| |
In the War Between the States, the Cumberland and Tennessee
Rivers were a gateway to Nashville and the all-important railroads which
fed the Confederacy its troops and supplies. Tennessee sided with the Confederacy but Kentucky remained neutral until an 1861 invasion. Little wonder, then, that the "Between the Rivers" region was a strategic area.
Recognizing this, in 1861 Governor Harris of Tennessee authorized
construction of two forts to protect the rivers: Fort Henry, on the east
bank of the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson, on the west bank of
Cumberland, both near the south end of LBL.
These forts were critical to the defense of the region. Their fall would
open all of Middle Tennessee to attack, and would force Confederate troops
in Bowling Green and Columbus to fall back to avoid being encircled. This
would break the Confederacy's western line of defense, and force the
Confederate army to withdraw into north Alabama and Mississippi.
 By September 1861 the Union army had amassed a considerable naval force in
Paducah, along the Ohio River at the north end of LBL. On February 2,
1862, the Union troops made their move. A flotilla of four ironclads and
three wooden gunboats, led by Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote and carrying
Brigadier Generals John A. McClernand and Ulysses S. Grant descended on
Fort Henry, launching the "Twin Rivers Campaign." After a battle lasting
four days, Brigadier General Lloyd Tillghman surrendered Fort Henry. Five
days later, the Union forces started their descent on Fort Donelson.
|