US ResearchConflictsCivil WarTennesseeCapture of Fort Henry
Civil War

Capture of Fort Henry

1862
Tennessee
Era
Civil War
Year
1862
Location
Tennessee
Status
Verified engagement
Part ofCivil War in TennesseeThe Civil War
The Battle

History & Significance

Capture of Fort Henry was a Civil War engagement fought in Tennessee, 1862. It was a Union victory.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield preserves Fort Donelson and Fort Heiman, two sites of the American Civil War Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign, in which Union Army Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant and Flag Officer Andrew Hull Foote captured three Confederate forts and opened two rivers, the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River, to control by the Union Navy. The commanders received national recognition for their victories in February 1862, as they were the first major Union successes of the war. The capture of Fort Donelson and its garrison by the Union led to the capture of Tennessee's capital and industrial center, Nashville, which remained in Union hands from February 25, 1862, until the end of the war, and gave the Union effective control over much of Tennessee. This struck a major blow to the Confederacy early in the war.

The main portion of the park, in Dover, Tennessee, commemorates the Battle of Fort Donelson (36°29′41″N 87°51′22″W). Fort Heiman, in nearby Calloway County, Kentucky, was a Confederate battery in the Battle of Fort Henry.

Result
Union victory
Forces engaged
United States (Union) vs CSA (Confederacy)
Around this battlefield

Nearby Civil War engagements

Affair near Fort Heiman
1864 · 1 mi away
Skirmish, Fort Heiman
1862 · 1 mi away
Scout, from Fort Heiman into Tennessee
1863 · 1 mi away
Operations against Fort Henry
1862 · 2 mi away
Action, Cumberland Iron Works, Fort Donelson
1863 · 10 mi away
Skirmish near Fort Donelson
1863 · 10 mi away
Skirmish near Fort Donelson
1864 · 10 mi away
Skirmish, Fort Donelson
1862 · 10 mi away
Expedition from Fort Donelson to Clarksville
1862 · 10 mi away
Affair near Fort Donelson
1863 · 10 mi away
Skirmish near Fort Donelson
1862 · 10 mi away
Skirmish near Fort Donelson
1863 · 10 mi away
Investment, Battles and Capture, Fort Donelson
1862 · 10 mi away
Dover
1863 · 11 mi away
Skirmish, Conyersville
1863 · 15 mi away
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Capture of Fort Henry take place?
Capture of Fort Henry took place in 1862.
Where was Capture of Fort Henry fought?
Capture of Fort Henry was fought in Tennessee, United States.
What was the significance of Capture of Fort Henry?
Fort Donelson National Battlefield preserves Fort Donelson and Fort Heiman, two sites of the American Civil War Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign, in which Union Army Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant and Flag Officer Andrew Hull Foote captured three Confederate forts and opened two rivers, the Ten
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