Oct 25, 1964. Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Dover, TN is where the Union had its first major victory over the Confederates. The Feb 1862 victory meant the Union could take control of the Cumberland River and push deeper into the South. Nashville’s surrender came soon afterward as a direct result of this battle’s outcome, and the South quickly lost half of TN and all of southern KY. About 3/4 of the Confederate troops at Fort Donelson were captured, and Grant’s reputation as a wartime officer received a tremendous boost.
There are some wooded trails with decent elevation gain, each of them between one and four miles in length. I formed a loop and enjoyed the shaded walking.
Both the cemetery and the place of official Confederate surrender are a short drive away. The surrender took place at an inn, and the inn still stands as a historic but non-operational building. The cemetery holds fallen soldiers from the Fort Donelson battle and other, later American wars.
