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From
Henry to Donelson
Bells rang jubilantly
throughout the North at the news, but they
were silent in Dixie. The cause: the fall
of Fort Donelson in February 1862. It was
the North's first major victory of the
Civil War, opening the way into the very
heart of the Confederacy. Just a month
before, the Confederates has seemed
invincible. A stalemate had existed since
the Southern victories at First Manassas
and Wilson's Creek in the summer of 1861.
Attempts to break the Confederate defense
line, which in the west extended from
southwest Missouri and the Indian
Territory to the Appalachian Mountains,
had achieved little success. A
reconnaissance in January convinced the
Union command that the most vulnerable
places in the Confederacy's western line
were Forts Henry and Donelson, earthen
works guarding the Tennessee and
Cumberland Rivers.
A joint navy/army attack
upon Fort Henry had been agreed to by Flag
Officer Andrew H. Foote and an obscure
brigadier general named Ulysses S. Grant.
It was to take place in early February,
using the Tennessee River for transport
and supply. It would be the first test of
Foote's ironclad gunboats.
On February 6, 1862,
while Grant's men marched overland from
their camp downstream, Foote's gunboats
slowly approached Fort Henry and opened a
hot fire that quickly convinced Lloyd
Tilghman, the Confederate commander, that
he could not hold out for long. (Tilghman
would die in action at Champion Hill in
1863). The plan called for the gunboats to
engage the fort until the army could
surround it. The bombardment raged for
more than an hour, with the ironclads
taking heavy blows and suffering many
casualties. But the fort was no match for
the gunboats. To the army's chagrin, the
ironclads pounded the fort into submission
before the soldiers, plodding over muddy
roads, could reach the vicinity. Less than
a hundred of the Confederate garrison
surrendered, including Tilghman; the rest,
almost 2,500 men, escaped to Fort Donelson,
Grant's next objective, a dozen miles away
on the Cumberland.
At Donelson the
Confederates had a far stronger position.
Two river batteries, mounting some 12
heavy guns, effectively controlled the
Cumberland. An outer defense line, built
largely by reinforcements sent in after
the fall of Fort Henry, stretched along
high ground from Hickman Creek on the
right to the little town of Dover. Within
the fort Confederate infantry and
artillerymen huddled in log cabins against
the winter. Aside from a measles epidemic,
they lived "quite comfortably," cooking
their own meals, fighting snowball
battles, working on the fortifications,
drilling, and talking about home--until
the grim reality of war descended upon
them.
It took Grant longer
than expected to start his men toward
Donelson. Several days passed before Fort
Henry was secure and his troops ready. He
finally got underway on February 11, and
as his soldiers stepped out briskly over
the rolling terrain, the weather had
turned unseasonable warm. Believing that
the temperature was typical of the South
in February, many of the soldiers cast
aside their heavy winter gear--an act they
would soon regret. By February 13 some
15,000 Union troops nearly encircled the
outerworks of Fort Donelson. Sporadic
clashes broke out that day without either
side gaining ground. Nightfall brought
bitter weather--lashing sleet and snow
that caused great suffering.
The
Battle of Fort Donelson
The morning of February
14 dawned cold and quiet. Early in the
afternoon the stillness was broken by a
furious roar, and the earth began to
shake. The Union gunboats were exchanging
"iron valentines" with the 11 big guns in
the Southern water batteries. During this
one and one-half hour duel the Confederate
guns in inflicted such extensive damage
upon the gunboats that they were forced to
retreat. The hills and hollows echoed with
cheers from the Southern soldiers.
The Confederate
generals--John Floyd, Gideon Pillow, Simon
Buckner, and Bushrod Johnson--also
rejoiced; but sober reflection revealed
another danger. Grant was receiving
reinforcements daily and had extended his
right flank almost to Lick Creek to
complete the encirclement of the
Southerners. If the Confederates did not
move quickly, they would be starved into
submission. Accordingly, they massed their
troops against the Union right, hoping to
clear a route to Nashville and safety. The
battle on February 15 raged all morning,
the Union army grudgingly retreating step
by step. Just as it seemed the way was
clear, the Southern troops were ordered to
return to their entrenchments--a result of
confusion and indecision among the
Confederate commanders. Grant immediately
launched a vigorous counterattack,
retaking most of the lost ground and
gaining new positions as well. The way of
escape was closed once more.
Floyd and Pillow turned
over command of Fort Donelson to Buckner
and slipped away to Nashville with about
2,000 men. Others followed cavalryman Col.
Nathan Bedford Forrest across swollen Lick
Creek. That morning, February 16, Buckner
asked Grant for terms, Grand answered, "No
terms except an unconditional and
immediate surrender can be accepted."
Buckner surrendered.
With the capture of Fort
Donelson and her sister fort, Henry, the
North had won its first great victory and
gained a new hero--"Unconditional
Surrender" Grant. The South was forced to
give up southern Kentucky and much of
Middle and West Tennessee. The heartland
of the Confederacy was open, and the
Federals would press on until the "Union"
became a fact once more.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3rd
Arkansas Monument
Winchester, VA
On
June 6, 2011, the dedication of the
Arkansas Monument is anticipated. Of the
13 states represented at Stonewall
Cemetery and nearly 3,000 soldiers buried
there, Arkansas is one of two sections
without a state monument. The photo
below is of the 20 members of the 3rd
Arkansas buried at the Stonewall Cemetery.
A fund raiser is planned for Saturday,
October 2, 2010 at the
Winchester-Frederick County Conservation
Club in Winchester, VA. “A Day with Mosby”
Symposium and Benefit Meal. Scheduled
speakers are: Erick Buckland, Dave Goetz,
Chuck Mauro, and Don Hakenson. Event is
hosted by the Turner Ashby Chapter #184
UDC and Turner Ashby Camp 1567 SCV.
For
more information:
Call
540-664-7820
Thanks
to Kent Shreeve from our Roundtable who
supplied this information. |
