Battle of Fort Donelson

Overview

The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important avenue for the invasion of the South. The Union's success also elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant from an obscure and largely unproven leader to the rank of major general, and earned him the nickname of "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Union capture of Fort Donelson in February 1862 opened the Cumberland River as an invasion corridor into the Confederate interior, removing a critical defensive anchor near the Tennessee–Kentucky border. Control of the river allowed Federal forces to press deeper into the South, accelerating pressure on Confederate positions in the Western Theater. The battle's lopsided casualty figures—Confederate losses nearly five times those of the Union—reflected the scale of the Confederate collapse. Beyond the operational consequences, the engagement transformed Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant from an obscure and largely unproven commander into a major general, earning him the sobriquet 'Unconditional Surrender' Grant and establishing him as a central figure in the Union war effort in the West.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)