32. Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Tennessee

               Hello!  Welcome back to our blog.  In this post we will be visiting a battlefield in western Tennessee which launched Ulysses S. Grant to national prominence and gave him his nickname of “Unconditional Surrender” Grant at Fort Donelson National Battlefield.

Entrance Sign

BACKGROUND:

               In early 1862 the Civil War had settled into a stalemate.  The Confederate victory at First Bull Run had completely stalled all military action in the east as the Union built up and trained its forces for the climactic drive on Richmond, but in the west Union commanders were looking to crack the south’s defensive shell.  A series of small actions had managed to save the “Border States” of Kentucky and Missouri for the Union, but the Confederates had heavily fortified the riverways leading into the deep south, upon which the Union hoped to use as highways for invasion.  In particular were Forts Henry and Donelson, covering the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers respectively, in western Tennessee on a peninsula between the two rivers now known as “The Land Between the Lakes.”

               In early February, Union gunboats moved up the Tennessee River and attacked Fort Henry.  After a brief bombardment, the poorly situated fort was abandoned with most of the garrison retreating to nearby Fort Donelson.  The Union army, commanded by Mexican War veteran Ulysses S. Grant, disembarked at Fort Henry and marched overland to Fort Donelson, while the navy contingent backtracked up the Tennessee and then down the Cumberland River.  While Grant’s troops besieged the fort from the landward side the Union gunboats attempted a repeat of their attack on Fort Henry, but Fort Donelson’s commanding position on high ground overlooking the river helped the Confederates throw back the assault.  Despite this, the Confederates were completely surrounded with no hope of escape.  A breakout attempt was repelled while Union troops managed to break through the fort’s outer defenses.  A contingent of Confederate troops managed to sneak out under the cover of darkness but the majority were forced to capitulate.  When the Confederate commander sent a letter to Grant asking for terms, Grant replied he would accept nothing less than “unconditional and immediate surrender.”  The victory led to Grant being promoted to Major General, while newspapers turned the phrase “Unconditional Surrender” into a play on Grant’s initials and thrust him into the national spotlight.

The Dover Hotel, where Grant accepted the unconditional surrender of the Confederate garrison.

THE BATTLEFIELD:

               The site of Fort Donelson and the nearby Union cemetery were designated as a National Military Park in 1926, later re-designated as a National Battlefield in 1985.  Fort Henry, despite its historical significance, was inundated by the Tennessee River following the construction of a Tennessee Valley Authority Dam and now lies underwater.  Fort Donelson, located on higher ground, escaped this fate.

               The National Battlefield preserves the majority of the Confederate earthworks that made up Fort Donelson, primarily the western earthworks and the central redoubt, as well as a restored section of the artillery batteries that overlook the Cumberland River.  The eastern earthworks have mostly been destroyed by the expansion of the town of Dover, though the Civil War Trust has bought up additional property to help preserve the eastern edge of the battlefield.  The Battlefield also preserves the Dover Hotel, the site where Grant accepted the surrender of the Confederate Garrison, as well as Fort Heiman, a battery situated opposite Fort Henry on the Cumberland River in Kentucky, however this site has not been developed.

The restored Confederate artillery batteries overlooking the Cumberland River.

TRAVEL TIPS:

Fort Donelson National Battlefield is located next to the small town of Dover in western Tennessee, roughly a forty-five-minute drive from Clarksville, Tennessee.  The Battlefield grounds are open from dawn until dusk, however the visitor center and the Dover Hotel are open from 8am to 4:30pm.  At the time of this writing the official visitor center is undergoing renovations and visitor services have been relocated across US Route 79 to the Stewart County Chamber of Commerce.  The park brochure includes a driving tour of the fort.  Passport stamps can be found at the visitor center.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

A monument to the Confederate defenders inside the fort's grounds.

The interior of Fort Donelson.  The fort's earthworks are obscured by the treeline.  The log hut in the foreground is a replica of the type of accommodations constructed by the Confederate defenders to weather winter conditions.  The slopes of the ravine would have once been covered with similar huts. 

A cannon positioned along the western trenches of Fort Donelson's outer perimeter where Union troops broke through during an attack prior to the garrison's surrender.

The center of Fort Donelson National Cemetery.