Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

For six months in 1862, Corinth, Mississippi, a critical railroad junction considered second only to Richmond in military importance, captured the full attention of a divided nation. As one of the National Park Service's newest visitor centers, the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center explains the key role of Corinth in the Civil War's western theater. Opened in 2004, the 15,000 square-foot facility features interactive exhibits, a multimedia presentation on the Battle of Shiloh, and a video on the Battle of Corinth. Interpretive exhibits detail the causes and coming of the war, the battle of Shiloh, and the siege, occupation, and battle of Corinth. The African-American experience in Civil War Corinth is a major interpretive theme within the exhibits. The Corinth Contraband Camp, beginning as a tent city in the fall of 1862, became known as a model camp with over 6,000 African-Americans residing in the camp at its peak. A life size diorama of earthwork construction, along with a full-scale reproduction of a 2-gun battery, explain the importance of field fortification through the course of the Civil War. An extensive courtyard exhibit is home to a water feature commemorating 100 years of American history. The Center stands near the site of Battery Robinett, a Union fortification witness to bloody fighting during the October, 1862 Battle of Corinth.