All images on this page and all quoted text are taken from the Fort Donelson brochure, which is published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The text is quoted verbatim and the images were scanned from the brochure.
The Union generals: "Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote presided over naval operations on the upper Mississippi River and its tributaries and oversaw construction of the nation's first squadron of ironclad gunboats. His role in the capture of Fort Henry and in the joint army/navy attack on Fort Donelson helped win him promotion to rear admiral. Brigadier General Grant commanded the Military District of Cairo at the time of the Fort Henry and Fort Donelson campaign. Until January 1862, when his plan to attack the Confederate river forts was approved, he had fought only one battle, a brief and inconclusive engagement at Belmont, Mo., in November 1861.
"Bells rang jubilantly throughout the North at the news, but they were silent in Dixie. The cause: the fall of Fort Donelson in February 1862. It was the North's first major victory of the Civil War, opening the way into the very heart of the Confederacy. Just a month before, the Confederates had seemed invincible. A stalemate had existed since the Southern victories at First Manassas and Wilson's Creek in the summer of 1861. Attempts to break the Confederate defense line, which in the west extended from southwest Missouri and the Indian Territory to the Appalachian Mountains, had achieved little success. A reconnaissance in January convinced the Union command that the most vulnerable places in the Confederacy's western line were Forts Henry and Donelson, earthen works guarding the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.
"The Confederates built Fort Henry on land not particularly suitable for forts. It was surrounded by higher ground and subject to flooding during normal rises of the Tennessee River. A joint army/navy operation against Fort Henry had been agreed to by Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote and an obscure brigadier general named Ulysses S. Grant. The attack was to take place in early February, using the Tennessee River for transport and supply. It would be the first test of Foote's ironclad gunboats. On February 4, 1862, Grant began transporting his army south from Paducah, Ky., to Fort Henry. He established a camp north of the fort and spent two days preparing for the attack.
"On February 6, while Grant's soldiers marched overland from their camp downstream, Foote's gunboats slowly approached Fort Henry. These included the newly constructed ironclads Cincinnati, Carondolet, and St. Louis, as well as the converted ironclad Essex. They opened a hot fire that quickly convinced Lloyd Tilghman, the Confederate commander, that he could not hold out for long. The plan called for the gunboats to engage the fort until the army could surround it. The bombardment raged for more than an hour, with the ironclads taking heavy blows and suffering many casualties. Most of the casualties came after a Confederate shell ruptured the boiler aboard Essex, scalding many of the sailors to death. The poorly located fort, however, was no match for the gunboats. To the army's chagrin, the ironclads pounded the fort into submission before the soldiers, plodding over muddy roads, could reach the vicinity. Less than a hundred of the Confederate garrison surrendered, including Tilghman; the rest, almost 2,500 men, escaped to Fort Donelson, Grant's next objective, a dozen miles away on the Cumberland.
"At Donelson the Confederates had a far stronger position. Two river batteries, mounting some 12 heavy guns, effectively controlled the Cumberland. An outer defense line, built largely by reinforcements sent in after the fall of Fort Henry, stretched along high ground from Hickman Creek on the right to the little town of Dover. Within the fort Confederate infantry and artillerymen huddled in the cabins against the winter. Aside from a measles epidemic, they lived 'quite comfortably,' cooking their own meals, fighting snowball battles, working on the fortifications, drilling, and talking about home--until the grim reality of war descended upon them.
"It took Grant longer than expected to start his men toward Donelson. Several days passed before Fort Henry was secure and his troops ready. He finally got underway on February 11, and when his soldiers stepped out briskly over the rolling terrain, the weather had turned unseasonably warm. Lacking discipline and leadership and believing that the temperature was typical of the South in February, many of the soldiers cast aside their heavy winter gear--an act they would soon regret. The Confederates were so busy strengthening their position that they allowed Grant's army to march from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson unchecked. By February 13 some 15,000 Union troops nearly encircled the outerworks of Fort Donelson. Sporadic clashes broke out that day without either side gaining ground. Nightfall brought bitter weather--lashing sleet and snow that caused great suffering."
The Confederate generals: "General Floyd, politician turned Confederate general, took charge of Fort Donelson shortly before the siege began. As his situation grew more hopeless, and fearing capture because he might be arrested in the North for allegedly transferring arms to southern arsenals while secretary of war in the Buchanan administration, Floyd turned command over to Brigadier General Pillow and escaped upriver to Nashville. Pillow also chose escape over capture and gave command to Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner, West Point graduate and former classmate of Grant's who had come to Fort Donelson early in 1862 with reinforcements from Kentucky. Buckner would stay and share the fate of his men.
"The morning of February 14, 1862 dawned cold and quiet. Early in the afternoon a furious roar broke the stillness, and the earth began to shake. Foote's Union gunboat fleet, consisting of the ironclads St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Carondolet, and the timberclads Conestoga and Tyler, had arrived from Fort Henry via the Tennessee and Ohio rivers and were exchanging 'iron valentines' with the 11 big guns in the Southern water batteries. During this one and one-half hour duel, the Confederates wounded Foote and inflicted such extensive damage upon the gunboats that they were forced to retreat. The hills and hollows echoed with cheers from the Southern soldiers.
"The Confederate generals--John Floyd, Gideon Pillow, Simon Buckner, and Bushrod Johnson--also rejoiced; but sober reflection revealed another danger. Grant was receiving reinforcements daily and had extended his right flank almost to Lick Creek to complete the encirclement of the Southerners. If the Confederates did not move quickly, they would be starved into submission. Accordingly, they massed their troops against the Union right, hoping to clear a route to Nashville and safety. The battle on February 15 raged all morning, the Union army grudgingly retreating step by step. Just as it seemed the way was clear, the Southern troops were ordered to return to their entrenchments--a result of confusion and indecision among the Confederate commanders. Grant immediately launched a vigorous counterattack, retaking most of the lost ground and gaining new positions as well. The way of escape was closed once more.
"Floyd and Pillow turned over command of Fort Donelson to Buckner and slipped away to Nashville with about 2000 men. Others followed cavalryman Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest across swollen Lick Creek. That morning, February 16, Buckner asked Grant for terms. Grant's answer was short and direct: "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." Buckner surrendered.
"Soon after the surrender, civilians and relief agencies rushed to assist the Union army. The U.S. Sanitary Commission was one of the first to provide food, medical supplies, and hospital ships to transport the wounded. Many civilians came in search of loved ones or to offer support. Although not officially recognized as nurses, women such as Mary Ann Bickerdyke cared for and comforted sick and wounded soldiers.
"With the capture of Fort Donelson and its sister fort, Henry, the North had not only won its first great victory; it also gained a new hero--"Unconditional Surrender" Grant, who was promoted to major general. Subsequent victories at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga would lead to his appointment as lieutenant general and commander of all Union armies. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox would put Grant in the White House.
"After the fall of Fort Donelson, the South was forced to give up southern Kentucky and much of Middle and West Tennessee. The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, and railroads in the area, became vital Federal supply lines. Nashville was developed into a huge supply depot for the western Union armies. The heartland of the Confederacy was open, and the Federals would press on until the "Union" became a fact once more."
[Note: the map of the Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Site 9 (Forge Road) was the location of the Illinois Regiments, including the 31st Illinois Volunteers, and is very likely where Thomas G. Stafford was wounded on February 15 when the Confederate troops tried to retreat. This information is provided by Suzanne Lawton.]
Last Updated 12/22/04
