Research Fort Donelson: From 11th to 16th February 1862

Fort Donelson
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Introduction
Fort Donelson battle was fought from 11th to 16th February 1862 after the Union forces had captured Fort Henry on 6th February. The battle was between the Union forces and the confederates of the South in the American civil war. The Union forces fought to reclaim the south which still embraced slavery. The Union won the war as the confederates surrendered and there were various reasons why they were defeated.
When the Union forces captured the Confederate Fort near the Tennessee-Kentucky, the Cumberland River boarder was opened and this was a great invasion opening of the south. From Fort Henry to Fort Donelson, Union forces had to walk 19 kilometers on a bad road. This was a tiresome journey since they also had to carry their weapons as they walked. To cut the supply of weapons from the north to the south, union forces cut the railway rails that connected the two fronts. This alienation from the North had an impact since the North was the producer of weapons and also agricultural wise the North was superior to the south (Gott, 2011).
Another difference that was evident in the battle was with the leadership of both sides. Confederates military adviser and field commander Robert Lee favored a defensive strategy that involved being offensive at times when necessary; he favored an offensive-defensive strategy of battle (Hamilton, 1968). This did not work well for them and Lee did not change the strategy for three years of the battle. Joe Johnson another leader in the hierarchy of the confederates was an exponent of defensive war warfare and retreated easily giving up chunks of lands without even a fight. General Gideon Pillow also made the wrong choice when he ordered his army to pull back into their entrancements rather than retreating to safer grounds leading to their surrender. On the other hand, under the command of Brig. Gen. Ulysses Grant, the Union army was strongly lead. Even though he was not a proved leader and his superiors suspected him, Ulysses proved his worth by making pin point decision that proved to be worth.
In terms of personnel and weapons, Union army had superiority. Having cut the railroad lines, the confederates could not have called in for more manpower or supply. This meant the confederates had to depend on their own produced weapons that were less than the Union army's. Also the confederates in Fort Donelson were approximately 5 million. The confederates started their own weapon production company but still there were lesser weapons compared to the unions (Cooling, 2003).
When he attempted but failed to seizure a rebel battery along the fort's outer works, Bregadier Mclernand started the battle of Fort Donelson. A three day war followed where Grant and his convoy Fort Donelson from the east after moving up Cumberland River. The confederates attempted to break out but were attacked and forced to retreat. General Gideon commanded his army to go back to their entrenchments instead of letting them escape from the Fort. This decision proved to be a bad one when he was left with no option bu...