Fort Donelson

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Fort Donelson National Battlefield Tennessee General Grant at Fort Donelson, from the painting by Paul Philippoteaux. COURTESY C NIC A G O HISTORICAL SOCIETY From Henry to Donelson Bells rang j u b i l a n t l y t h r o u g h o u t t h e N o r t h at t h e news, b u t t h e y w e r e silent in Dixie. The cause: t h e fall o f Fort Donelson in February 1862. It was t h e North's first m a j o r victory o f t h e Civil War, o p e n i n g t h e w a y i n t o t h e very h e a r t l a n d o f t h e Confederacy. Just a m o n t h b e f o r e , t h e Confederates had seemed invincible. A stalemate had existed since t h e Southe r n victories at First Manassas a n d Wilson's Creek in t h e summer o f 1861. A t t e m p t s t o break t h e Confederate w e s t e r n defense line, w h i c h e x t e n d e d f r o m s o u t h w e s t Missouri a n d t h e Indian Territory t o t h e A p p a l a c h i a n M o u n t a i n s , h a d achieved little success. A reconnaissance in January convinced t h e U n i o n c o m m a n d t h a t t h e most v u l n e r a b l e places in t h a t line w e r e Forts Henry a n d Donelson, e a r t h e n w o r k s g u a r d i n g t h e Tennessee a n d C u m b e r l a n d rivers. Fort Henry stood o n land ill-suited f o r forts. It was s u r r o u n d e d by higher g r o u n d a n d subject t o f l o o d i n g . The Confederates h a d b e g u n a s u p p o r t i n g w o r k , Fort Heiman, o n t h e bluffs across t h e river, b u t it was n o t f i n i s h e d . A j o i n t army/navy o p e r a t i o n against Fort Henry had been agreed t o by Flag Officer A n d r e w H. Foote a n d an obscure brigadier general named Ulysses S. Grant. The attack was t o take place in early February, using t h e Tennessee River f o r transport and supply. It w o u l d be t h e first test o f Foote's ironclad g u n b o a t s . On February 4, 1862, Grant b e g a n t r a n s p o r t i n g his army south f r o m Paducah, Ky. He established a camp north o f Fort Henry a n d spent t w o days preparing f o r t h e attack. On February 6, w h i l e Grant's soldiers marched overland f r o m their camp downstream, Foote's gunboats slowly approached Fort Henry. These included newly constructed ironclads Cincinnati, Carondelet, a n d St. Louis, as w e l l as t h e converted ironclad Essex. They o p e n e d a h o t fire t h a t quickly convinced Lloyd Tilghman, t h e Confederate commander, t h a t he could n o t h o l d o u t f o r l o n g . The plan called f o r t h e g u n b o a t s t o e n g a g e t h e f o r t u n t i l t h e army could s u r r o u n d it. The b o m b a r d m e n t raged f o r over an hour, w i t h t h e ironclads t a k i n g heavy blows a n d suffering many casualties. Most o f t h e casualties came after a Confederate shell r u p t u r e d t h e boiler a b o a r d Essex, scalding its c o m m a n d e r a n d killing many o f its crew. The p o o r l y located f o r t , however, was n o match f o r t h e g u n b o a t s . To Grant's chagrin, t h e Confederates evacuated Fort Heiman a n d t h e ironclads p o u n d e d Fort Henry i n t o sub- Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote presided over Union 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 j o i n t army/navy attack on Fort Donelson helped w i n him promotion t o rear admiral. Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant commanded the Federal Military District of Cairo at the time the Henry-Donelson campaign took place. Until January 1862, when his plan t o attack the Confederate river forts was approved, he had fought only one battle, a brief and inconclusive engagement at Belmont, Mo., in November 1861. mission b e f o r e his soldiers, p l o d d i n g over m u d d y roads, could reach t h e vicinity. Less t h a n a h u n d r e d o f t h e C o n f e d e r a t e garrison surrendered, i n c l u d i n g T i l g h m a n ; t h e rest, almost 2,500 m e n , escaped t o Fort Donelson, Grant's next objective, a dozen miles away o n t h e C u m b e r l a n d River. A t Donelson t h e Confederates h a d a much stronger p o s i t i o n . Two river batteries, m o u n t ing 12 heavy guns, effectively c o n t r o l l e d t h e C u m b e r l a n d . A n o u t e r defense line, b u i l t largely by reinforcements sent in after Fort Henry f e l l , stretched a l o n g h i g h g r o u n d f r o m Hickman Creek t o t h e l i t t l e t o w n o f Dover. Within t h e f o r t Confederate infantry and a r t i l l e r y m e n h u d d l e d in t h e cabins against t h e w i n t e r . Aside f r o m a measles epidemic, t h e y lived " q u i t e c o m f o r t a b l y , " c o o k i n g t h e i r o w n meals, f i g h t i n g s n o w b a l l battles, w o r k ing o n t h e f o r t i f i c a t i o n s , d r i l l i n g , a n d t a l k i n g a b o u t h o m e — u n t i l t h e g r i m reality o f w a r descended o n t h e m . It t o o k Grant longer t h a n expected t o start his m e n t o w a r d Donelson. Several days passed b e f o r e Fort Henry was secure a n d his t r o o p s ready t o march. They f i n a l l y g o t u n d e r w a y o n February 11. By t h e n t h e w e a t h e r had t u r n e d unseasonably w a r m . Lacking discipline a n d leadership a n d believing t h a t t h e t e m p e r a t u r e was typical o f t h e South in February, m a n y o f t h e soldiers cast aside t h e i r heavy w i n t e r g e a r — a n act t h e y soon regrett e d . The Confederates w e r e so busy s t r e n g t h e n i n g t h e i r position t h a t t h e y a l l o w e d Grant's army t o march unchecked f r o m Fort Henry t o Fort Donelson. By February 13 some 15,000 U n i o n t r o o p s nearly encircled t h e o u t e r w o r k s o f Fort Donelson. Sporadic clashes b r o k e o u t t h a t day w i t h o u t either side g a i n i n g g r o u n d . Nightfall brought bitter weather—lashing sleet a n d s n o w t h a t caused g r e a t s u f f e r i n g . "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." Ulysses S. Grant, February 16, 1862 The Battle of Fort Donelson February 14 d a w n e d cold a n d q u i e t . Early in t h e a f t e r n o o n a f u r i o u s roar b r o k e t h e stillness, a n d t h e e a r t h began t o shake. Foote's g u n b o a t f l e e t , consisting o f t h e ironclads St. Louis, Pittsburg, Louisville, a n d Carondelet, a n d t h e t i m berclads Conestoga a n d Ty/er, h a d arrived f r o m Fort Henry via t h e Tennessee a n d O h i o rivers and w e r e exchanging " i r o n v a l e n t i n e s " w i t h t h e 12 big guns in t h e C o n f e d e r a t e river batteries. D u r i n g this 9 0 - m i n u t e d u e l , t h e C o n f e d erates w o u n d e d Foote a n d inflicted such extensive d a m a g e u p o n t h e g u n b o a t s t h a t t h e y w e r e f o r c e d t o retreat. The hills a n d h o l l o w s echoed w i t h cheers f r o m t h e Southern soldiers. Just as it seemed t h e w a y was clear, t h e Southern troops w e r e o r d e r e d t o r e t u r n t o t h e i r e n t r e n c h m e n t s — a result o f confusion a n d indecision a m o n g t h e Confederate commanders. Grant immediately launched a vigorous counterattack, retaking most o f t h e lost g r o u n d and g a i n i n g n e w positions as w e l l . The w a y o f escape was closed once more. Floyd a n d Pillow t u r n e d over command o f Fort Donelson t o Buckner and slipped away t o Nashville w i t h a b o u t 2,000 m e n . Others f o l l o w e d cavalryman Lt. Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest across swollen Lick Creek. T h a t m o r n i n g , February 16, Buckner asked Grant f o r terms o f surrender. Grant's answer was short and direct: " N o terms except an unconditional and immed i a t e surrender can be a c c e p t e d . " Buckner, w h o considered Grant's d e m a n d "ungenerous and unchivalrous," surrendered. The Confederate generals—John Floyd, Gideon Pillow, and Simon Buckner—also rejoiced; b u t sober reflection revealed a n o t h e r danger. Grant was receiving reinforcements daily and had ext e n d e d his right flank almost t o Lick Creek bey o n d Dover t o complete t h e encirclement o f t h e Southerners. If t h e Confederates did n o t move Soon after t h e surrender, civilians a n d relief quickly, t h e y w o u l d be starved i n t o submission. agencies rushed t o assist t h e Union army. The Accordingly, h o p i n g t o clear a r o u t e t o Nashville U.S. Sanitary Commission was one o f t h e first and safety, t h e y massed t h e i r t r o o p s against t h e t o provide f o o d , medical supplies, a n d hospital Union right a n d began a b r e a k o u t a t t e m p t o n ships t o transport t h e w o u n d e d . M a n y civilians February 15. The battle raged all m o r n i n g , t h e came in search o f loved ones or t o offer supUnion army g r u d g i n g l y retreating step by step. port. A l t h o u g h n o t officially recognized as Plan of Fort Donelson, from Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. nurses, w o m e n like Mary A n n Bickerdyke cared f o r a n d c o m f o r t e d sick a n d w o u n d e d soldiers. W i t h t h e capture o f Forts Henry a n d Donelson, t h e North had n o t only w o n its first great victory b u t gained a n e w hero—Ulysses " U n c o n d i tional Surrender" Grant, w h o was p r o m o t e d t o major general. Subsequent victories at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga w o u l d lead t o his a p p o i n t m e n t as lieutenant general and commander o f all Union armies. A n d Robert E. Lee's surrender at A p p o m a t t o x w o u l d help p u t Grant in t h e W h i t e House. A f t e r t h e fall o f Fort Donelson, t h e South was forced t o give u p southern Kentucky a n d much of M i d d l e a n d West Tennessee. The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, and railroads in t h e area, became vital Federal supply lines. Nashville, a major rail h u b a n d previously one o f t h e most i m p o r t a n t Confederate arms m a n u f a c t u r i n g centers, was developed into a huge supply d e p o t f o r t h e western Union armies. The heartland o f t h e Confederacy was o p e n , and Federal forces w o u l d press o n until t h e Union became a fact once again. John B. Floyd (top), politician turned Confederate general, took charge of Fort Donelson shortly before the siege began. As his situation worsened, he turned command over t o Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow (center), and escaped u p r i v e r t o Nashville. Floyd wanted t o avoid capture, fearing arrest in the North for allegedly transferring arms t o southern arsenals while secretary of war in the Buchanan administration. Pillow also chose escape over capture and gave command t o Brig. Gen. Simon B. Buckner (bottom), a former West Point classmate of Grant's, w h o w o u l d stay and share t h e fate of his men. Fort Donelson Today Lower River Battery IAUESPBAGSBY Confederate Monument JAMESPBAGSBY Fort Donelson National Cemetery EASTERN NATIONAL A Guide to the Park Keyed t o t h e map below, this g u i d e h i g h l i g h t s major park sites. © C o n f e d e r a t e M o n u m e n t Confederate soldiers w e r e hastily buried o n t h e battlefield after t h e surrender. The exact location of t h e i r graves is u n k n o w n . This m o n u m e n t commemorates t h e Southern soldiers w h o f o u g h t and died at Fort Donelson. The United Daughters of t h e Confederacy erected t h e m o n u m e n t in 1933. greater casualties) and fix bayonets. W i t h t h e Second Iowa Infantry spearheading t h e attack, Smith led t h e assault against t h e Confederate lines o n this ridge. Smith's division captured and controlled t h e e a r t h w o r k s here d u r i n g t h e night. Before t h e attack could be r e n e w e d t h e next m o r n i n g , Grant and Buckner w e r e already discussing terms f o r surrender. more f r o m t h e n o r t h e r n climate t h a n any o t h er hardship. In September 1862 most of the Fort Donelson prisoners w e r e exchanged. On t w o occasions, once in mid-1862 and again in February 1863, Confederate forces tried t o drive t h e Federal troops f r o m the area. Both attempts failed; but t h e second, led by soldiers commanded by Gens. Joseph Wheeler and Nat h a n Bedford Forrest, cost t h e t o w n its f u t u r e . That skirmish, k n o w n as the Battle of Dover, resulted in t h e destruction of all but f o u r of t h e town's buildings. One of those t o survive was t h e Dover Hotel, which remained in business u n t i l t h e 1930s. It has been restored t h r o u g h t h e efforts of the Fort Donelson House Historical Association and t h e National Park Service. The exterior looks much the same as it did in 1862. © F o r t Donelson Confederate soldiers and slaves b u i l t this 15-acre earthen f o r t over a period of © U n i o n Camp This area became a Union camp seven months, using axes and shovels t o make f o l l o w i n g Smith's successful attack. During t h e a w a l l of logs and earth 10 feet h i g h . W h i l e a night, w h i l e b o t h sides strengthened t h e i r pomore p e r m a n e n t f o r t of brick or stone w o u l d sitions, surrender discussions began. W h i t e have been more desirable, earthen walls w e r e flags raised over Confederate positions at daymuch quicker t o b u i l d . Properly constructed break o n February 16 saddened t h e Confedere a r t h w o r k s can provide better protection t h a n ates and created joy a m o n g t h e Federals. A f t e r brick or stone. The fort's purpose was t o prot h e surrender, t h e Union t r o o p s camped here tect t h e Cumberland River batteries f r o m land w e r e h o n o r e d by being t h e first t o march i n t o attack. A t t h e t i m e of t h e battle, all trees w i t h Fort Donelson. in 200 yards of t h e f o r t w e r e f e l l e d , clearing © N a t i o n a l Cemetery In 1863, after t h e Battle of fields of fire and observation. Tree branches Dover, t h e Union garrison rebuilt its f o r t i f i c a © G r a v e s ' Battery Placed here t o guard t h e w e r e sharpened and laid a r o u n d t h e outside t i o n s . Diary accounts by soldiers o f t h e 83rd Indian Creek Valley, this six-gun b a t t e n / saw of t h e f o r t t o f o r m obstacles called abatis. Illinois Regiment, stationed here after t h e Batmore action w h e n it was moved t o support t h e Confederate b r e a k o u t a t t e m p t near t h e Forge Road (see stop 9). © L o g Huts Soldiers and slaves built over 400 log huts as w i n t e r quarters f o r t h e soldiers garrisoning and w o r k i n g o n t h e f o r t . In a d d i t i o n t o ©French's Battery In conjunction w i t h Maney's g o v e r n m e n t rations of flour, fresh and cured Battery t o t h e west, this f o u r - g u n battery was meat, sugar, and coffee, every boat b r o u g h t intended t o prevent Union forces f r o m attackboxes f r o m h o m e f i l l e d w i t h all kinds of things ing d o w n Erin H o l l o w and p e n e t r a t i n g t h e a f a r m or store could provide. O f f - d u t y soldiers Fort Donelson perimeter. f r o m t h e local area h u n t e d and fished in t h e same locations t h e y had f r e q u e n t e d just © F o r g e Road A t daybreak o n February 15, months before as civilians. Sometime after t h e Pillow and Johnson's division, along w i t h Col. surrender, Federals b u r n e d t h e cabins because Nathan B. Forrest's cavalry, attacked Gen. John of a measles outbreak. A. McClernand's troops o n t h e Union r i g h t flank in an a t t e m p t t o secure an escape route. The attack succeeded in briefly o p e n i n g t h e Forge Road as an avenue of escape but, due t o indecision and confusion a m o n g t h e i r commanders, t h e Confederate troops w e r e ordered t o r e t u r n t o t h e i r entrenchments. Union soldiers reoccupied t h e area t h e southerners had f o u g h t so hard t o c o n t r o l . © R i v e r Batteries The rivers w e r e vital arteries t h a t f l o w e d directly t h r o u g h t h e Confederate heartland. Transportation and supply routes depended heavily o n these waterways. Both t h e upper and lower river batteries w e r e armed w i t h heavy seacoast artillery t o d e f e n d t h e Cumberland River, t h e w a t e r approach t o major supply bases in Clarksville and Nashville, Tenn. It was here t h a t untested Confederate © D o v e r Hotel Built b e t w e e n 1851 and 1853, gunners d e f e a t e d Flag Officer A n d r e w Foote's this b u i l d i n g a c c o m m o d a t e d riverboat t r a v e l f l o t i l l a of ironclad and timberclad gunboats. ers b e f o r e a n d after t h e Civil War. D u r i n g t h e Using t h e same tactics t h a t succeeded at Fort Henry, Foote b r o u g h t his gunboats very close, h o p i n g t o shell t h e batteries i n t o submission. Instead t h e slow-moving vessels became excellent targets f o r t h e Confederate guns, w h i c h seriously d a m a g e d t h e gunboats and w o u n d e d many sailors. Foote, w h o was a m o n g t h e w o u n d e d , later t o l d a newspaper reporter t h a t he had t a k e n part in numerous engagements w i t h forts and ships " b u t never was under so severe a fire b e f o r e . " The roar o f this land-naval battle was heard 35 miles away. © S m i t h ' s Attack On February 15 Grant correctly concluded t h a t f o r t h e Confederates t o hit so hard on t h e right (see Stop 9), they must have w e a k e n e d t h e i r line somewhere else. Seizing t h e initiative, he t o l d General Smith t o " t a k e Fort Donelson." Smith had his troops remove t h e f i r i n g caps f r o m t h e i r guns (so t h e men f i e n o t be t e m p t e d t o stop and f i r e , risking b a t t l e General Buckner a n d his staff used it as t h e i r headquarters. It later served as a U n i o n hospital. A f t e r Buckner accepted Grant's surrender terms, t h e t w o generals m e t here t o w o r k o u t t h e details. Lew Wallace, t h e first U n i o n general t o reach t h e h o t e l f o l l o w i n g t h e surrender, d i d n o t w a n t his m e n t o g l o a t over t h e Confederate s i t u a t i o n . He instructed Capt. Frederick Knefler, o n e of his officers, t o tell t h e b r i g a d e commanders t o " t a k e possession of persons and p r o p e r t y . . . [but] n o t a w o r d of taunt—no cheering." A n estimated 13,000 Confederate soldiers were loaded o n t o transports t o begin their journey t o Northern prisoner-of-war camps. Neither t h e Union nor Confederate governments was prepared t o care f o r large influxes of prisoners. The Fort Donelson prisoners w e r e incarcerated in hastily converted and ill-prepared sites in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and as far away as Boston, Mass. Fort Donelson POWs suffered tle of Fort Donelson, indicate h o w d e m a n d i n g soldiering could be. Besides w o r k i n g on t h e n e w fortifications, t h e garrison protected t h e Union supply line. Soldiers o f t e n c o m m e n t e d o n t h e constant t h r e a t of attacks by guerrilla parties. Sgt. M a j . Thomas J. Baugh w r o t e in 1863 t h a t t h e "rebels [had] been t r y i n g t o blockade t h e river" again. Pvt. Mitchel T h o m p son, w h o was o f t e n detailed t o repair teleg r a p h lines, described t h e area as being f i l l e d w i t h "rebel bands of thieves and robbers." Many enslaved workers f r o m nearby plantations came into the Union lines for shelter, f o o d , and protection after t h e 1862 victory. H o w t o deal w i t h these refugees, still considered p r o p erty by t h e slave owners and individual state laws, presented a p r o b l e m f o r b o t h t h e Union army and t h e Lincoln a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . In 1862 Grant chose t o protect t h e slaves and p u t t h e m t o w o r k f o r t h e army. Eventually f r e e d m e n camps w e r e set up across Tennessee, and an estimated 300 slaves w i n tered at Fort Donelson in 1864. The army e m ployed men as laborers and teamsters. W o m e n c o m m o n l y served as cooks and laundresses. In 1863 t h e Union army also began recruiting free blacks f r o m Tennessee and Kentucky. Soon after t h e war, this site was selected f o r t h e Fort Donelson National Cemetery, and t h e remains of 670 Union soldiers w e r e reinterred here. These soldiers had been buried o n t h e b a t t l e f i e l d , in local cemeteries, in hospital cemeteries, and in nearby t o w n s . The large n u m b e r of u n k n o w n soldiers—512—can be a t t r i b u t e d t o haste in cleaning up t h e battlef i e l d and t o t h e fact t h a t Civil W a r soldiers d i d n o t carry government-issued i d e n t i f i c a t i o n . Today t h e national cemetery contains b o t h Civil War veterans and veterans w h o have served t h e U n i t e d States since t h a t t i m e . M a n y spouses a n d d e p e n d e n t c h i l d r e n are also buried here. About Your Visit Fort Donelson is one mile west of Dover, Tenn., and three miles east of Land Between the Lakes on U.S. 79. The visitor center is open from 8 am t o 4:30 pm daily. It is closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. Park tour roads are closed seasonally, sunset to sunrise. See park website for current informat i o n and closures. Trails Fort Donelson has t w o principal trails: the three-mile River Circle Trail and the four-mile Donelson Trail. Both trails begin and end at the visitor center. Guides t o natural and historical features along the trails are available. Please remain on the trails. Be alert for poison ivy, poisonous snakes, ticks, stinging insects, and spider webs. Do not disturb or remove any vegetation. Be prepared for strenuous walking in some areas. Service animals are welcome. Regulations Build fires only in the picnic area (grills only). Pets must always be physically restrained and are not allowed in buildings. Obey traffic signs. Hunting is prohibited. For firearms laws and policies see the park website. Picnic in designated areas only. Relic hunting and/or use of metal detectors is prohibited. And please don't walk on earthworks. For Your Safety Hikers using park roads should walk facing traffic and bikers should ride in the direction of traffic in single file. Drivers should observe speed limits and park only in pull-offs. Keep close watch over your children. Use caution when near the river and on trail bridges, which can be slippery. Do not walk or stand on rock walls, cannon, or earthen mounds. Be alert to uneven ground surfaces. the National Park System. To learn about parks and National Park Service programs in America's communities, visit www.nps.gov. More Information Fort Donelson National Battlefield P.O. Box 434 Dover, TN 37058-0434 931-232-5706 www.nps.gov/fodo Fort Donelson is one of over 390 parks in AGPO:2010—357-940/80565 Reprint 2010 Printed on recycled paper.