Fort Donelson and Fort Henry

Arrived late in the morning at Fort Donelson after braking camp, eating breakfast and catching up a little and website and blogsite.

One of the things I had been wondering about (perhaps you too) was - just is or was Fort Henry? The answer is that Fort Henry was from the very beginning a very poorly chosen site on the East bank of the Cumberland River; and for that reason it was never occupied by the Union Army after its capture, and today it lies beneath the waters of the Cumberland River.

Fort Donelson, on the other hand, occupied a site on the opposite side of the river, high above the banks Cumberland. In truth, neither fort was what one might expect or visualize in his "minds-

eye"; no walls afforded barriers against enemy encroachment, instead earthen works, supported by strategic cannon emplacements, were the only protection against enemy attack.

Today, an arsenal of cannons is interspersed along the sprawling defensive battle lines of the original earthen works and are joined with two other battery's overlooking the Cumberland River. Together with the Dover Hotel (where the surrender was signed), the visitors center and the Fort Donelson National Cemetery, the earthen works constitute the site of Fort Donelson National Park.

General Grant achieve his first recognition as the leader of the Union Army, with his capture of Fort Henry and shortly thereafter, Fort Donelson. Prior to this he was a quiet and little known Brigadier General in the Union ranks, but with his victories he won national fame, a promotion to Major General and the "nickname" Unconditional Surrender (the first initials of his name); when he declared at Fort Donelson that the only terms that he would offer to Confederate Brigadier

General Simon Buckner was - Unconditional Surrender.

Fort Henry had been subdued with surprising ease when Union "Ironclads" advanced up the north flowing Cumberland River and bombarded the fort into submission. By the time Grant led his forces onto Fort Henry, the white flags were already waving.

A week later, a similar naval attack on Fort Donelson was quelled by the Confederates. What the

Union failed to recognize, was that Fort Donelson occupied higher ground and better weaponry

than Fort Henry; it thus provided vastly superior Confederate defense, and therefore, success

was not to be so easily achieved.

In the end, the Confederacy succeeded in repelling the naval onslaught, but were unable to repel Grant's forces, who were better equipped and trained than their Confederate counterparts.