In 1853, Corinth MI (22 miles south of Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River) was first named Cross City for its location at the junction of the Mobile & Ohio and the Memphis & Charleston railroads. Due to the town’s strategic location, it was a center of contention between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War and was ultimately occupied by Union troops from 1862 to 1864. Controlling this town was the reason for the Battle of Shiloh on April 6th and 7th of 1862.

The Confederates struck first on April 6th. The surprised Union soldiers, awaiting reinforcements, were camped and unaware that the enemy was so close. The Union army retreated to Pittsburg Landing where their boats’ cannons could defend them. Confederate soldiers thought that the battle was over but got a surprise the next morning.

Overnight thousands of Union reinforcements arrived and by morning a counter-offensive began. The previous day the Confederates lost General Johnston and his second in command, Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard, took over. On the second day of battle at 1:00 p.m. he ordered a retreat to Corinth. It turned out to be a victory for Ulysses S Grant. A week later his enemies in the press would try to blamed him for the terrible loss in casualties (nearly 24,000). He survived the criticism and would next beat the South at the Vicksburg campaign.

After lunch we visited the Savanah River Museum in Tennessee. It is not a big one but covers many subjects: Paleontology, Archaeology, the Pioneers, the Trail of Tears, War on The River, the Golden Age of Steamboats, Musseling, and War and Remembrance.

There is also a section dedicated to Indian Mounds. About 800 years ago the culture that created them dominated the area from Illinois to areas in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

The best-known flat-topped pyramidal structure is Monks Mound at Cahokia, near present-day Collinsville, Illinois. We’ve been there before and can testify that it is a trip worth taking.