BGuthrie Photos: TN -- Fort Donelson Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center

TN -- Fort Donelson Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. FTDONV_140531_003.JPG: The Coming of the Civil War: The Civil War was the defining event in United States history. The war brought an end to slavery and established the Union as perpetual. The costs were devastating: 620,000 deaths and billions of dollars. War brought widespread destruction, especially in the South, where most of the fighting occurred. The Civil War and its legacy continue to shape American life today. Each generation must come to terms with this great rupture in the national past. [map] The United States in 1860. Northern states had abolished slavery. Within the South, slavery was more important the farther south one went. Slaves made up 55 percent of Mississippi's population but only 10 percent of Missouri's. The South had a few industrial centers, but the North had many more. Each full factory symbol represents 100 million dollars of output. Partial factories represent proportionately less production. Among the slave-holding states, the darker tinting represents a higher percentage of slaves in the population. The actual percentage is also indicated for each slave state. On the eve of the war in 1860, Northern states and Southern states shared much, but differed in their economic and social structures. The North had twice the free population of the South and five times the industrial output. In the South, four million African American slaves produced the great export crops, cotton above all, that were the backbone of the Southern economy. In the 1850s, tensions over the status of slavery in the territories frayed the bonds of union. Many white Southerners insisted on the right to take slaves into the West. Meanwhile, many white Northerners were growing stronger in their belief that the territories should be reserved for free, white labor. Free blacks, some half a million in number, longed to liberate their enslaved countrymen. During the turbulent 1850s, the Republican Party arose. It fiercely opposed the expansion of slavery. When Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 entirely with Northern votes, many Southern leaders were outraged. Seven Deep South states -- those most dependent on slavery -- left the Union to form the Confederate States of America. Following Fort Sumter, four other states left. The evidence is compelling that the first seven states seceded because their leaders feared that slave property was no longer secure within the United States. Lincoln's administration would not accept the breakup of the Union, and the Civil War was the result. Americans continue to ask whether sectional conflict could have been settled short of war. Following the war, the 13th amendment ended slavery, but the path to equality for black Americans had just begun. It took decades for the South to recover from the war's effects. These and other consequences of the war continue to affect us today.
2. FTDONV_140531_007.JPG: Fort Donelson In 1861, the Union War Department purchased several boats for conversion to gunboats and decided to build seven new ironclad gunboats. These gunboats formed the basis of the Union's western flotilla. The War Department awarded James B. Eads, a civil engineer with riverboat experience, the contract to build the new ironclad boats. Named for cities along western rivers, the flotilla became known as the City Series. Eads built the Mound City, Cincinnati, and Cairo at Mound City, Illinois, and the St. Louis, Carondelet, Louisville, and Pittsburg at Carondelet, Missouri. The gunboats looked so much alike that builders painted a different color band around each boat's chimney. The Cairo received a gray band; the Carondelet, red; the Cincinnati, blue; the Louisville, green; the Mound City, orange; the Pittsburg, brown; and the St. Louis, yellow. The steam-powered boats used coal for fuel and each measured 175 feet long and 51 feet, 2 inches wide. Seventeen officers, twenty-seven petty officers, and 131 sailors crewed each gunboat. The boats had flat bottoms and Eads designed them especially for river travel; each needed only a six-foot draft. The boats' design protected the paddlewheel from enemy fire and placed the boilers below the water line to shield them from damage. Two-and-one-half inches of iron protected the 24-inch-thick oak sides of the boats. Each boat carried thirteen heavy cannons. In most major battles fought along the western rivers, the Union Navy used these gunboats. The weight and slow-moving speed of the ironclads made them obsolete after the Navy opened a river. Lighter, faster boats made better patrol boats. The four ironclads pictured above were part of the river forces that attacked Fort Donelson on February 14, 1862. Confederate artillery fire from the Upper and Lower River batteries, pictured at the right, forced the ironclads to finally withdraw.
3. FTDONV_140531_025.JPG: Fort Donelson Gateway to the Confederate Heartland The Blow Is Struck: On Valentine's Day, 1862, artillery boomed, bullets buzzed, shells shrieked, rebels yelled, and groans of anguish echoed through the surrounding hills and valleys. The day of reckoning was coming for two might armies. A Confederate loss would change the course of the war by opening a pathway for Union troops to drive deep into the Confederacy's heartland. Fort Donelson was the key to that invasion.
4. FTDONV_140531_036.JPG: Faces of the Civil War: Bright with promise, confused, or somber, the expressions on these photographs require a second look. That soldier, this wife, a sister, brother, or child -- change the clothing and we could be looking in a mirror or at our loved ones. All of the people in these photos had an association with the battle of Fort Donelson, either as combatants or as their loved ones. James McPherson, noted Civil War historian, recently pointed out that two percent of our population died in the war. If two percent of our population died today, six million of us would be gone. A war of this magnitude would touch every family, just as the Civil War touched every family in the 1860s.
5. FTDONV_140531_041.JPG: A War Deeply Personal and Widely Felt
6. FTDONV_140531_045.JPG: The Blow Is Struck: On Valentine's Day, 1862, artillery boomed, bullets buzzed, shells shrieked, rebels yelled, and groans of anguish echoed through the surrounding hills and valleys. The day of reckoning was coming for two might armies. A Confederate loss would change the course of the war by opening a pathway for Union troops to drive deep into the Confederacy's heartland. Fort Donelson was the key to that invasion.
7. FTDONV_140531_047.JPG: Inside the Ironclads: With steam power, iron plating, and heavy artillery, the City Class ironclads marked the beginning of the modern navy. Two high-compression steam engines served by five boilers powered the boats by turning a paddle wheel. When the boat was moving, these engines consumed a ton of coal per hour.
8. FTDONV_140531_048.JPG: Pilots in Danger: Private contractors piloted the ironclads. These men had to be brave because the pilothouse was an easy target for snipers and river batteries. At Fort Donelson, the USS Carondelet's first pilot was killed and the second pilot seriously wounded in the battle.
9. FTDONV_140531_052.JPG: "Whatever nation gets the control of the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers will control the nation." -- Union Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman Turtles on the River: Controlling the western rivers required a new type of boat that could destroy Confederate shore defenses. The boat had to: * Navigate in less than ten feet of water; * Hold cannon heavy enough to destroy Confederate river batteries; * Have enough armor plating to defend against Confederate cannon. Samuel Pook designed these City Class ironclad gunboats, and St. Louis businessman James B. Eads supervised the work. Construction began in August 1861 and by mid-January three timberclad and seven ironclad gunboats were ready. These boats became the "brown water navy" under joint command of the Union Army and the Navy. Forts Henry, Heiman, and Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers were among the first targets and would offer a foothold for the drive into Confederate territory. Boats Known as "Turtles"? The water-hugging, low profile of the ironclads reminded sailors of mud turtles/ Before long the "turtle" nickname became common and the designer's last name was added, as in "Pook's Turtles."
10. FTDONV_140531_054.JPG: Manning the Ironclad: The ironclad's purpose rested primarily on the ability to carry and protect its 13 enormous guns. Each boat required a crew of 175 men including among others: 17 officers, 27 petty officers, 111 seamen, 4 coal heavers, and 12 firemen. Very few of the men were experienced sailors. Flag Officer Foote expected his ironclads to open fire within five minutes of his order. To meet this expectation, the men spent hours practicing the steps required to fire the guns quickly and safely. Foote Received Foot Wound: Flag officer Andrew Foote commanded the ironclads at Fort Donelson. While aboard the USS St. Louis, he was in the pilothouse when a shell broke through and killed the pilot. Although wounded in the foot by shell and wood fragments, Foote took over steering the St. Louis.
11. FTDONV_140531_057.JPG: The roar of the guns and the explosion of incoming shells were terrifying and disorienting. The twelve-member crews spent hours practicing their gun drills so that their efforts became automatic and efficient.
12. FTDONV_140531_060.JPG: Dangers aboard the ironclads included not only incoming fire but also the explosion of improperly loaded cannon, as seen here. Sailors particularly feared damage to the boilers because of the deadly steam they would release.
13. FTDONV_140531_065.JPG: This Turtle's Shell: The bow of the boat had 2.5 inches of iron plate as an exterior shell covering 25 inches of solid and laminated oak. Without the thick oak lining, cannon shot might have shattered the iron plate. The oak acted as a shock absorber. The ironclad's solid design reflected other advances in military technology. Guns firing explosive shells were more dangerous to wooden ships than solid shot because the new shells, fired from more accurate rifled guns, caused tremendous damage. The gunboat's iron plating became a defense against a variety of cannon shot.
14. FTDONV_140531_071.JPG: Plantations for Iron: After farming, iron production was the largest industry in Middle Tennessee. The Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers transported raw materials as well as the finished pig iron. The land between the rivers held rich deposits of iron ore and limestone for making iron. The dense forests of the area also provided timber for charcoal to fuel the furnaces. Iron production occurred on iron plantations. These "mini" villages required hundreds of workers, white and black, who mined the ore and limestone, produced charcoal, tended the furnaces, made the iron, managed livestock, grew food, and provided cooking, clothing, and housing.
15. FTDONV_140531_074.JPG: In the Line of Fire: The town of Dover is... a straggling village on uneven ground, and contains perhaps give hundred inhabitants. There are a few buildings formerly used for stores, a doctor's office, a dilapidated church, a two-story square brick court-house, and a half-dozen decent dwellings. But... nearly every building was a hospital. Trees had been cut down, fences burned, windows broken, and old buildings demolished for fuel., -- Charles C. Coffin, journalist
16. FTDONV_140531_077.JPG: Middle Tennessee at the Crossroads Most residents of Stewart County had small farms producing enough to support a family. Those who grew larger crops could ship them from Dover. The town held a county courthouse, a girls' school, and small businesses serving the local area.
17. FTDONV_140531_084.JPG: Molten iron ran out of the furnace and into forms that resembled a litter of pigs. Foundries shipped this "pig" iron to factories that would melt it down to make iron pots, belts, and assorted other products.
18. FTDONV_140531_087.JPG: Slaves to Iron: Slaves made up twenty percent of Stewart County's population and most worked in the iron industry. In 1859, the Cumberland Iron Works had 267 male slaves, 58 female, 46 boys, and 46 girls valued in total at $333,600.
19. FTDONV_140531_091.JPG: After the April 1861 attack on Fort Sumter, Governor Harris called for another referendum in favor of secession. In Stewart County, only 99 men voted against leaving the Union.
20. FTDONV_140531_093.JPG: Conflict between supporters of the Union and the Confederacy continued throughout the war, regardless of occupying forces. Here Colonel Fry and his supporters plan and celebrate their efforts to destroy Confederate-held bridges in Tennessee.
21. FTDONV_140531_097.JPG: The locomotive Quigley pulled railcars on the Louisville and Nashville line. Controlling Tennessee's railroads, and the telegraph lines beside them, gave the Union a strategic advantage after the Battle of Fort Donelson.
22. FTDONV_140531_098.JPG: The Other Enemies: Death in the Civil War more often came from disease than from battle-related wounds. Of those who died in the war, twice as many succumbed to disease as to bullets. The weather during the battle was another type of enemy. A balmy Feb. 13th ended in cold rain that turned to sleet and snow. Soldiers on both sides suffered from the weather.
23. FTDONV_140531_101.JPG: Alas! For the poor wounded soldier on the battlefield! Every possible aid was given them, yet all night long their groans could be heard, and their cries for water and for help. -- Chaplain Henry Hibben, 11th Indiana, an estimated 834 men died and over 3,103 were wounded.
24. FTDONV_140531_105.JPG: A Horrible Night: ... I don't think in all my life I ever spent a more horrible night. It was so extremely cold that our clothes froze stiff... (the men on watch) were so worn out that many of them dropped down and slept in the snow and water. -- Dabney S. Wier, 14th Mississippi
25. FTDONV_140531_108.JPG: Mary Ann Newcomb volunteered as a nurse with the US Sanitary Commission. While serving, she discovered her husband wounded at Fort Donelson and tended to him and others after the battle. His dying plea was that she "go back and take care of the boys."
26. FTDONV_140531_111.JPG: 99% Boredom & 1% Sheer Terror Soldiers filled long, dull hours by writing letters home, playing cards, gambling, cockfighting, whittling, smoking, drinking, and various other pursuits. While the men had no time for boredom during this battle, the Confederate soldiers who garrisoned the fort had probably experienced a great deal of monotony.
27. FTDONV_140531_113.JPG: Bucked and Gagged: Some of the boys had too much liquor and were having a loud time. Gideon Hate was especially noisy. Lt. Gallagher told him to be quiet or he should be bucked and gagged. Gideon ordered him to do it if he dared, and in a very few moments the orders were carried out. -- Benjamin Franklin Thomas, 14th Iowa
28. FTDONV_140531_116.JPG: Some men carried dominoes; others carried playing cards and poker chips of the type seen in the case. Note the wooden floor these men have for their tent.
29. FTDONV_140531_120.JPG: Evidence of cooking and cleaning surrounds these soldiers in camp. One appears to be writing a letter; another reads a newspaper.
30. FTDONV_140531_126.JPG: Jake the Rooster, Artist and data unknown Lt. Jerome McCanless, Co. H of the 3rd Tennessee, traveled with Jake, a fighting cock. Jake survived Fort Donelson, lived seven months as a prisoner of war at Camp Douglas, and died of natural causes in 1864. He received a burial with full military honors.
31. FTDONV_140531_136.JPG: Leadership at Fort Donelson Leadership takes many forms. The men in front of you represent the traditional view of leadership -- the top officers who make decisions affecting everyone else. Some of them were renowned for their choices; others were vilified. There is also the individual leadership exemplified by each person on the battlefield. Many of the troops who arrived in February 1862 were green; most had never been under fire. Each had choices. Sometimes seemingly small events had consequences greater than the participants might have imagined.
32. FTDONV_140531_139.JPG: Congressional Medals of Honor: A wounded Cpl. Voltaire P. Twombly of the 2nd Iowa (above) earned this medal for planting the first Union flag inside the trenches. As captain of the USS Carondelet's rifled bow gun, Matthew received his medal for "conspicuous valor and devotion."
33. FTDONV_140531_142.JPG: Bucking Orders: On Feb. 15, although Grant left clear orders not to engage the enemy, Brig. Gen. Lew Wallace (above) saw the Union right collapsing and knew he had to act. If Wallace had obeyed Grant's earlier command, additional losses would have resulted.
34. FTDONV_140531_145.JPG: Union Brigadier General Ulysses Grant Union Flag Officer Andrew Foote Union Brigadier General John McClernand
35. FTDONV_140531_147.JPG: Union Brigadier General Charles F. Smith Union Major General Lew Wallace Confederate Brigadier General John B. Floyd
36. FTDONV_140531_150.JPG: Confederate Brigadier General Gideon Pillow Confederate Brigadier General Simon Buckner Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest
37. FTDONV_140531_153.JPG: The Army Needs a Leader: Confederate soldiers angry over their surrender directed most of their wrath at General Pillow, who mismanaged the breakout attempt. A pronounced lack of leadership flawed the commands of Generals Pillow and Floyd (left). Floyd was a political appointee with little military experience. Had he effectively used his command to organize the breakaway attempt, he might have succeeded. But there was no clear plan.
38. FTDONV_140531_156.JPG: Grace Under Pressure: I have had my curiosity satisfied ... The first time we got into the bullets we were not expecting it so we had no time to get scared. The second time... we got among the balls my nerves were as calm as they are at present... now I have no fear but I can do my duty, although I know the danger is great. -- Sgt. Peter Wilson, 14th Iowa
39. FTDONV_140531_159.JPG: Long Arms, Pistols & Blades: The personal weapons in this case illustrate several important facts about the Civil War tactics and weaponry associated with Fort Donelson. * Variety: Both Union and Confederate soldiers were primarily state volunteers and carried many different types of weapons. Keeping them supplied with appropriate ammunition was challenging. * Rifling: Rifling increased effective range from the 80 yards of a smoothbore to the 300 to 400 yards of the new rifles. It took time for military strategy to adjust. * Swords: The swords and sabers of officers played a less critical role in combat, but they held symbolic meaning. Officers often raised their swords to lead a charge or rally the troops. * Bayonets: Given the increased range of rifles, close combat with bayonets was uncommon but not unknown. The Union's 2nd Iowa lost half their men in a bayonet charge the afternoon of Feb. 15th. * Bowie Knives: Popular with Confederates, the Bowie knife became obsolete as hand-to-hand combat became unlikely. Still, the knife had symbolic value and frequently appears prominently displayed in photos of Confederate soldiers.
40. FTDONV_140531_164.JPG: Conversation with the Enemy: A Confederate cavalry officer shot Lt. James Churchill, 11th Illinois, on the morning of Feb. 15th. That afternoon he called out to a passing cavalryman that he had just been shot and wanted to know which weapon the cavalry used. "He passed.... to me... a Colt's revolving rifle, nearly new, of 56 calibre. He said his regiment... liked them very much... I replied that I was satisfied with their efficiency... then thanked him, and he rode away." Churchill lay wounded on the battlefield until the next morning.
41. FTDONV_140531_169.JPG: Graves' Battery Moves Into Place: 2 o'clock in the morning on Feb. 15, 1862: "The distance was about three miles, and we accomplished it in three hours.... the hills slippery with ice, requiring all the strength of the cannoneers at the wheels and the drivers' spurs to get the battery up one hill in an an hour..." -- Lt. Selden Spencer, Graves' Battery, Confederate
42. FTDONV_140531_178.JPG: This flag was the property of Daniel McCoy, Company D, 14th Tennessee Infantry. The 14th was organized in June 1861 and ordered to north-western Virginia the next month. The regiment fought in most of the major battles of the Eastern Theatre but not at Fort Donelson except for a few local men who were home on leave at the time. Private McCoy may have been one of them.
43. FTDONV_140531_185.JPG: Digging for Defense: In 1861 Confederate forces built an earth fort a mile below Dover. They expected the fort to protect the river batteries from a land attack, while the battery guns would halt any Union invasion designed to capture Nashville. The engineers used the typical design of the era, but Union Sgt. Benjamin Thomas described the walls as varying from 8 to 20 feet in height so that the top remained at a uniform level. Workers staked woven brush on the inside of the wall where soldiers would stand. The fort enclosed about 15 acres.
44. FTDONV_140531_188.JPG: Protection is Your Part: The photo within the fort wall reconstruction shows the impact of erosion on the wall. Please do not climb on any of the defensive earthworks in or outside of the fort. National Park Service lands and structures are protected. Do your part by leaving nothing behind and by standing off the historic earthworks.
45. FTDONV_140531_191.JPG: Garden spade, No. 151 The engineer manual of the day suggested using work groups of three to build an earthen fort. One man began digging the trench with a pickaxe, while two others used shovels or spaces to toss that dirt over to build the wall above. Spades similar to this one were likely used to build the fort.
46. FTDONV_140531_194.JPG: Arming Fort Donelson: The lower river battery held eight 32-pounder seacoast guns and one 10-inch Columbiad gun that could shoot long distances. The upper battery held a 6.5-inch rifled gun and two ineffective 32-pounders. Of these guns, the Colombiad and the rifled guns were potentially the most powerful. Smaller batteries defended the landward wise of the fort. In particular Graves' and Maney's Batteries were on high ground on either side of the Indian Creek valley to keep Union forces from entering.
47. FTDONV_140531_197.JPG: Protecting the River Batteries: Fortifications also protected the guns in the river batteries. The men filled coffee and cotton bags with sand for bomb proofing.
48. FTDONV_140531_200.JPG: Blood and Water: Feb. 15, 1862, The Marching, fighting, cutting trees, digging trenches, and throwing up earthworks had kept us almost incessantly engaged now for four or five days, so we were in an exhausted condition. That night we slaked our thirst on the blood and water which filled the horses' tracks. -- Louis Douglass Payne, 2nd Kentucky
49. FTDONV_140531_203.JPG: Protecting the River Batteries: Fortifications also protected the guns in the river batteries. The men filled coffee and cotton bags with sand for bomb proofing. The men hated digging but their last minute trenches saved them from innumerable casualties. After a day of fighting, they added head logs to may of the rifle pits. This log gave the soldier a protecting area to shoot through.
50. FTDONV_140531_210.JPG: What Happened To My Civil War Guide? Each of the Civil War Guides lived through the battle. Many others did not survive. While historians continue to debate the numbers, the Union lost an estimated 507 men, had about 1,976 wounded, and 208 captured or missing, out of approximately 24,531 soldiers. The Confederacy lost an estimated 327, with about 1,127 more wounded, 12,392 captured or missing, and about 3,000 escapees out of a total near 16,171.
51. FTDONV_140531_219.JPG: Beyond the Battle: With victory at Fort Donelson, Union forces penetrated the Confederacy's western theater and returned Tennessee to Federal control. It was the first major Union victory of the war and was swiftly followed by the capture of Clarksville and of Nashville's military arsenal. These events boosted morale in the Union. Other consequences of the battle: * An estimated 834 burials took place and around 3,103 men required medical care. * Union forces captured the largest group of prisoners surrendered in the US up to that date. Grant recalled that rations were issued to 14,623 prisoners. * General Grant's victory boosted a career that would eventually land him in the White House. * Battle testing of the ironclads propelled this technology forward and led to improved battleships. * Grant's and Foote's Army/Navy cooperation set the stage for further engagements. * Confederate Generals Floyd and Pillow were removed from their commands. * Dover and the rest of Stewart County would remain under Union occupation for the remainder of the war.
52. FTDONV_140531_223.JPG: Life was difficult for Confederate soldiers in at Camp Douglas. The days were easier if relative could send care packages of food or supplies, or money to bribe the guards for special treatment.
53. FTDONV_140531_226.JPG: Outrage: Feb. 16, 1862: "The soldiers pitched into the barrels of whiskey and boxes of clothing which had been sent there for the army. Muskets, pistols and swords were broken up, and thrown into the river and scattered around in confusion by the enraged soldiers, who felt that an outrage had been committed in surrendering them." -- Capt. Andrew Jackson Campbell, 48th Tennessee
54. FTDONV_140531_230.JPG: Camp Douglas near Chicago, Illinois
55. FTDONV_140531_234.JPG: 1. Middle Tennessee's Strategic Value Why Were the Battles Here?
56. FTDONV_140531_236.JPG: Middle Tennessee's Strategic Value: In 1862 the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers of Middle Tennessee offered a Union pathway into the deep south. Confederate Forts Henry, Heiman, and Donelson were strategically located to protect these rivers, which functioned as the major highways of this era. The Civil War's Western Theater: Except for Virginia, Tennessee had more Civil War battles than any other state. With the Mississippi River on its western border, the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers near the center, and a network of railroad lines for carrying troops and supplies, Middle Tennessee was a natural target for a Union campaign. The western campaign forced the Confederacy to defend itself on two fronts.
57. FTDONV_140531_239.JPG: 2. February 6, 1862: Fort Henry is Ours: Forts Henry and Heiman on the Tennessee River were the first barrier to General Grant's push south. Fort Heiman was an unfinished fort partly intended to protect the flawed location of Fort Henry, which sat in a floodplain. Confederate General Tilghman knew he could not win two battles: one against the ironclads and the other against a rising Tennessee River. He sent most of his troops back to Fort Donelson before his losing battle began.
58. FTDONV_140531_242.JPG: 3. February 7-12, 1862: Preparing for Battle: In the days following the battle at Fort Henry, both sides prepared for the coming conflict. The damaged ironclads went to Cairo, Illinois, for repair. Confederate General Gideon Pillow took over command at Fort Donelson and set his forces to strengthening its outer defenses, building rifle pits, and felling trees to make barriers (or abatis) to Union movements.
59. FTDONV_140531_247.JPG: 4. February 13, 1862: Testing the Line: Grant's forces spent most of the day testing for weaknesses within the Confederate line while the USS Carondelet tested the river batteries. On land, Union Colonel Morrison's brigade made two unsuccessful assaults across a ravine and up towards Maney's Confederate Battery.
60. FTDONV_140531_250.JPG: 5. February 14, 1862: While the ironclad attack took place on the afternoon of Feb. 14, 1862, it wasn't the only action of the day. Union and Confederate forces spent the day preparing for battle. Throughout the morning, Union transports unloaded additional troops who moved into position beyond the Confederate trenches. Columns of Black Smoke: At 1pm, Flag Officer Foote sent his gunboats up the Cumberland River to attack Fort Donelson. Foote and Grant expected they would have a quick victory, similar to the one at Fort Henry. In just over an hour of fighting the Confederate guns made short work of the ironclads. The ironclads had come too close to shore and became easy targets. Foote and Grand had overestimated the strength of their gunboats; this time they lost.
61. FTDONV_140531_254.JPG: 6. February 15, 1862, Morning: Confederates on the Move: At dawn, Brig. General Pillow gathered his forces and began a nearly continuous assault, pushing southwest toward Wynns Ferry Road. He planned to open an escape route using the River and Forge Roads. The Confederate Push: By 10am, Pillow's and General Bushrod Johnson's troops had forced McArthur's and Ogleby's Union troops back. And by noon, McClernand's men were beginning to panic in their rush to get away from Pillow's men. Meanwhile, General Lew Wallace had begun to recognize the serious situation on the Union right and be began to move his forces in to help.
62. FTDONV_140531_258.JPG: 7. February 15, 1862, Afternoon: General Grant guessed that by massing their troops for a breakout, the Confederates had left only a small force to hold their right. He directed General C.F. Smith to attack in this area. General Wallace's men moved forward against the Confederate left. The Union ironclads also kept the river batteries busy during the afternoon. Fateful Decisions: Around 1pm, General Grant arrived and correctly reasoned that the Confederates were trying to escape. His forces, in some places, had been pushed back over one mile; McClernand's troops were in disarray. Grant provided direction on the Union right and ordered C.F. Smith to launch and attack on the left. What Grant did not know was that Confederate General Pillow had ordered his men to return to their trenches. Confederate generals quarreled about Pillow's decision; yet the ordered were followed.
63. FTDONV_140531_262.JPG: 8. February 16, 1862: Not Whipped, But Surrendered: Overnight, the Confederate generals debated the merits of an escape. Buckner felt his troops on the right were too few and too tired. Lt. Colonel Forrest believed his cavalry could cover the escape. Pillow and Floyd lacked the experience and the will to lead the men out. In the end, Floyd and Pillow took the opportunity to escape. Forrest led his men away over the swollen Lick Creek where they met no resistance. General Buckner remained behind at the Dover Hotel to complete the "unconditional surrender" General Grant demanded.
64. FTDONV_140531_273.JPG: The 32-pound solid shot fired by the water batteries had to hit the pilot house, gunports or the area "between wind and water" (below armor), to do telling damage. A "Pook Turtle" Ironclad: 2-1/2 inches of iron over 24 inches of oak armored the bow. Slanted sides deflected iron shot.
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