May 21-28, 1862: Union Siege Lines

Address: At the corner of Polk Street and Mississippi Highway 2

Hours of Operation: Sunrise to Sunset, Daily

Major General George H. Thomas’s Army of the Tennessee continued the methodical push toward Corinth on May 21, 1862, part of the larger movement of all three Federal armies ordered by Major General Henry W. Halleck on May 17, 1862. The previous lines had been in use since May 13, 1862, and May 19, 1862. With his center and left secure, Halleck ordered the right flank forward.

The five divisions composing the army moved forward a half-mile to a mile, with Major General William T. Sherman on the extreme right followed by Brigadier Generals Stephen A. Hurlbut, Thomas A. Davies, and Thomas J. McKean. Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman’s division held Thomas’s left and made the connection with Major General Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio.

The new line was more compact and extended from the state line to just beyond Bridge Creek, a linear distance of two miles but with the number of turns and angles it actually stretched for better than three. There was little Confederate opposition to the move other than skirmishing on Davies’ front near Phillips Creek.

Concerned with the steady Federals’ approach, General Pierre G. T. Beauregard gave orders for a major Confederate assault against the Federal flanks. He hoped to strike the following day, May 22, 1862, before the Federals could consolidate and strengthen their new positions.

The main attack would be delivered by Major General Earl Van Dorn’s Army of the West against the Federal left while Polk’s Corps would assail their right. The corps’ of General Braxton Bragg and Major General William J. Hardee would move to exploit gains made by Van Dorn. The entire Confederate force was placed in motion to hammer home the dawn attack.

But Van Dorn, whose three divisions were to trigger the offensive, was unable to put his army into position before daybreak. He could not overcome the many difficulties and unexpected delays he encountered and ordered his troops back to the entrenchments. The other corps had been ordered to take their cue from Van Dorn’s attack and were subsequently ordered back to their previous positions.

The aborted attack was Beauregard’s last attempt to break the Federals’ tightening noose, and he began to prepare the meticulous orders to withdraw his army from Corinth.

While Beauregard made his plans, United States Army lines pushed forward for a final time on May 28, 1862.