Shiloh and Corinth: The Spring 1862 Campaign

A BGES Field University Program

With Dr. Timothy B. Smith

November 12-15, 2025; from Corinth, MS

Following the stunning Union victories at Forts Henry and Donelson in spring 1862 and the subsequent fall of Nashville, the Confederate heartland lay exposed. Forced to retreat across Tennessee, Southern forces regrouped in north Mississippi and Alabama, converging at the strategic rail junction of Corinth. There, Confederate Gen. Albert S. Johnston prepared a bold move to crush the aggressive United States’ Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s army, which had paused at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River near a modest Methodist church named Shiloh.

Grant’s army, awaiting the army of Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell’s reinforcements, focused on resupply and preparation for a deeper thrust into Mississippi. Johnston, recognizing the narrow window of opportunity, launched a daring offensive aimed at annihilating Grant before the two Union armies could unite. What followed was one of the most dramatic and consequential engagements of the Civil War.

BGES is proud to welcome back historian, professor, author, and former NPS Ranger Dr. Timothy B. Smith, one of the foremost authorities on the Western Theater. Join Tim on his home ground as he guides us through the pivotal battles of Shiloh and Corinth with unmatched insight, fresh analysis, and access to both iconic and rarely visited sites. This is an immersive, content-rich tour you won’t find anywhere else.

Itinerary

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Meet at our headquarters hotel in Corinth at 6 p.m. for a one-hour evening welcome and orientation program. Tim will provide an overview of the coming days and distribute program materials (available the following morning for late arrivals).

Thursday, November 13, 2025

Departing the hotel at 8 a.m., we head to Shiloh National Military Park for a full day exploring the events of the first day of battle on April 6, 1862. Johnston’s pre-dawn march and surprise attack achieved dramatic early gains, driving back Grant’s unprepared forces. But by afternoon, the fighting had devolved into a brutal slugfest, with both sides locked in close-quarters combat.

Throughout the day, we’ll walk the ground where these events unfolded, visiting landmark sites, including the Shiloh Church site, the Hornet’s Nest, and Bloody Pond, where Johnston was mortally wounded. We’ll also explore lesser-known corners of the battlefield that help complete the picture. Tim’s vivid and nuanced narraton will bring the battle to life with unmatched depth and precision.

Lunch is included, but dinner is on your own.

Friday, November 14, 2025

Today, leaving the hotel at 8 a.m., we will return to Shiloh to conclude our study of the first day’s fighting and focus on the pivotal events of April 7, 1862. We will explore the movements of each side and the ensuing results, including Grant’s bold counterstrike that effectively erased all that was lost on the first day of battle, and restored both order and morale among his troops. The Confederate withdrawal marked a decisive turning point, both militarily and psychologically.

Lunch is included, but dinner is on your own.

Saturday November 15, 2025

Corinth, October 4, 1862

On our final day, we will depart the hotel at 8 a.m. and shift our focus to Corinth, the town that lay at the center of it all. We begin at the Civil War Interpretive Center, then visit key sites associated with the Union’s post-Shiloh occupation and the Confederate counter-effort to reclaim the town. We’ll follow the Battle of Corinth of October 4, 1862, when the Confederate army attempted to retake the city. We will finish the day with a drive out to nearby Davis Bridge battlefield, where the final clash of this phase of the campaign occurred October 5, 1862. Though often overlooked, this battle offers essential insight into the Confederate retreat and the Union’s tightening grip on the region.

We will return to the hotel by 5 p.m. Lunch is included.

About the Faculty

Dr. Timothy B. Smith, a former NPS ranger at Shiloh National Military Park, teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He is the author of numerous books, including Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation and Shiloh: Conquer or Perish, both published by the University Press of Kansas. Tim has also published books on the Battle of Champion Hill, the siege and battles for Vicksburg, and Grierson’s Raid among other works. Tim also co-edited historian O. Edward Cunningham’s Shiloh, and the Western Campaign of 1862.

Hotel Information

This program will be headquartered at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Corinth, MS, 2106 US 72W & Hwy. 45 Bypass, Corinth, MS 38835. 662-287-1407. The BGES special hotel rate is $139 plus tax, with a rate cut-off date of October 12, 2025. You must use the link—Blue & Gray—to get the special rate.

Transportation

The servicing airport is Memphis International Airport (MEM). It is 88 miles from the hotel via US 72 East.

Recommended Reading

You will receive maps and materials that will meet your onsite requirements. The following books are suggested to enhance your readiness for the program.

• Cockrell, Monroe F., ed. The Lost Account of the Battle of Corinth. Jackson, TN: McCowat-Mercer Press, 1955. ISBN: 978-0916107321.
• Cozzens, Peter. The Darkest Days of the War, The Battles of Iuka & Corinth. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0807823200.
• Daniel, Larry J. Shiloh, The Battle That Changed the Civil War. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 1997. ISBN: 978-0684838571.
• McDonough, James Lee. Shiloh, in Hell before Night. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1977. ISBN: 978-0870492327.
• O. Edward Cunningham. Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862. El Dorado Hill, CA: Savas Beatie, LLC, 2007. ISBN: 978-1611210231.
• Smith, Timothy B. Shiloh, Conquer or Perish. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2014. ISBN: 978-0700623471.
• Smith, Timothy B. Corinth, 1862, Siege, Battle, Occupation. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS: 2012. ISBN: 978-0700623457.

Registration

Shiloh and Corinth: The Spring 1862 Campaign

Registration includes 3 lunches, all paid admissions, maps, the academic program, support of a historian and a tour director, and transportation by passenger bus or van. We will also provide snacks and bottled water.

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