Henry-Donelson Campaign

In February 1862, Union forces struck at two Confederate forts guarding routes into Tennessee: Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland. The campaign paired the army’s advance under Ulysses S. Grant with the river flotilla commanded by Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote. At Fort Henry, Union gunboats—including ironclads—bombarded the defenses, and the fort’s commander surrendered on February 6 before Grant’s troops could fully arrive. The action demonstrated how naval power could help break fortified positions and clear a path inland.

Grant then moved against Fort Donelson, where Confederate resistance was stronger and the fighting lasted several days. After a Confederate breakout attempt failed, Grant rejected a request to negotiate terms and demanded “unconditional and immediate surrender.” The fort capitulated on February 16, yielding thousands of prisoners and giving Union forces control of the Cumberland River route. Nashville soon fell, while Confederate forces were compelled to retreat from much of Kentucky and Tennessee. These victories strengthened Grant’s reputation and gave the Union an important strategic foothold in the West, though they did not decide the war. The cluster brings together accounts of the two battles, the significance of the ironclad engagement at Fort Henry, and Grant’s official report on the fighting at Donelson. Together, they show how coordinated river and land operations could turn local victories into a major shift in the campaign’s momentum.