Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

LOCATION

501 West Linen Street, Corinth, MS  38834

OPERATING HOURS

The Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is typically open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily, except when closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Basic Information web page for Shiloh National Military Park

AMENITIES

• Information desk where you can pick up a variety of maps and brochures for suggested Corinth-area historical tours
• Large museum
• Theater
• Book and souvenir store
• Restroom
• Outdoor Exhibits

Book and souvenir store at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, Shiloh National Military Park

The Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is the visitor center and museum that should be at Shiloh. I say this because most people will begin their visit to the park at Shiloh, but there you will find an inferior museum with very little information on the battle. The Interpretive Center is a state-of-the-art facility that provides a wealth of information on the fighting at both Shiloh and Corinth, and it really should be where you start your visit to Shiloh National Military Park. Even the walk up to the building is interesting. A sidewalk zigzags from the parking lot—I assume to represent siege trenches—and buried in the concrete are replicas of items you might find on the battlefield after the fighting is over: broken weapons, bullets, pieces of uniform, etc.

Sidewalk leading up to the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

PARK FILMS

The only thing missing from the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is the excellent film on the battle, Shiloh: Fiery Trial, which is only available at the Shiloh Visitor Center. It is the best Civil War-based park film that I have seen. However, there are three other films that you can watch. The main park film, Corinth: A Town Amidst War, covers the events starting after the Battle of Shiloh. It is 20 minutes long and is shown in a small theater. Though not rated, I’d say it is PG due to battle scenes and deaths. The first third of the film chronicles the Confederate retreat to Corinth and how the town basically became one, big hospital and morgue. The second third is devoted to the short Union siege of the city and the eventual Confederate abandonment, the subsequent Union occupation, and the Confederate attempt to retake the city during the Battle of Corinth. The final third focuses on what is known as the “contraband” camp. Blacks who escaped from their nearby Southern plantations made a bee-line to Corinth seeking Union protection. So many arrived that what amounts to a small town developed.

As you walk through the museum you will come to a second media room, this one comprised of multiple screens side by side. This 12-minute audio-video presentation is on the Battle of Shiloh. It loops over and over, so there is no need to ask the park Ranger to start it for you. The middle screen shows battle maps, while multiple side screens show live action footage and archival photographs that illustrate what is being depicted on the maps. Some of the footage is from the Shiloh: Fiery Trial film. The presentation provides a good background on the fighting at Shiloh.

Audio-Video presentation on the Battle of Shiloh at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

A third film, also 12 minutes long, focuses mainly on the Battle of Corinth. Six months after a Union siege forced the Confederates to abandon the town, they attempted to retake it on October 3, 1862. Fighting lasted for two days before the attempt was aborted and the Confederates retreated once again (a third day of fighting resulted from the Union pursuit of the fleeing Confederate troops). This film is shown on a small HD TV and also plays on a loop.

Video on the Battle of Corinth

MUSEUM

It is the museum that sets the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center apart from its Shiloh counterpart. Exhibits cover why the Civil War started, the military situation in the Tennessee and Mississippi area prior to the fighting at Shiloh, the Battle of Shiloh, the siege and occupation of Corinth by Union troops, and the Battle of Corinth. Most of the exhibits consist of information panels, but there are a few dioramas depicting events and artifacts from the battles.

Museum at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

Information panel and historic artifacts at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

Diorama depicting trench and tunnel warfare at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

OUTDOOR EXHIBITS

Outside the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is a water memorial entitled The Stream of American History. A brochure describes the monument’s symbolism, which would be lost on the viewer otherwise. The large monolith towards the back represents 1790, the year the United States Constitution was ratified. Time flows forward from the wall towards the viewer. Stone blocks near the middle of the stream represent the various battles of the Civil War; the bigger the block, the larger the casualties of the battle. The stream splits around the blocks to symbolize the split in the nation, but returns back to a single stream after the last block, Appomattox.

The Stream of American History exhibit at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

Thirteen streams representing thirteen colonies flow from the 1790 Declaration Stone

Stone blocks represent the major battles of the Civil War

Located directly behind the Interpretive Center are a few monuments and six Confederate graves. This is the location of the former Battery Robinett where much of the fighting from the October 1862 battle took place. A partial reconstruction of a battery wall shows how Civil War earthworks were constructed (the park used concrete so the exhibit would last, but during the Civil War this would have been wood). Battery Robinett itself was bulldozed under back in the 1920s to make room for city development. Corinth sites were not added to Shiloh National Military Park until 2000.

View from inside a Civil War-era battery, Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

Exterior view of a Civil War-era battery, Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

Monuments and graves at the Battery Robinett site in Corinth, Mississippi

Grave of a Confederate unknown soldier at Battery Robinett

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

A Civil War buff could spend two hours at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, which allows time to read all of the information and see the three videos. For those not wanting to spend that amount of time but who still want to learn something, I suggest at least watching the three videos, which takes up about 45 minutes, plus giving the museum a brief run through. In that case, an hour should do it.

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