DONELSON, FORT, an entrenched camp at Dover, Tenn., U.S.A., erected by the Confederates in the Civil War to guard the lower Cumberland river, and taken by the Federals on Feb. 16, 1862. It consisted of two continuous lines of entrenchments on the land side, and water batteries commanding the river. After the capture (Feb. 6) of Fort Henry on the lower Tennes see the Union army under Brig.-gen. U. S. Grant moved to invest Donelson, two divisions marching overland while the third went by water, and the gunboat flotilla (Commodore A. H. Foote) descended the Tennessee and ascended the Cumberland to meet him. Albert Sidney Johnston, the Confederate commander in Kentucky, dividing his army, had retired himself to Nashville and had thrown a large garrison under Gen. Floyd into Donelson, and Grant was at first outnumbered; though continually reinforced, the latter had at no time more than three men to the Confed erates' two. The troops of both sides were untrained but eager.
On Feb. 12 and 13, 1862, the Union divisions, skirmishing heavily during the second day, took up their positions investing the fort, and on the i4th Foote's gunboats attacked the water batteries. The latter received a severe repulse, Foote himself being amongst the wounded, and soon afterwards the Confed erates determined to cut their way through Grant's lines. On the 15th Gen. Pillow attacked the Federal division of McClernand and drove it off the Nashville road ; having done this, however, he halted, and even retired. Grant ordered Gen. C. F. Smith's divi sion to assault a part of the lines which had been denuded of its defenders in order to reinforce Pillow. Smith personally led his young volunteers in the charge and carried all before him. The Confederates returning from the sortie were quite unable to shake his hold on the captured works, and, Grant having rein forced McClernand with Lew Wallace's division, these two gen erals reoccupied the lost position on the Nashville road. On the i6th, the two senior Confederate generals, Floyd and Pillow, having escaped by steamer, the infantry left in the fort under Gen. S. B. Buckner surrendered unconditionally. The Confed erate cavalry under Col. Forrest made its escape by road. The prisoners numbered about I S,000 out of a total of 18,000.
See "Fort Donelson," Military Historian and Economist, vol. i, p. 33-62 (Cambridge, Mass., 1916) ; and "Campaign Against Forts Henry and Donelson," Coast Artillery Journal, vol. lxvii, p. 389-404 (Hampton, Va., 1927) .