Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Daniel S. Donelson. The Union Army of the Tennessee, commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, captured the fort from the Confederate Army in the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862. The capture of the fort resulted in an enormous strategic victory for the Union forces. Union forces occupied the fort for the remainder of the war. A small detachment of Confederate troops made one unsuccessful attempt to regain it.
History
of the Confederate Corps of Engineers had approved the build site and supervised construction in 1862. The site commanded a bend on the west side of the Cumberland River opposite Fort Henry which is located on a bend in the Tennessee River about 10 miles west. To the north flows Hickman River, a backwater channel that was impassable except by boat or bridge, and to the east a small tributary named Indian Creek. The fort, which was meant to house troops and protect the water batteries from sorties, had a few acres of log huts. Like Fort Henry, which had fallen to Union troops on February 6, Fort Donelson would not be able to defeat a large scale assault but officers wanted to hold the position as long as possible. Engineers began improving defensive positions by digging rifle pits along a ridgeline and breastworks were built in "a three-mile arc which inclosed the bluff on the north, and the countryseat hamlet of Dover on the south, the main supply base." Cannons including a 128-pounder and two 32-pounders were placed atop the hundred foot bluff within the arc. Construction was started by a large force of men brought from the nearby Cumberland Iron Works. Confederate commanders
Fort Donelson was garrisoned by the Confederate troops until 1862. The fort was captured by Union General Ulysses S. Grant and his army during a winter offensive to divide the Confederacy in two by controlling the Mississippi River. The fort was attacked again on August 25, 1863, by a Confederate force demanding its surrender. The attack was unsuccessful and was repulsed.
Fort Donelson was attacked by General U.S Grant and Flag Officer Andrew Foote, who surrounded the fort and captured it after a short siege. On February 6, Grant was ordered by General Henry Halleck to assault Fort Donelson immediately and capture it by February 8. Grant made reconnaissance, observed the natural obstacles and Confederate improvements, and knew the fort would not be taken by the 8th. He organized and had Brigadier Generals John A. McClernand, Charles F. Smith, and Lew Wallace prepare for a land assault while Flag Officer Foote moved his gunboats to assault from the river. After minor skirmishes with Confederate cavalry en route, the assault on Fort Donelson began on 12 February. On 14 February, a naval battle took place with Union ships suffering serious damage. After attempting in vain to escape their tenuous position on February 15 via roads to Nashville the Confederates capitulated, surrendering Fort Donelson to the Union on February 16.
Fort Donelson under Union control
The Union was ecstatic when the news of Fort Donelson's surrender reached the capital and cities. Union forces now controlled one of the largest forts in the western theater. The war had been going badly for the Union in Virginia, but the captures of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson were promising victories. After the front line shifted away from Fort Donelson, it became of little strategic importance, but continued to hold a garrison of Union troops. Later, the fort was attacked by a Confederate force of 450 infantrymen, 335 cavalrymen, and two field guns. The Union garrison consisted of four companies of the 71st Ohio Regiment. After suffering 30 casualties, the Confederates retreated. They were pursued by the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, but to no avail. Union commanders
