Fort Donelson National Battlefield
On February 16, 1862 the Union Army in Tennessee, under the command of Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant, won its first major victory of the Civil War. The proposed terms of "Unconditional Surrender" were accepted by the defeated confederates. The capture of Fort Donelson and approximately 13,000 confederate soldiers delivered a devastating blow to the Confederacy, and the defeat set the stage for the Union's invasion of the deep south. The victory propelled Brigadier General Grant into national prominence, favoritism of Abraham Lincoln and eventual command of the Union Army.