Corinth - Siege or Battle?

OldReliable1862

First Sergeant
Joined
Jul 2, 2017
Location
Georgia
Today on Adventures in Hair-Splitting:

The operations around Corinth in May 1862 have been referred as either the Siege of Corinth, or the First Battle of Corinth. My question is: was Corinth a siege in the regular sense; one large, albeit relatively bloodless battle; or a campaign with no real battles? As an example of this imprecision in naming, the Siege of Petersburg was not really a siege, hence why some insist on the term Petersburg Campaign.
 
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There were skirmishes for sure. I know the 2nd Michigan Cavalry fought a few around Corinth before Beauregard pulled his troops out.
The fact that Beauregard was able to withdraw without a fight really makes me wonder if this can truly be called a siege (one side is surrounded, can only escape by sallying). The battles around Atlanta in July 1864 are sometimes referred as the "Siege of Atlanta," typically by older Union sources, though this presents similar issues.
 
A true siege requires an investment and Cornith wasn’t invested. As Old Reliable said above, that Beauregard had an open line of retreat means the city wasn’t besieged. An attacked city isn’t necessarily a besieged one.

Many people use the term siege loosely. Such as with Petersburg which was static trench warfare (much of the time) but not a siege. That Lee had an open flank and rear means Petersburg was no siege.
 
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What Irishtom29 suggested. Sieges entail encirclement and investment. Yorktown, Morris Island/Charleston, Petersburg were never true sieges. Vicksburg and Port Hudson were.

Under this criteria, Corinth doesn't count.
 
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