Editing Fort Donelson (section)

{{short description|Confederate fort near Dover, Tennessee during the American Civil War}}
{{Infobox military structure
|name= Fort Donelson
|coordinates =
|location= [[Tennessee]] (near [[Dover, Tennessee]])
|image= Fort Donelson river battery (1).jpg
|image_size= 250px
|caption= Part of the lower river battery at Fort Donelson, overlooking the Cumberland River
|built= 1862
|materials= earth
|used= 1862–1865
|type= [[Fort]]
|controlledby= {{flag|Confederate States|1861}} (1862)<br>{{flag|United States|1865}} (1862–1865)
|garrison=
|commanders=
|battles= [[American Civil War]]
* [[Battle of Fort Donelson]]
* [[Battle of Dover (1863)|Battle of Dover]]
}}

'''Fort Donelson''' was a fortress built early in 1862 by the [[Confederate States of America|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]].<ref>[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=487 The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: Fort Donelson.] Retrieved 2012-08-03.</ref>

The Union [[Army of the Tennessee]], commanded by Brigadier General [[Ulysses S. Grant]], who later became president, captured the fort in February 1862 from the Confederate Army in the [[Battle of Fort Donelson]]. This was a great strategic victory for the Union forces, and part of Grant's campaign to gain control of the Mississippi River. Union forces occupied the fort (and much of Tennessee) for the remainder of the war. A small detachment of Confederate troops made one unsuccessful attempt in 1863 to regain it.