Fort Donelson

Fort Donelson
Tennessee (near Dover, Tennessee)
Part of the lower river battery at Fort Donelson, overlooking the Cumberland River
Type	Fort
Site information
Controlled by	Confederate States (1862)  United States (1862–1865)
Site history
Built	1862
In use	1862–1865
Materials	earth
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson Battle of Dover

American Civil War

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 of 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.

Bushrod Johnson 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. (see Battle of Fort Donelson)