Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Daniel S. Donelson.
Part of the lower river battery at Fort Donelson, overlooking the Cumberland River
Grant's headquarters at Fort Donelson
Daniel Smith Donelson was a Tennessee planter, politician, and soldier. The historic Fort Donelson was named for him when he was serving as a Brigadier in the Tennessee militia, early in the American Civil War. He was commissioned as a regular Confederate general, serving notably at the battles of Perryville and Stones River.
Portrait of Donelson by George Dury, circa 1850
Hazel Path in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Photograph of Donelson as a Confederate general