Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mississippi became the second southern state to declare its secession on the 9th of January 1861. It joined six other states to form the Confederacy twenty-six days later on the 4th of February 1861.
More than 17,000 black Mississippian slaves and freedmen fought for the Union. They formed United States Colored Troops and similar black regiments under Union command.
The city of Oxford burned to the ground by General A.J. Smith on the 22nd of August 1864. Only the University of Mississippi and two shops remained standing after the fire caused by Nathan Bedford Forrest taking refuge there.
Corinth held strategic importance due to its location at the junction of two railroads. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard retreated there after the Battle of Shiloh before abandoning the town when Union forces approached.
Union forces captured Jackson during two battles in May 1863. On May 15 Union troops under William Tecumseh Sherman burned key facilities in the city.