Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign

February 6–16, 1862

AvSteven E. Woodworth,Charles D. Grear

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

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Beskrivning

New perspectives on the battles that opened the Confederacy to invasionIn early 1862, the Civil War had been raging for almost ten months, and the Confederacy had enjoyed virtually uninterrupted success. From seizing federal property to early battlefield victories, Southern forces had effectively expelled Union authority from nearly all of the Confederacy's eleven states. The Union suffered repeated setbacks, while modest victories in western Virginia and Kentucky had little strategic impact. By the end of February, however, much had changed.On February 6, Union gunboats under the joint command of Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant and Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote captured Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, opening a crucial waterway into the Confederacy. Just days later, Grant moved against Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. After several days of fighting, the fort surrendered on the 16th, along with more than 13,000 Confederate troops—the largest surrender in US history to that point. These twin victories shattered Confederate control of Kentucky and western Tennessee, allowing Federal soldiers and sailors to use the rivers to threaten the Confederacy's interior. This first major strategic breakthrough of the war signaled a dramatic shift in momentum and elevated Grant's national profile.In this essay collection, leading and emerging scholars provide in-depth analyses of previously overlooked aspects of the Forts Henry and Donelson campaign. Contributors examine how ecological forces influenced the campaign, the effectiveness of the joint command between the Union army and navy, and Union brigadier general Charles F. Smith's assault that doomed Fort Donelson. They also explore the battle's impact on the military career of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the effects of surprise during the Confederate breakout attempt from Fort Donelson, Confederate colonel Gabriel Wharton's memoir, and how the loss of the forts showed Texans that the fight to preserve the enslaved South would cost them more than they had imagined.In the aftermath of the Forts Henry and Donelson campaign, most of the Civil War still lay ahead. The Confederacy would have many opportunities to regain its momentum and exhaust the Union will to prevail. However, with a few key exceptions, for the rest of the war, the Confederacy fought to defend itself rather than to take new territory. It was in this massive shift of momentum during ten days in 1862 that the war's military outcome was foreshadowed.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-06-05
Mått:152 x 229 x 13 mm
Vikt:286 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Civil War Campaigns in the West
Antal sidor:164
Förlag:Southern Illinois University Press
ISBN:9780809339976

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Steven E. Woodworth has authored, co-authored, or edited more than thirty books, including Manifest Destinies: America's Westward Expansion and the Road to Civil War and Nothing but Victory: The Army of the Tennessee, 1861-1865.Charles D. Grear is the author of Why Texans Fought in the Civil War and an extensive list of other publications on the state's involvement. Together, Woodworth and Grear have edited several books in the Civil War Campaigns in the West series, including The Vicksburg Assaults, May 19–22, 1863, and Vicksburg Besieged.Contributions by Michael Burns, Sheilah R. Elwardani, Blakeney K. Hill, Jonathan M. Steplyk, and Brian S. Wills.

Recensioner i media

"In seven essays organized by two of the leading scholars of the western theater, The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign revisits classic questions and offers new insights into one of the most important campaigns of the American Civil War."—Susannah J. Ural, author of Hood's Texas Brigade: The Soldiers and Families of the Confederacy's Most Celebrated Unit"From Woodworth and Gear comes a wonderfully insightful addition to the literature on perhaps the most significant military campaign of the Civil War. With an impressive command of the sources, this volume will take the lead in the conversation about how and why this multidimensional campaign brought a dramatic change in the war's momentum."—Stephen D. Engle, author of Struggle for the Heartland: The Campaigns from Fort Henry to Corinth"A fine collection of innovatory works by stellar historians. Their detailed analyses are a superb advancement of the understanding of an often-overlooked but pivotal campaign."—Kendall D. Gott, former senior historian, US Army Combat Studies Institute and author of Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry–Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862 "This is a worthy addition to an important series. Woodworth, Grear, and their co-authors provide seven essays offering insightful examinations of topics ranging from Confederate leadership to how the North employed joint operations to how critical tactical decisions by leaders on both sides made it possible for Ulysses S. Grant to secure the unconditional surrender of Confederate forces in one of the most important operations of the Civil War. Anyone looking to understand the rise of Grant and the war in the West will profit from reading this superb book."—Ethan S. Rafuse, author of From the Mountains to the Bay: The War in Virginia, January–May 1862"Every major Confederate effort west of the Appalachians from February 1862 onward became an effort to undo the effects of the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson. So contend Steven Woodworth and Charles Grear in their examination of the dual-river campaign that opened up the Confederate heartland and gave the world U. S. 'Unconditional Surrender' Grant. This collection of essays brings new insights and new source material to an understudied but immensely consequential campaign. It's an excellent addition to an excellent series."—Chris Mackowski, editor-in-chief, Emerging Civil War"This collection of seven wide-ranging essays offers readers a detailed look at a Civil War campaign often overlooked and understudied. Yet, as the editors maintain, the fall of these forts in February 1862 proved hugely significant in helping to determine the war's outcome and participants' future fates. This is a useful volume for academics and the general public alike."—Lesley J. Gordon, author of Dread Danger: Cowardice and Combat in the American Civil War "Few Civil War campaigns can rival the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson in 1862 in their combination of strategic significance and scholarly neglect. This collection recognizes the former and addresses the latter. Written by a combination of established academic authorities and new contributors from the world of public history, these thought-provoking essays should stimulate new interest in what some historians regard as the turning point of the war."—Gerald J. Prokopowicz, East Carolina University"The essays in this volume represent fresh and illuminating new perspectives on one of the Civil War's most pivotal campaigns. With scholarship ranging from command analysis, environmental history, naval history, strategy, tactics, and more, The Fort Henry and Donelson Campaign is an important and valued new contribution to our understanding of this important episode."—Andrew S. Bledsoe, author of Decisions at Franklin: The Nineteen Critical Decisions that Defined the Battle

Innehållsförteckning

CONTENTSList of IllustrationsIntroductionSteven E. Woodworth1. Natural Chaos: Ecological Forces and the Struggle for Forts Henry and DonelsonMichael Burns2. Joint Command: The Union Gunboats at Forts Henry and DonelsonBlakeney K. Hill3. Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Fort Donelson DilemmasBrian S. Wills4. Surprise and Security: Launching and Resisting the Confederate Breakout at Fort DonelsonJonathan M. Steplyk5. C. F. Smith's Attack at Fort DonelsonSteven E. Woodworth6. Justifying Surrender: Colonel Gabriel C. Wharton at Fort DonelsonSheilah R. Elwardani7. "This Time of Our Ill Success and Defeat": Texans' Reaction to the Battle of Fort DonelsonCharles D. GrearIndex