp who were of fighting age joined the army. Most were from Alabama, so the unit was named the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment of African Descent.

Sculpture of a black Civil War soldier at the Corinth Contraband Camp exhibit

In January 1864, the Union Army abandoned Corinth in an effort to concentrate troops near Memphis. The camp was disbanded, and the residents had to move to Memphis as well in order to remain protected. The Memphis camp was a typical tent city, a huge step down from life at Corinth.

Other than the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center and Battery Robinett, the Contraband Camp at Shiloh National Military Park is the only National Park property at Corinth with any substantial development. Here you have a quarter-mile paved path around the site that is dotted with sculptures depicting life in the camp. Keep in mind that this only preserves a small portion of the original camp, as most of the land now lies beneath the houses and stores that surround the park property.

Allow 15 minutes for a visit to the camp. The site has its own parking lot.

Sculpture at the Corinth Contraband Camp site

Sculpture at the Corinth Contraband Camp site

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