The Battle Of Fort Donelson in 1862

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THE BATTLE OF FORT DONELSON IN 1862

Introduction
When thinking about historical and decisive battles that were fought in the Civil War, most people would think of The Battle of Gettysburg or the bloodiest day of the war at The Battle of Antietam. The mention of The Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862 would probably get mostly blank stares and questions about where this battle occurred. To say that one battle is more important than the other on the grand scheme of the Civil War is foolish, because each inch of ground gained through each battle contributed to the final outcome of the Civil War. The Battle of Fort Donelson is no different in this respect. It was one battle among many in the strategic move to gain a foot hold in the south. It occurred on the Cumberland River in Tennessee, which allowed another foothold for the Union Army in their pursuit of their enemies in the southern states. The Union forces for this battle were led by Ulysses S. Grant, and the Confederacy by Gideon J. Pillow. Ulysses S. Grant gained prominence in this battle through his brilliant victories over the Confederacy, and established himself as a no nonsense type of leader. This paper will give an overview of the history, execution, and lessons learned from this battle, with a primary focus on the Union’s victory and Grant’s contributions. History

At the time of this battle, the overall spirits of the Union and North were low, due to recent defeats. “After the stinging defeats in the summer and autumn of 1861 at Bull Run and Ball’s Bluff.”1 The Cumberland River and area north of Nashville into Kentucky was a stronghold for the Confederate Army, and the only thing that stood in between the Union Army in the Western Campaign and ...

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...tunity to push through and defeat the Confederates. A violent and continuous momentum by the Union, and tactical placement of additional Union forces kept the Confederate forces on a continuous defense, never being able to formulate a good offense. The value of joint forces and synchronization between the two became evident, and adjusting the tactical plan when a primary course of action fails (i.e. bombardment by gunboats) contributed to winning the battle. Ulysses S. Grant had commanded a series of battles that not only gained a strategic foothold into the south, but he had gained stature for himself that would lead to his promotion and pave the way for his future as a leader in the United States of America. The number of casualties in this five day battle was: Union 500 KIA, 2,108 Wounded, and 224 missing / Confederacy 2,000 KIA or Wounded, 14,623 missing.12

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