BGuthrie Photos: TN -- Fort Donelson Natl Battlefield -- Dover

TN -- Fort Donelson Natl Battlefield -- Dover:

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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. FTDOND_140531_004.JPG: Rice House Decision to Surrender At 1:30 a.m., February 16, 1862, at a final council of war in the Rice house (originally located in front of you at the corner of Pillow and Petty streets) Confederate Generals Floyd, Pillow, and Buckner decided that their failed breakout attempt meant that surrender was inevitable. Floyd, fearing capture and prosecution in the North, turned over command to Pillow. Pillow passed it on to Buckner, who agreed to remain and surrender the fort and what was left of the army. Pillow escaped by small boat across the Cumberland in the night, Floyd the next morning on a steamer with two regiments of Virginia infantry. Forrest and 700 troopers escaped through the icy waters of Lick Creek. Bushrod Johnson, Pillow's second in command, simply walked away. Buckner wrote Grant requesting an armistice and terms of surrender. General Buckner to General Grant, requesting terms of surrender. "...I propose to the Commanding Officer of the Federal forces the appointment of Commissioners to agree upon terms of capitulation of the forces and Fort under my command..." Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner "I regarded it as my duty to remain with my men and share their fate, whatever it might be." Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow "I am determined that I will never surrender the command nor will I ever surrender myself as a prisoner. I will die first." Brigadier General John B. Floyd "The surrender was a painful and inexorable necessity, which could not be avoided, and not a 'measure deemed proper for the entire army'." Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest "I did not come here to surrender my command."
2. FTDOND_140531_015.JPG: Dover Hotel Surrender House Built between 1851 and 1853, this hotel accommodated riverboat travelers before and after the Civil War. Confederate General Buckner and his staff used the hotel as their headquarters during the battle. After Buckner accepted what he called Grant's "ungenerous and unchivalrous" terms of surrender, the two generals met here to work out the details. Their conversation was friendly. They had been friends before the war and students together at West Point. Grant conveyed his respect for his opponent's ability, while Buckner bore the defeat with dignity. After the war they would renew their friendship. Buckner would become governor of Kentucky, and Grant the 18th president of the United States. General Grant's letter to Confederate General Buckner "No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." Buckner's reply "...to accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous terms which you propose."
3. FTDOND_140531_027.JPG: 13,000 Prisoners Thirteen thousand dejected Confederate defenders of Fort Donelson huddled here against the cold on February 16, 1862. They had fought long and hard against Grant's forces and did not consider themselves defeated. They had been surrendered against their will and now waited to be transported north. Never before in the Civil War had so many prisoners been taken, and the poorly clad Confederates could only guess what awaited them. After being issued two day's rations and allowed to keep "their clothing, blankets, and such personal property as may be carried about the person," the prisoners were shipped 120 miles to Cairo, Illinois. From there trains carried them to prison camps in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Massachusetts. In September 1862 most of the prisoners were exchanged for Union soldiers being held in Confederate prison camps. Where did they go? Most of the enlisted men were taken to prison camps in Illinois and Indiana; most of the officers went to camps in Ohio and Massachusetts: • Camps Douglas & Butler Chicago & Springfield, Illinois • Camp Morton Indianapolis, Indiana • Camp Chase & Johnson's Island Columbus & Sandusky, Ohio • Fort Warren Boston, Massachusetts
4. FTDOND_140531_043.JPG: Welcome to the Dover Hotel Surrender Site of the Battle of Fort Donelson On February 16, 1862, the Battle of Fort Donelson ended when Union forces captured the fort after 5 days of conflict. The Union and Confederate generals met here at the Dover Hotel to conduct the final surrender terms. The Confederates relinquished the fort, which allowed the North access to the Cumberland River. This changed the course of the Civil War by giving the Union a way to invade the rest of the South. The battle also affected a great number of people, including the townspeople of Dover, soldiers fighting on both sides of the conflict, the generals who led the battle, and the enslaved African Americans who came to the fort seeking freedom. This exhibit gives tribute and insight into the lives of those individuals.
5. FTDOND_140531_050.JPG: Confederate Soldiers Many local Dover boys signed up to fight for the South and protect their homes. Battle of the home front: Many of the newly enlisted Confederate soldiers were from the local region. In the beginning of their service, the weather conditions were favorable. Families were able to visit, and the overall atmosphere was positive. Young and often inexperienced, these soldiers were unprepared for harsh battle conditions, defeat, and the surrender that followed. By battle's end, many were injured. Approximately 13,000 Confederate soldiers were sent to prisoner-of-war camps after the Battle of Fort Donelson. This was the largest number of prisoners thus far in the war.
6. FTDOND_140531_052.JPG: In Their Own Words "Looking for the wounded by torchlight after battle," Harper's Weekly, March 8, 1862.
7. FTDOND_140531_054.JPG: "Our gunners were inexperienced and knew very little of the firing of heavy guns... The rifled gun was disabled by the ramming of a cartridge while the wire was in the vent, it being left there by a careless gunner." -- Captain Bell Bidwell, 30th Tennessee Infantry, Confederate States Army
8. FTDOND_140531_056.JPG: "We were worn out, not having slept for two days and nights and having been under fire the whole time. We tried to sleep that night but made a poor (success) out of it. Many of us were frostbitten, it being intensely cold." -- Private Sam Mitchell, 3rd Tennessee Infantry, Confederate States Army
9. FTDOND_140531_060.JPG: "Receiving no word, and my men about to freeze, for it was bitter cold, the ground was covered with snow and sleep, I put the regiment in charge of my senior Captain and rode back to Brown's quarters to find out what the matter was. ... (He said,) 'We are going to surrender, and I want you to take a flag of truce to Grant with some dispatches from Buckner.' Going to surrender after whipping Grant as we had done? I can't believe it." -- Major Nathaniel Cheairs, 3rd Tennessee Infantry, Confederate States of America
10. FTDOND_140531_063.JPG: "The weather had been pleasant, but now a cold north wind began to blow bringing rain and sleet. As we were forbidden to make fires lest we make our position a target for the enemy, we passed a most uncomfortable night. Even though exhausted by labor and excitement of the previous day and night, sleep did not come to refresh us." -- Private Louis Payne, 2nd Kentucky Infantry, Confederate States Army
11. FTDOND_140531_065.JPG: "Crowds of Confederates, very few of whom were in uniform, and who were unable to find shelter, stood in groups in the rain, under guard of our men. ... A more pitiable collection of human beings was probably never seen. Dejected and exhausted, hungry, wet and cold, they huddled together in the mud and rain around the few houses constituting the town of Dover, waiting for the rolls to be made out and rations issued." -- Colonel Charles Whittlesey, 20th Ohio Infantry, United States Army
12. FTDOND_140531_068.JPG: "Knowing where the rifle was situated she (the Union gunboat "Carondelet") fired fourteen rifle bombs in and about our battery in the course of about an hour and twenty minutes. Others she fired at the lower battery .... and many promiscuously over the hill, on top of which was situated the fort. ... (A shell) plowed through the fortification on the hill, above us, killing one infantry soldier and wounding two others. Still another ricocheted on the hilltop, passed through three strong cabins built of eight or ten inch logs, ... then through a shanty, and finished by killing a mule; this too, was at a distance from the huts of two and one-half miles. We were able, against a single boat, to hide ourselves from every shot by dropping down when we saw their smoke gush from the portholes. ... We fired the rifle at her sixteen to eighteen times and must have struck her a third of that number." -- Captain Reuben Ross, Tennessee, Upper Water Battery, Confederate States Army
13. FTDOND_140531_071.JPG: "We were armed with old flintlock guns, loading with three small and one large ball, very deadly, but not carrying far. ... Colonel Hanson, who was on a little knoll behind us, sent this order to each of our captains: 'Let not a man fire until I give the word.' It seemed as if that word would never come. The Yankees were almost upon us. Finally, Captain McDowell could stand it no longer. He sprang upon the earthworks and waving his sword, shouted: 'Come on, you scoundrels; we are ready for you.' A ball struck his forehead and the blood spurted. ... Then we were allowed to turn our guns loose. We could see the enemy falling. ... 'Keep it up,' cried our captains. And we did." -- Private Louis Payne, 2nd Kentucky Infantry, Confederate States Army
14. FTDOND_140531_074.JPG: "I lost control of my horse, and he carried me beyond the battery into the infantry support of the enemy. I made a circuit, and on my return a Federal soldier fired at me when I was not more than twenty paces from him. I was mounted on a spirited animal, and it was running and jumping so unevenly that I ... made a very evasive target, and the soldier missed..., just grazing my right shoulder, taking the width of the ball out of my coat and cutting a crease in the flesh. The shot was fired as I was approaching the man; and as I passed within a few feet of him, I shot at him twice with my six-shooter, but could not tell whether or not my shots struck him. ... I was far more bent on getting out of this dangerous situation than on killing an enemy." -- Private Thomas Duncan, Forrest's Cavalry, Confederate States Army
15. FTDOND_140531_077.JPG: "Sharp shooters got in a large farm house on a hill just across the backwater and was playing on us trying to get our gunners. We loaded one of (the) guns with grape and canister shells, and we turned loose on the house and you ought to seen how the blue coats pulled their freight, and they did not trouble us any more from that direction." -- Private J.A. Hinkle, 30th Tennessee Infantry, Confederate States Army
16. FTDOND_140531_080.JPG: The People of Dover The lives of Dover's townspeople were changed forever by the Battle of Fort Donelson. A town forever changed: Conditions were still calm and hopes high when the people of Dover watched their relatives and neighbors join the military war effort. Combat during the Battle of Fort Donelson drove many of them from the town. Some returned to help provide medical relief and saw, firsthand, the horrors of the war. Following the surrender, Union forces occupied the town until late 1865. The Confederates made several later attempts to retake Dover, but all were unsuccessful. It took a long time for the citizens of Dover to recuperate from the devastation of war.
17. FTDOND_140531_083.JPG: In Their Own Words Mary A. Newcomb helped nurse the wounded at Forts Henry and Donelson. Her husband, Hiram, was mortally wounded at Fort Donelson.
18. FTDOND_140531_085.JPG: "For miles the land was covered with the graves of both Union and rebel soldiers. As I walked over the battlefield in search of loved ones, and saw the terrible work that our war had made, and thought of the wave of woe that was surging over the land, I felt to say in my heart: 'O God, how long must we suffer?' " -- Mary A. Newcomb, 1893
19. FTDOND_140531_087.JPG: "The town of Dover is the county seat of Stewart, and a point where the farmers ship their produce. It is a straggling village on uneven ground, and contains perhaps five 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 the place had suffered greatly while occupied by the Session forces." -- Charles Coffin, Correspondent for "The Boston Journal", 1866
20. FTDOND_140531_089.JPG: "After the Battle of Fort Donelson, we took down a party of physicians and clergymen and six ladies as nurses, also a quantity of hospital stores ... for the use of the wounded and sick ... We were obliged to wait at Paducah for our boats. Every available craft was used in the service, not only for transportation of troops and supplies, but to convey a large number of people who were anxious about their friends, and also sight-seers who had curiosity to visit the scene of battle. We busied ourselves for two days in aiding the surgeons and citizens, who were untiring in their efforts to relieve the suffering. Churches, stores, and school-houses were hastily improvised into hospitals. Many private residences were filled." -- Mrs. Sophia McClelland, Sanitary Commission with the Army of the Cumberland
21. FTDOND_140531_091.JPG: "... they rushed into [our] homes like a pack of hungry wolves, stealing anything they could lay their hands on... The Union soldiers stole [our] carpets, quilts, pillows, books, bacon, and coffee. [They] stink in my nostrils like a skunk." -- Julia Rice, Resident of Dover
22. FTDOND_140531_093.JPG: "... fire-breathing Devils smelling of sulfur" -- Serepta Jordan, From the New Providence community on the Dover Road -- February 1862, describing the invading US forces
23. FTDOND_140531_095.JPG: "Nurse Blanche L. Lewis noted years after the war that the first boatload of wounded from the battle had reached Clarksville about 3:00 am Sunday morning and she remembered that for twenty-four hours a continuous line of ambulances and wagons from the river to the hospital brought the injured, many of them dying on the way." -- Benjamin Franklin Cooling, Forts Henry and Donelson: The Key to the Confederate Heartland
24. FTDOND_140531_097.JPG: "During the great war of the sixties the sick and wounded from Fort Domelson were taken to Clarksville in great numbers, and the Female Academy, the College, and every suitable building in the town were turned into hospitals. In these Miss Lewis was a constant attendant upon the wounded and dying for many months..." -- Confederate Veteran, The Daily Leaf Chronicle, February 1897
25. FTDOND_140531_100.JPG: In Search of Freedom Enslaved African Americans seeking protection and freedom escaped to Dover after the Battle of Fort Donelson Building a new community: After the Union occupied the town of Dover, many people came to the Union-controlled fort i search of missing family members, jobs, or protection and help from the military. For former slaves, Fort Donelson provided opportunities to transition to a life of freedom. African American men found work as teamsters, cooks, and laborers. Women took jobs as seamstresses and cooks, and some worked as nurses in the make-shift hospitals.
26. FTDOND_140531_103.JPG: Hopes of Freedom "Negro Soldiers Liberating Slaves," Harper's Weekly, January 23, 1864
27. FTDOND_140531_105.JPG: "Slaves as were within the lines at the time of the capture of Fort Donelson, and such have been used by the enemy, in building the fortification, or in any way hostile to the Government, will not be released or permitted to return to their masters, but will be employed in the Quarter Masters Department, for the benefit of the Government." -- General Ulysses S. Grant, February 26, 1862
28. FTDOND_140531_108.JPG: After the Battle of Fort Donelson, many slaves made their way to Dover seeking freedom. At that time, there was no national policy on how to assist them. It was not until 1863 that the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves, and even then Tennessee was exempt. The solution was to establish a freedmen's camp close to where the National Cemetery stands today. Homes, schools, and churches were built at the camp as the community developed. Eventually, it came to be known as "Free State."
29. FTDOND_140531_111.JPG: What Will You Do With THem? Harper's Weekly Article, 1862 "What do you gentlemen who are so clamorous for releasing the slaves of rebels propose to do with them?" is a question constantly asked. "It is very easy to cry emancipate! emancipate! but what is your panacea for those who are emancipated? The question in itself is fair and timely -- although it is often asked contemptuously, and is intended to wither any further remark. The answer is, first of all, that something must be done. At the present time we have several thousands of persons within our lines who were lately slaves. They can not be returned to rebel masters. They can not be retained as slaves. They can not be left to themselves. The Government is charged with responsibility of their care. They must be fed, clothed, and educated, and labor must be given them. In fact, the released slaves are the pupils of the Government."
30. FTDOND_140531_114.JPG: Hd. Qtrs., Fts. Henry and Heiman March 25th, 1862 Sir: I would also... state for the information of the General Commanding, that union men and those fleeing to avoid impressments in to the Rebel service, and daily flocking to this Post, seeking protection, some few are enlisting, while others wish to go into the loyal states. If license to trade in this post could be granted, cargoes of tobacco would be brought in and shipped at once. I am Sir: Your Obedient Servant W.W. Lowe Colonel Commanding
31. FTDOND_140531_117.JPG: Hd Qtrs, US Forces, Fort Donelson October 16th, 1863 Sir: There are at work in the employ of the US Government at this Post about one hundred and twenty negroes [sic] most of whom have been at work since the first of June without pay. In order to get their pay, they must be mustered into service as infantry and be detailed in the Engineer Department. Can there not be a mustering officer sent here to muster them? These services will be needed here for some time to come. E. Brott Lt. Colonel 83rd Illinois Infantry Commanding Post
32. FTDOND_140531_120.JPG: W.G. Bond, Supt., Clarksville, Reports Jany 23, 1866 the following which occurred in Stewart County, Tennessee: on the night of the 17th inst. The colored [sic] workers of Johnson & Co.'s Iron Works were attacked by six armed white men and robbed of all monies and valuables.
33. FTDOND_140531_123.JPG: Joseph Dorris The life of Joseph Dorris provides some insight into both hardships and triumphs experienced by former slaves living at Fort Donelson. Dorris came to the Union freedmen's camp at Fort Donelson with his wife Rachel and two daughters after the surrender of the fort in February 1862. He found work with the US Quartermaster's Corps as a laborer. In 1863, Dorris joined the 13th US Colored Troops at the fort. After the war, he and his family temporarily moved to Memphis, Tennessee, but later returned to Stewart County where he was hired to work at the Bear Spring Iron Furnace. After Dorris' wife Rachel died, he met Caroline Smith, a resident of Dover, and the two were married in the vicinity of the old Fort Donelson in 1875. Joseph Dorris is buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Clarksville, Tennessee.
34. FTDOND_140531_126.JPG: The Cumberland River: Right outside the Dover Hotel flows the Cumberland River. This river was once a major traffic route for travel and trade, comparable to the interstate highways we use today. When the Union forces captured Fort Donelson, they gained invaluable access to the south via this waterway. As you look out onto the river's edge, imagine steamships landing during the battle to drop off soldiers, help with escape efforts, and take away prisoners of war.
35. FTDOND_140531_129.JPG: An Inside Look at the Dover Hotel: The Dover Hotel has faced many changes over time> The surrender after the battle of Fort Donelson was arguably its most significantly moment. The hotel was originally built between 1851 and 1853 as a tavern and inn serving riverboat travelers. During the battle of Fort Donelson in 1862, Confederate General Simon Buckner set up his headquarters here. Sometime after the battle, the hotel served as a hospital for injured soldiers. The structure eventually returned to its original use as a tavern and inn until the 1930s. In 1959 the National Park Service acquired the dilapidated hotel from the Fort Donelson House Historical Association. They jointly restored the building in the 1970s.
36. FTDOND_140531_137.JPG: General Simon Buckner Brigadier General of the Confederate Army
37. FTDOND_140531_140.JPG: General Simon Buckner was third in command at Fort Donelson. However, his battle experience and command capabilities exceeded the two ranking officers, Generals Floyd and Pillow. After realizing that their troops were outnumbered by the Union and that it was too late for them all to escape, Buckner recommended surrender. Floyd and Pillow passed their command over to him to conduct the surrender terms, choosing to flee before the Union could take them as prisoners. The surrender did not mark the first meeting between General Buckner and the Union commander, General Grant. Both had attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where they became friends. Several years after their time at West Point, Buckner settled a hotel debt for Grant in New York City. When it came time for the surrender at Fort Donelson, Buckner may have hoped his old comrade would give fair terms due to their previous friendship. If so, he was mistaken.
38. FTDOND_140531_143.JPG: General Ulysses S. Grant Brigadier General of the Union Army
39. FTDOND_140531_146.JPG: Before the Battle of Fort Donelson, Ulysses S. Grant was not a well-known figure in the Civil War. Obtaining the first Confederate admission of defeat wit "no terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender" boosted him to national prominence. It also helped pave his way to the White House. Grant and the surrendering Confederate commander, General Simon Buckner, attended the West Point Military Academy together and also served together in the Mexican American War. They had been friends and had mutual respect for each other. Despite the fact that their previous relationship did not persuade Grant to give lenient surrender terms of Buckner, the two resumed their friendship after the war. Buckner was a pallbearer at Grant's funeral in 1885, 20 years after the Civil War ended.
40. FTDOND_140531_150.JPG: Surrender ... Fort Donelson On the morning of February 16, 1862, General Buckner sent a letter to General Grant requesting an armistice and the terms of the Confederate surrender. He was surprised to receive "no terms except unconditional and immediate surrender." However, he had no choice but to "accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous" conditions that were proposed. Brig. Gen. US Grant, Sir: In consideration of all the circumstances governing the present situation of affairs at this station I propose to the commanding officers of the Federal forces the appointment of commissioners to agree upon terms of capitulation of the forces and post under my command, and in that view suggest an armistice around 12 o'clock to-day. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S.B. Buckner General S.B. Buckner, Sir: Yours of this date proposing Armistice, and appointment of Commissioners, to settle terms of capitulation just received. No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, U.S. Grant Brig. Gen. U.S. Grant, Sir: The distribution of the forces under my command incident to an unexpected change of commanders and the overwhelming force under your command compel me, notwithstanding the brilliant success of the Confederate arms yesterday, to accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous terms which you propose. I am, sir, your very obedient servant, S.B. Buckner
41. FTDOND_140531_155.JPG: After the Surrender The Cascading Impact of the Surrender at Fort Donelson The surrenders of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson were the first significant victories for the Union and changed the course of the Civil War. They gave Federal forces control of two rivers, the Tennessee and Cumberland, giving the Union vital invasion routes to the South. The victory at Fort Donelson also boosted Union morale and sparked Ulysses S. Grant's career. The town of Dover and its environs in Stewart County, Tennessee, remained occupied for the remainder of the war. Martial law was enforced. No citizen could leave, travel, or return without a pass. This was one of the first examples of how the rights of some citizens were suspended during the war. As you walk around the hotel and head into town, listen for the voices of the townspeople, the soldiers, the freedom-seekers, and the generals who ones lived and fought here. "Never was morning light more welcome... for with it comes the camp fires. Everywhere, on the hills and in the ravines, their cheering light is seen." -- Private Ambrose, 7th Illinois Infantry, United States Army
42. FTDOND_140531_158.JPG: Meeting at the Dover Hotel: After the initial terms of surrender were relayed in written form, General Ulysses S. Grant was escorted to General Simon Buckner's headquarters at the Dovel Hotel. This is where the two old friends and colleagues, now on opposite sides of battle, finally met face to face. It was here at the Dover Hotel where the formal surrender took place. Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant: "I had been at West Point three years with Buckner and afterwards served with him in the army, so that we were quite well acquainted. In the course of our conversation, which was very friendly, he said to me that if he had been in command I would not have got up to Donelson as easily as I did. I told him that if he had been in command I should not have tried the way I did..." Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner: "... I turned to Grant and told him the condition of my troops; that they were suffering very much; ... He said, 'I am newly arrived here; my staff is not organized completely, and I find difficulty in doing this.' Said I, 'Gen. Grant, my staff is perfectly organized and I place them at your disposal for that purpose.' He hesitated a moment, and then sat down and wrote an order directing our troops to obey any order I might give in respect to the comfort and movements of my own troops. A remarkable thing."
43. FTDOND_140531_161.JPG: Breakdown in Command Flawed command on both the Union and the Confederate sides caused problems during the battle. Chaos in Leadership Leadership on both sides of the battlefield lacked cohesion. Miscommunication, division and poor preparation amongst the commanders created problems for both southern and northern forces. The breakdown between the Confederate leaders came to a head the night before the surrender. At their Council of Generals meeting, the southern command was divided about how to proceed. Some wanted to continue fighting while others hoped to attempt escape. Once neither option was deemed possible, General Simon Buckner pushed for surrender.
44. FTDOND_140531_164.JPG: Leadership at Fort Donelson
45. FTDOND_140531_170.JPG: General Albert Sidney Johnson Confederate States Army "I can not give you specific instructions ... you will therefore ascertain the probable movements of the enemy and distribute your forces as you think proper." As commander of the Western Department, General Albert Sidney Johnston was responsible for command assignments at Fort Donelson. He first put Brigadier General Bushrod Johnson in charge. This order was brief, lasting a mere two days, until the high-ranked General Gideon Pillow arrived. During the last days of the Battle for Fort Donelson, Johnston once again switched command, putting Brigadier General John Buchanan Floyd in charge of the fort. Through all these men kept Johnston informed about unfolding events, he left them to decide battle maneuvers on their own. This frequent change in command could have contributed to the loss of the fort.
46. FTDOND_140531_172.JPG: General John Buchanan Floyd Confederate States Army Present at the Council of Generals "I wish if possible you (Gen. Albert Johnston) would come down here, if only for a single day. I think in that time you might determine the policy and lines of defense." General John Floyd was the senior commander at the battle of Fort Donelson. He had little military experience and had not assumed command of a battle before. Floyd did not get to the fort until after the Union forces were already in place, and upon arrival he deferred to his fellow commanders. When the Generals decided to surrender, Floyd handed over control to his second in command, General Gideon Pillow, who in turn passed it on to General Simon Buckner, the third highest ranked officer at the fort. Fearing the Union would hang him for treason, Floyd escaped by steamboat before the surrender.
47. FTDOND_140531_176.JPG: General Gideon Johnson Pillow Confederate States Army Present at the Council of Generals "Upon one thing you may rest assured ... I will never surrender the position, and with God's help I mean to maintain it." General Gideon Pillow was second in command at the Battle of Fort Donelson. He knew that the fort was not prepared for battle but was determined to raise troop morale. He organized the fort as best he could. On February 15, 1862, General Pillow led a surprise attack on Union troops and gained ground. He then ordered his troops back to their trench positions, sacrificing the advance they had made. This action was seen as a major reason for the Confederate defeat and he garnered much criticism for his decision.
48. FTDOND_140531_179.JPG: Lt. Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest Confederate Officer, Present at the Council of Generals "To Hell with that, I did not come here to surrender!" At the time of the battle, Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Confederate Army. As an elite cavalry and military commander, he made his name at the Battle of Fort Donelson. Forrest refused to surrender with the surrender with the rest of the Confederate forces. Instead, he rallied approximately 700 troops and led them across Lick Creek to escape to Nashville.
49. FTDOND_140531_182.JPG: Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote United States Navy "You do perfectly right, sir, in surrendering, but you should have blown my boat out of the water before I would have surrendered to you." (Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote's response to Tilghman's surrender to the Union at Fort Henry.) Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote was the gunboat captain who led the previous week's victory at nearby Fort Henry. As his ironclad boats were making their way p the Cumberland River toward Fort Donelson, they had to deal with heavy flood currents. Foote's flotilla was not fully prepared for the upcoming battle. He needed more men, but his orders were to move on to Donelson regardless. The boats suffered immense damage during the battle.
50. FTDOND_140531_185.JPG: General Lewis "Lew" Wallace United States Army "We came to the door of the old tavern (the Dover Hotel) ..., double storied, unpainted, and with windows of eight-by-ten glass. ... I dismounted. The tavern was the headquarters of General Buckner, to whom I sent my name; and being an acquaintance I was at once admitted." .... Turning to the officers at the table, he remarked: 'General Wallace, it is not necessary to introduce you to these gentlemen; you are acquainted with them all.' They arose, came forward one by one and gave me their hands." When General Ulysses Grant moved on from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson, General Wallace took control at Fort Henry. However, he was soon ordered to rejoin the Army and help organize the next offensive. His efforts were successful and
51. FTDOND_140531_188.JPG: [General Lewis "Lew" Wallace continued] helped the Union to achieve victory. Wallace was the first Union general to arrive at the Dover Hotel for the surrender but did not take any official action, deferring instead to General Grant.
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Wikipedia Description: Dover, Tennessee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dover is a city in and the county seat of Stewart County, Tennessee, 67 miles (108 km) west-northwest of Nashville on the Cumberland River. An old national cemetery is in Dover. The population was 1,442 at the 2000 census and the 2010 census showed a population of 1,417.

Dover is part of the Clarksville, TN–Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (TN -- Fort Donelson Natl Battlefield -- Dover) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2004_TN_Ft_Donelson_Dover: TN -- Fort Donelson Natl Battlefield -- Dover (8 photos from 2004)
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Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [Civil War] [Park (National Park Service)]
2014 photos: Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Winchester, VA, Nashville, TN, and Atlanta, GA), Michigan to visit mom in the hospice before she died and then a return trip after she died, and my 9th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles). Ego strokes: Paul Dickson used one of my photos as the author photo in his book "Aphorisms: Words Wrought by Writers". Equipment this year: I mostly used my Fuji XS-1 camera but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Number of photos taken this year: just over 470,000.
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