The Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862. It ended 150 years ago today. The capture of the fort by the Union opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. It was probably this battle that elevated Ulysses S. Grant from an obscure and largely unproven leader to the rank of major general, earning him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant in the process (derived from his first two initials, "U.S.").
Following the capture of Fort Henry on February 6, Grant moved his army 12 miles overland to Fort Donelson on February 12 through February 13 and conducted several small attacks. On February 14, U.S. Navy gunboats under Andrew H. Foote tried to reduce the fort with naval gunfire, but were forced to withdraw after sustaining heavy damage.
On February 15, with their fort surrounded, the Confederates, commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd, launched a surprise attack against Grant's army, attempting to open an avenue of escape. Grant, who was away from the battlefield at the start of the attack, arrived to rally his men and counterattack. Despite achieving a partial success and opening the way for a retreat, Floyd lost his nerve and ordered his men back to the fort.
On the following morning, Floyd and his second-in-command, Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow, completely panicked and both turned over their command to Brig. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner (later Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky), who agreed to accept the unconditional surrender terms offered by Grant. It was one of many horrible civil war battles, though unique in that it was fought in the middle of winter. Nearly 1,000 soldiers on both sides were killed, with about 3,000 wounded still on the field; some froze to death in the snowstorm.
On February 16, Buckner concluded that if attacked again, he could only hold the fort for 30 minutes, and he estimated that the cost of defending the fort would be as high as 75% casualties. Escape would be difficult, since most of the river transports were currently transporting wounded men to Nashville and would not return in time to evacuate the command. Floyd realized that he was about to be captured and so promptly turned over his command to General Pillow, who in turn passed command on to General Buckner, who agreed to remain behind and surrender the army. Pillow escaped by small boat across the Cumberland in the night. Floyd left the next morning on the only steamer available, taking his two regiments of Virginia infantry. Disgusted at the show of cowardice, a furious Nathan Bedford Forrest ranted, "I did not come here to surrender my command." He is said to have stormed out of the meeting and led about 700 of his cavalrymen to escape the fort.
On the morning of February 16, Buckner sent a note to Grant requesting an armistice and asking terms of surrender. The note first reached General Smith. Smith stated "I'll make no terms with Rebels with arms in their hands—my terms are unconditional and immediate surrender". When the note finally reached Grant, Smith again told Grant to offer "no terms to the Rebels". Buckner had hoped that Grant would offer generous terms because of their long friendship. In fact in 1854, Grant had been removed from command at an Army post in California, allegedly because of alcoholism. Buckner, a fellow U.S. Army officer, loaned Grant sufficient money for him to return home to Illinois after he had been forced to resign his commission.
But in spite of this, Grant showed no mercy towards men he considered to be rebelling against the Federal government. His terse reply became one of the most quoted correspondences of the war, earning Grant the nickname of "Unconditional Surrender". He wrote:
Sir: Yours of this date proposing Armistice, and appointment of Commissioners, to settle terms of Capitulation is just received. No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works.
I am Sir: very respectfully
Your obedient servant
U.S. Grant
Buckner objected to Grant's "ungenerous and unchivalrous terms," but he nevertheless agreed to surrendered the garrison (estimated to number between 12,000 and 15,000 troops) and its 48 artillery pieces. This became the first of three Confederate armies that Grant would captured during the war. (The second was John C. Pemberton's at the Siege of Vicksburg and the third Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox). Buckner also turned over considerable military equipment and provisions, which Grant's hungry troops needed badly. More than 7,000 Confederate prisoners of war were eventually transported from Fort Donelson to Camp Douglas in Chicago; others were sent elsewhere throughout the North. Buckner was held as a prisoner until he was exchanged that August.
Following the capture of Fort Henry on February 6, Grant moved his army 12 miles overland to Fort Donelson on February 12 through February 13 and conducted several small attacks. On February 14, U.S. Navy gunboats under Andrew H. Foote tried to reduce the fort with naval gunfire, but were forced to withdraw after sustaining heavy damage.
On February 15, with their fort surrounded, the Confederates, commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd, launched a surprise attack against Grant's army, attempting to open an avenue of escape. Grant, who was away from the battlefield at the start of the attack, arrived to rally his men and counterattack. Despite achieving a partial success and opening the way for a retreat, Floyd lost his nerve and ordered his men back to the fort.
On the following morning, Floyd and his second-in-command, Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow, completely panicked and both turned over their command to Brig. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner (later Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky), who agreed to accept the unconditional surrender terms offered by Grant. It was one of many horrible civil war battles, though unique in that it was fought in the middle of winter. Nearly 1,000 soldiers on both sides were killed, with about 3,000 wounded still on the field; some froze to death in the snowstorm.
On February 16, Buckner concluded that if attacked again, he could only hold the fort for 30 minutes, and he estimated that the cost of defending the fort would be as high as 75% casualties. Escape would be difficult, since most of the river transports were currently transporting wounded men to Nashville and would not return in time to evacuate the command. Floyd realized that he was about to be captured and so promptly turned over his command to General Pillow, who in turn passed command on to General Buckner, who agreed to remain behind and surrender the army. Pillow escaped by small boat across the Cumberland in the night. Floyd left the next morning on the only steamer available, taking his two regiments of Virginia infantry. Disgusted at the show of cowardice, a furious Nathan Bedford Forrest ranted, "I did not come here to surrender my command." He is said to have stormed out of the meeting and led about 700 of his cavalrymen to escape the fort.
On the morning of February 16, Buckner sent a note to Grant requesting an armistice and asking terms of surrender. The note first reached General Smith. Smith stated "I'll make no terms with Rebels with arms in their hands—my terms are unconditional and immediate surrender". When the note finally reached Grant, Smith again told Grant to offer "no terms to the Rebels". Buckner had hoped that Grant would offer generous terms because of their long friendship. In fact in 1854, Grant had been removed from command at an Army post in California, allegedly because of alcoholism. Buckner, a fellow U.S. Army officer, loaned Grant sufficient money for him to return home to Illinois after he had been forced to resign his commission.
But in spite of this, Grant showed no mercy towards men he considered to be rebelling against the Federal government. His terse reply became one of the most quoted correspondences of the war, earning Grant the nickname of "Unconditional Surrender". He wrote:
Sir: Yours of this date proposing Armistice, and appointment of Commissioners, to settle terms of Capitulation is just received. No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works.
I am Sir: very respectfully
Your obedient servant
U.S. Grant
Buckner objected to Grant's "ungenerous and unchivalrous terms," but he nevertheless agreed to surrendered the garrison (estimated to number between 12,000 and 15,000 troops) and its 48 artillery pieces. This became the first of three Confederate armies that Grant would captured during the war. (The second was John C. Pemberton's at the Siege of Vicksburg and the third Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox). Buckner also turned over considerable military equipment and provisions, which Grant's hungry troops needed badly. More than 7,000 Confederate prisoners of war were eventually transported from Fort Donelson to Camp Douglas in Chicago; others were sent elsewhere throughout the North. Buckner was held as a prisoner until he was exchanged that August.