Last updated: July 19, 2025
Place
Tour #4, Stop #8 - Battery Williams
NPS Collections
Quick Facts
Location:
Corinth, MS
Significance:
Battle Site
Designation:
Tour Stop
The seven inner forts were all placed on high ground that defended the entrances to the town from every direction. If one fort was overrun by the enemy, the other forts could fire directly into it, thus making it impossible for the enemy to hold it.The largest of the seven inner forts, Battery Williams dominated the western approaches to the city and was the anchor for the “Rosecrans Line.”
It was built by teams of contrabands and soldiers under the direction of Captain Frederick Prime, a West Point trained engineer. Like the other forts it was constructed of earth, gabion baskets, and bundles of fascine.
The fort boasted five thirty-pounder Parrott Rifles and an eight-inch siege howitzer, which fired a ball weighing sixty-four pounds. These big guns could fire through the gaps in the ramparts known as embrasures, or they could fire directly over the ramparts with a special en barbette carriage. En Barbette allowed for a much wider arc of fire and eliminated most of the recoil created by such a large weapon.
It was built by teams of contrabands and soldiers under the direction of Captain Frederick Prime, a West Point trained engineer. Like the other forts it was constructed of earth, gabion baskets, and bundles of fascine.
The fort boasted five thirty-pounder Parrott Rifles and an eight-inch siege howitzer, which fired a ball weighing sixty-four pounds. These big guns could fire through the gaps in the ramparts known as embrasures, or they could fire directly over the ramparts with a special en barbette carriage. En Barbette allowed for a much wider arc of fire and eliminated most of the recoil created by such a large weapon.