Battle of Fort Henry

Overview

The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in Stewart County, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Western Theater.

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

Significance

The Battle of Fort Henry, fought in Stewart County, Tennessee, marked the first significant Union victory in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's forces, supported by Andrew H. Foote's gunboats, confronted a Confederate garrison under Lloyd Tilghman that was substantially outnumbered, with Union forces fielding roughly 15,000 troops against a Confederate strength of 3,000–3,400. The outcome established Grant as a consequential commander in the West and opened a line of advance deeper into Confederate-held territory, demonstrating that Federal forces could seize fortified river positions and use waterways as axes of operational pressure.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)