Grant Invades Tennessee: The 1862 Battles for Forts Henry and Donelson

Modern War Studies

by Timothy B. Smith

When General Ulysses S. Grant targeted Forts Henry and Donelson, he penetrated the Confederacy at one of its most vulnerable points, setting in motion events that would elevate his own status, demoralize the Confederate leadership and citizenry, and, significantly, tear the western Confederacy asunder. More to the point, the two battles of early 1862 opened the Tennessee River campaign that would prove critical to the ultimate Union victory in the Mississippi Valley. In Grant Invades Tennessee, award-winning Civil War historian Timothy B. Smith gives readers a battlefield view of the fight for Forts Henry and Donelson, as well as a critical wide-angle perspective on their broader meaning in the conduct and outcome of the war. The first comprehensive tactical treatment of these decisive battles, this book completes the trilogy of the Tennessee River campaign that Smith began in Shiloh and Corinth 1862, marking a milestone in Civil War history.

Whether detailing command-level decisions or using eye-witness anecdotes to describe events on the ground, walking readers through maps or pulling back for an assessment of strategy, this finely written work is equally sure on matters of combat and context. Beginning with Grant’s decision to bypass the Confederates’ better-defended sites on the Mississippi, Smith takes readers step-by-step through the battles: the employment of a flotilla of riverine war ships along with infantry and land-based artillery in subduing Fort Henry; the lesser effectiveness of this strategy against Donelson’s much stronger defense, weaponry, and fighting forces; the surprise counteroffensive by the Confederates and the role of their commanders’ incompetence and cowardice in foiling its success. Though casualties at the two forts fell far short of bloodier Civil War battles to come, the importance of these Union victories transcend battlefield statistics. Grant Invades Tennessee allows us, for the first time, to clearly see how and why.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Military History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction

513 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2016

About the author

A former NPS ranger at Shiloh, Timothy B. Smith teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonder sometimes what I’ve gotten myself into this year, trying to read about all the major Civil War battles, when my brain can start to fog while reading detailed descriptions of battlefield tactics and maneuvers, I have a hard time keeping up with what the likes of the 8th Missouri was doing over here and what the 11th Indiana was doing over there, and I find it difficult to distinguish General Smith from Colonel Smith, or General Johnston from General Johnson from General Johnston, all of whom had a role in this book.

But it seems silly to say that a book about a battle would have been better had there been less about the battle.

I guess what I really appreciate is a book about a battle that’s about more than just the battle. And Smith delivers that here, addressing the concerns of people like me right up front in his preface. Most Civil War battles "have numerous tactical studies causing some socially oriented historians to complain about the lack of context,” he writes. “This book will completely immerse the reader in the larger picture of the Mississippi River Valley campaign, discussing how Forts Henry and Donelson were a part of the larger context of the war in the west."

Great - I'm in.

If you’re only going to read about the major major Civil War battles, the ones that have become household names, you might jump from First Bull Run directly to Shiloh, which is what I, in my ignorance, originally intended to do. But in telling the story of the Union’s capture of the two forts in Tennessee, which preceded Shiloh, Smith shows how the battles fit into the larger context of the war and how they paved the way for all that followed.

Like most historians who write about the western theater of the war, Smith laments that events there aren’t as well known as those that took place in the east. But he doesn’t just repeat the usual argument that the theater was more important and decisive than we’ve been led to believe - he explains why. Before digging into the battles themselves, he takes a broader view, discussing the strategy and the challenges that each side and each president faced. The Confederates were focused on defense, building forts and protecting their territory against invaders. The Union had to organize and train troops, coordinate what was to become a joint Army/Navy operation, and come up with innovations like ironclad gunboats, in order to go on the offense.

The fight for Fort Donelson was far more intense than the earlier battle for Fort Henry, so Donelson makes up the bulk of the book. Fort Henry was an easier Union victory and takes up less space in the book as a result, but Smith argues it was far more important in the long run - more important than history's later emphasis on Fort Donelson might have us believe. Taking Fort Henry did more to disrupt Confederate rail and river transport, giving Union forces greater access to the Southern interior, Smith explains. It also shook the Confederate high command into action, prompting them to send in reinforcements from far-flung defensive positions elsewhere in the region. "As such, Fort Henry serves as the key stroke of breaking the Confederate defensive line and starting what would ultimately be the concentration at Corinth that would result in Shiloh," Smith argues, connecting the dots between what happened here and what was to come.

He does seem to go ever-so-slightly overboard in making his case about Fort Henry being more important, almost to the point of preemptively downplaying everything in his own book that is to follow. He goes so far as to feature a never-fully-explained map showing the "footprint of impact" of each Union victory - the geographic impact of the Union capture of Fort Donelson is illustrated as a small corridor leading southeast to Nashville, while the capture of Fort Henry is portrayed as encompassing almost the entirety of Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, plus portions of neighboring states. What does this “footprint of impact” represent exactly? Smith doesn’t really say. Instead, it serves as a visual way of downplaying Fort Donelson’s importance even before he begins that part of his story.

Otherwise, the many maps in the book are very easy to understand for the layman, and not overwhelmingly detailed as some Civil War battlefield maps tend to be. While very detailed in terms of troop movements and battle formations, Smith’s description of the battle for Fort Donelson is easy to follow and dramatically told. And he frequently widens his view beyond the battlefield, showing events from Lincoln’s perspective, as he kept up with events and offered advice and encouragement as the battles played out.

General Grant emerges the hero here - Smith gives us a good sense of why, and how the battles propelled him toward greater prominence. Confederate commanders John Floyd and Gideon Pillow, meanwhile, are singled out as "two of the Confederacy's most incompetent generals,” for initiating a bold breakout move from Fort Donelson and then abandoning it - before making the cowardly decision to escape and save their own hides, leaving many of their men behind to be captured and imprisoned.

Overall, this is a thorough, well-written, engaging history that fulfills its promise of recounting the battles while showing how they fit into the broader context of the war, and how they set up the conditions that led to the better-known Battle of Shiloh less than two months later. It’s a book about a couple of key battles that’s about far more than what happened on the battlefields alone - which is just what a great Civil War battle book ought to be.

[Creighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been itching to read a book on the American Civil War for some time; I took a break for some months, and this was the last book I was reading on the subject. I felt this obligation to finish this book, so I picked it up and started all over again.

This book was really informative to me, and it covered two battles that although are important in the war, are usually given very little coverage in terms of detail and focus. Capturing Forts Henry and Donelson were important to operating into the interior of the Confederacy, pushing them out of Kentucky, and for the eventual control of the Mississippi River.

Timothy Smith is definitely a master at his craft, and he shows it in his writing, research, and analysis of his research.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his introduction Smith makes it clear that he set out to write the definitive account of the battles of Forts Henry and Donelson. In this he largely succeeded. There are ample first-hand accounts that add color to the action. His command analysis is mostly fair; even Grant gets criticized for his mistakes while he is rightly praised for his many good decisions. There are some breakdowns in analysis though. They are few, but worth noting. He thinks the Confederates were too exhausted to resist on February 16 and therefore surrender was a wise move. He then spends two pages recalling how horrified the troops were to learn of their fate and concludes they could have kept fighting. The current canard that the Union had it harder than the South because “defense is easy," is undermined by the very narrative that unfolds. There is a bit of over the top praise thrown Grant's way. It is argued that Union victory would have been impossible without him. It seems overwrought, while his comments on Grant's humor and humility evaporate under close inspection. Grant was many things, but he was not funny or humble, although he was good at pretending to be humble.

Smith disagrees with Gott on some key issues, particularly the actions of Pillow and Buckner. The books are therefore best read in tandem. I tend to favor Gott's analysis of commanders, while thinking Smith's is the better account in total. I liked Smith's point about the importance of Fort Henry. Like Tullahoma, what it lacked in a dramatic battle, it made up for in strategist results. The analysis of strategy, the campaign's ramifications, and Smith's clear discussion of how the February 15 battle unfolded, are the books highlights.

All in all this is another good book by a man who seems to be able to teach, raise a family, and churn out definitive books every few years. Where he gets the time I do not know, but here is to hoping I get to read more books by Smith.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best depictions of the Fort Henry and Fort Donelson campaign that I have read. It gave me a better sense of the strategic value of the forts. I had normally thought that Fort Donelson was the more important. But Fort Henry guarded the Tennessee River, which was much more strategic than the Cumberland River, covered by Fort Donelson.

Another point that many have commented upon is that most Union generals at this time were rather timid or did not show the ability to coordinate large number of troops. At Forts Henry and Donelson, one finds a combination of a combative and aggressive Union general (Ulysses Grant) and an aggressive naval commander (Andrew Foote) able to work together.

There was much nervousness by the department commander, Henry Halleck (Old Brains) about a vigorous movement to attack Henry and Donelson. However, the advance finally began. The navy earned the bulk of the credit for subduing Fort Henry (in an appallingly poor geographic position--being flooded by the river). Then, the much more sanguinary battle at Fort Donelson. The Confederates threatened to break out of the Union forces that surrounded them. But by an incredible display of leadership incompetence, they retreated back into the fort when they had an opening to escape.

Then, the denouement. Ulysses Grant became "Unconditional Surrender" Grant and his ascent to larger command began. . . .

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched and enjoyable history of the campaign for Forts Henry and Donelson.

Smith’s narrative is dense but balanced and covers a broad range of subject matter, from the troop movements to tactics to the politics,and he challenges many assumptions about the campaign while reaching some reasonable and fresh conclusions. His coverage of the army and navy contributions is detailed and the maps are helpful. The style is engaging and does a great job conveying the tension of the campaign.

Smith also argues that the capture of Fort Henry was ultimately the more consequential of the two. The Confederate commanders come off as confused and incompetent as usual, and Smith’s treatment of the Union commanders, even McClernand, is mostly favorable. The book’s only issues are minor, such as the occasional introduction of figures without their rank or even which side they are on.

A detailed, well-written work.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very favorable towards Ulysses Grant, even though Smith acknowledges his mistakes. In his setup for the campaign Smith reminds the reader that while the Union had its problems in the winter of 1861-62, the Confederacy surely had that share as well. Moreover, Confederate commanders like Gideon Pillow and Albert S. Johnston exercised poor judgement on several key occasions. Smith argues that Fort Henry was more important objective because it opened up naval access throughout most of the South, while Donelson really only granted access to Nashville. Smith colors his narrative with vivid depictions of the combat and personalities of the campaign.

[Nick Roser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another definitive treatment on an under-appreciated western theater campaign from Timothy Smith. This is a smooth read with plenty of excerpts from the common soldier, detailed but not overly “in the weeds” portrayal of the tactical situations, and a solid overview of the personalities involved and strategic ramifications of the outcome. This would be well worth the effort for anyone looking to familiarize themselves with the campaign or battles in a general sense and the breadth of coverage and detail feels about right for those with ACW interests. Under normal circumstances this would be a quick read, but a fussing 4 month old can sometimes make opening a book anytime after 8pm a recipe for early bedtime.

[Brian Miracle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timothy B. Smith is one of the more renowned historians of the Western Theater of the Civil War. This book documents the Federal capture of the Confederate Fort Henry (on the Tennessee River) and Fort Donelson (on the Cumberland River) in February, 1862. At this stage of the war (1862-1863), the Union campaign in the west was largely about seizing control of the main navigable rivers. The Tennessee River and the Cumberland River were two key rivers, draining into the Mississippi and extending deep into the South.

Fort Donelson was a large victory in terms of prisoners (over 14,000), and was the battle at which Ulysses Grant demanded unconditional surrender, earning him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. Fort Donelson was also the first of three armies (Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and Lee’s Army of Virginia) to surrender to Grant during the war. No other general accepted the surrender of three armies. Fort Donelson’s loss also resulted in the capture of Nashville, the first Confederate state capital to fall. However, Smith argues convincingly that the preceding capture of Fort Henry was more strategically important.

With his analysis and a “Footprint of Impact” map, Smith shows that the loss of Fort Henry allowed Union penetration into Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, due to the reach of the Tennessee River all the way to Chattanooga, in southeast Tennessee. This allowed the Union to attack large portions of the Deep South east of the Mississippi River. Events in 1862 support Smith’s contention. Corinth, Mississippi fell in May, 1862. Memphis fell in June, 1862. Union forces took Nashville just after the loss of the forts and had moved almost to Chattanooga by late summer. In addition, the loss of Fort Henry caused the Confederate western theater commander, Albert Sydney Johnston, to abandon Kentucky, moving into northern Mississippi.

I’d heard good things about the author and this book confirms that he’s a talented historian. He provides a good background on the overall strategic aspects of this campaign, while also providing detailed accounts of the battles. The book includes first person accounts by both enlisted men and officers. Maps abound and are good, going down to regimental level. With 16 chapters and 20 maps, this is a detailed study of the Fort Henry/Fort Donelson campaign.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The battles of Forts Henry and Donelson tend to get overlooked, but they had an outsized impact on the American Civil War. They represent the first major Union victory of the war, with the capture of approximately 15,000 Confederate soldiers. It established US Grant as a an effective leader both with the Northern Public and Abraham Lincoln - and gave him sufficient stature to survive criticism of his leadership following Shiloh. Capture of Fort Henry opened up the Tennessee River for Union gunboats - Smith discusses a raid a few days after the fall of Fort Henry that had Union gunboats go all the way to Florence, Alabama, disrupting trade on the river and destroying an ironclad under construction in the process. The fall of Fort Donelson led to the abandonment of Columbus and Bowling Green, Kentucky by Confederate forces, and the capture of Nashville, making it the first Confederate state capital to fall in the war.
Smith does a nice job relaying the events of the campaign and the factors that shaped it. A good campaign history of one of the most important early campaigns of the American Civil War.

[Monte Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on the early battles at Ft. Henry and Fort Donelson in February, 1862 where Ulysses S. Grant first made his mark in our Civil War. It is very well written and gives a very good description of what happened in a clear and understandable way,. There is a good map in each chapter which allows the reader to follow the story line easily. The author's style is quite readable. I can't think of anything that can be written to clarify any part of this battle from the time before the battle to the epilogue.

[Paul Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the very fine series Mr. Smith has provided about the Civil War’s Western Theater. This campaign was far more vicious than I realized, the determination by Grant more vigorous than I knew and the Confederate General Command much more inept than the men in the ranks deserved. Glad I read this history.

[W Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on this pivotal campaign of the Civil War. Smith moves the reader easily between the leaders and the privates of both armies. He provides keen new insights into the results of campaign and the development of U.S. Grant. Excellent reading for those interested in the Civil War.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

This spring we visited the Fort Donelson historic site and I picked up this book while in the park service bookstore. It provided a detailed reenactment of the battle but perhaps underplayed Grant's role.

[Jeffrey Philips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the battle of these two forts.

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to the library to get a different book but it wasn’t on the shelf so I picked up this one instead. I’m glad I did, this book has an exciting narrative and is well-researched, with a lot of direct quotes from the participants. I liked how the Confederates referred to the north as ‘Lincolndom’ and the Americans referred to the south as ’Seschdom’, I would love to see maps labeled like this! I also liked this quote: “Many citizens and their families left on the cars and in vehicles.” The writer meant rail cars and carriages, but we’ve definitely repurposed those words a bit and still use them today.

The map showing the impact of the capture of the respective forts is excellent and highlights the author’s point that Fort Henry was far more important from a strategic sense than Fort Donelson, despite the fact that far more attention is paid to the latter. I am pretty sure the reason Fort Henry is given less respect is because it was captured through a straightforward naval engagement, while everything about Fort Donelson is batshit insanity that people want to write about. While Floyd and Pillow were both terrible commanders, their decision to stay in the fort was and let Grant capture them was repeated two more times in the war, at Vicksburg and at Petersburg, meaning that southern generals did not learn from their mistake.

A last quote:
An Indianan was captured and taken to a Confederate camp, whereupon an officer interrogated him, asking who commanded the Union army. “General U.S. Grant” came the reply, to which the Confederates asked “where he came from, as we had never heard of him before.” The Indianan quietly responded, “you will [soon] know him well enough.”

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timothy B. Smith, in my opinion, is the best Civil War writer and one of the best historians currently. His books at new depth and are readable. I have read his books about Shiloh (as of right now the best book on that battle), Champion Hill, Grierson's Raid, and his two volumes on Vicksburg. This was a wonderful addition to my Civil War library. The capturing of Forts Henry and Donelson were very important victories to the Union. After a disastrous defeat at First Bull Run (aka Manassas), the Union was desperate for a victory. The North realized that it was going to take more than just taking Richmond to win this war. One of the new strategies to win against the Confederacy was capturing the Mississippi River. Enter Ulysses S. Grant. With the help of the Navy, Grant and his forces were victorious and opened the door west for the Union. Grant also would capture the first of three armies he would capture during the Civil War. The other two were Pemberton's Army at Vicksburg and Lee's Army at Appomattox Courthouse. A well-researched, enjoyable to read and many other excellent qualities to this book. Another well done by Professor Smith.