Visiting Fort Donelson in Dover, Tennessee
The Fort Donelson National Battlefield is located in the small town of Dover, Tennessee, on the Cumberland River just on the northern tip of the state. Fort Donelson provides a days outing in a self guided tour of the site of General Ulysses Grant’s second great victory. There are also some hiking trails available on the site for those interested in communing with nature.
The Battle
The battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 12-16, 1862. It resulted in the first major Union victory of the Civil War, and fame for the general who brought about that victory: Ulysses S. Grant. Fort Donelson, built early in the war by Confederate soldiers, was situated at an important crossroads between Tennessee and Kentucky. Two states which were vital to the Confederate war effort. In early 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant engaged Confederate troops at Belmont and then Fort Henry, just west of Fort Donelson, winning both battles.
General Albert Sidney Johnston, the overall commander of Confederate troops in the west, decided to concentrate his troops at Fort Donelson, anticipating an attack from Grant. Johnson knew that the fall of the fort could possibly lead to the fall of Nashville. By the time Grant had encircled the fort on February 12th, nearly 21,000 Confederate soldiers had retreated into the fort, and by February 13th, Grant had been re-enforced, and had at his disposal nearly 27,000 troops.
The first major action of the battle occurred on February 14th, when six Federal river gunboats attempted to penetrate past the powerful Confederate batteries which overlooked the Cumberland River. The batteries inflicted heavy damage on the Union boats, forcing them to retreat. On the 15th, General Pillow, commander of the Confederate troops within Fort Donelson, led a devastating attack on the right flank of the Union army, rolling it back onto itself. Unfortunately, Pillow did not use this victory to his advantage and further attack the Union lines or evacuate the fort, but instead retreated back into the fort. This was the final break-out attempt the Confederates would have. On February 16th, General Buckner, who was left in command of the fort after most of General Pillow and most of his staff had evacuated, surrendered to General Grant at the Dover Hotel, just east of the battlefield. This Confederate defeat led to the loss of nearly all of Kentucky and western Tennessee, and the vitally important city of Nashville.
Touring Fort Donelson
The first stop for a tour of Fort Donelson is at the visitors’ center where one can see a short slide presentation about the battle. There is also a book store, gift shop, and some exhibits. Here one can pick up a map for a self guided auto trip of the battlefield, as well as a map of nature trails for walking.
The first stop on the self guided tour is the Confederate Monument, an obelisk with a statue of a Confederate soldier erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy near where the mass grave of the Confederate soldiers is thought to be. Next is the earthwork remains that are all that is left of the original Fort Donelson. It was built in seven months by Confederate soldiers and slaves. The fort’s original purpose was to protect the Confederate River Batteries from a land attack.
The third stop is a reconstruction of some log huts originally built to house the soldiers who manned the ramparts of the fort. The originals were torn down by Union troops after the battle. The next stop is the site of the Confederate batteries overlooking the Cumberland River. It was these batteries that stopped the initial attack by the Union gun boats.
Next is a ridge that was held by Confederate General during a Union assault. The Confederates held, but the Union troops still fixed the Confederate right flank. The next stop is the site of Jackson’s battery, which was deployed to support the Confederate right flank. The cannon were also used to assist in the attempted Confederate breakout.
Next is the Confederate earthwork position that was carried by Union General Smith’s 2nd Iowa Regiment. The attack was called off, however, as surrender negotiations were begun. Following is an information placard on the position of French’s four gun battery, which was meant to block any attempt to storm the fort from the south.
Next stop is the forge road, where Confederate troops attempted to break out of the fort, with General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry in the lead. Though the Confederates briefly opened the road, the troops were ordered back to their positions and the Union troops reoccupied the road soon after.
The next stop is the Dover Hotel, a historic building lying on the Cumberland River just east of Fort Donelson. It was both the Confederate Headquarters during the battle and the site where the Confederate surrender took place between Grant and Buckner on the 15th. After the surrender, over 13,000 Confederate soldiers were shipped up north to prison camps in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. During a later battle of the war, Confederate soldiers burned all but four of the buildings in the town. The Dover Hotel was one of the few buildings to survive, and today the exterior looks much the same as it did in 1862.
The final stop is the National Cemetery. Soon after the battle of Fort Donelson, a National Cemetery was selected to be the final resting place of 670 fallen Union soldiers, many of whom were buried in and around the battlefield after the battle. Nearly 512 of those buried in this quiet, peaceful spot on the Cumberland River remain unknown.
