Battle of Fort Donelson Facts
Battle of Fort Donelson Facts
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| Interesting Battle of Fort Donelson Facts: |
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| The battle took place from February 11 until February 16, 1862. |
| It occurred at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, along the Cumberland River. |
| The Union won the battle. |
| The Confederates had many more casualties than the Union. Nearly 14,000 Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing, compared to less than 3,000 for the Union. |
| The Union, under the command of Major General Ulysses S. Grant and Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote, had just taken Fort Henry 10 days earlier. |
| Grant ordered a flotilla to travel along the Cumberland River and attack Fort Donelson from the east. |
| On February 15, the Confederates tried to break through the Union perimeter. |
| The Union was forced to retreat following an attack on its right flank and center. |
| This gave the Confederates a chance to get away from the Union troops, but Confederate General Gideon Pillow believed that they Confederates could win the battle and chose not to retreat. |
| Pillow ordered his men to advance on the Union. The Union was no longer in retreat and met the Confederate assault. |
| Grant maneuvered his troops in position to surround the Confederates, who were backed up against the Cumberland River. |
| Only about 5,000 Confederates, including legendary Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest and 500 of his cavalrymen, were able to escape. |
| Due to their dire predicament, the Confederates asked for terms of surrender. Grant said that only unconditional surrender was acceptable. |
| Grant earned his nickname "Unconditional Surrender" because of his actions and reply to the Confederates in the Battle of Fort Donelson. |
| The defeat was devastating to the Confederates, which allowed the Union to enter Kentucky and occupy central Tennessee. |
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