Grant The Forgotten Hero

by Charles Henry Vessey

  Conversely, the southern guns were firing downward and became highly effective as the gunboats came closer. The confrontation lasted about one and one half hours with the Union fleet suffering dramatic damage. Foote was wounded along with and fifty-four other causalities. The flagship St. Louis had been hit fifty-nine times. All four of the ironclads were so severely damaged they had to back out downstream out of range. All the ships required significant repairs before they could once again render useful service. The triumphant Southerners rejoiced at the sight, their confidence rising. It became painfully clear that a repeat of the easy triumph at Fort Henry was not in the cards. Grant’s mettle was about to be tested. He would be on his own at Fort Donelson.

  By the evening of the 14th, Grant had 22,000 men in place around Fort Donelson. The noose was getting tighter around the Confederate's throats, but Grant was not the only one to perceive what was happening. Although the rebels had been successful earlier that day, they could see the trap into which they had fallen. The Confederate generals gathered that night to plan an attack which would allow them to break out of their predicament and save their army.

  There was a road which ran from the town of Dover, which was within the lines of Fort Donelson, to Clarksville and on to Nashville. This road ran close to the Cumberland River and was on Grant's extreme right. If the rebels could cut their way through Grant's lines in this area before they became too strong, a way would be opened for retreat. The next day the Confederates planned to put their plan into effect.

  At 2 A.M., the morning of the 15th, a message reached Grant's headquarters from Foote. He was wounded in the battle on the 14th and would be unable to travel to see General Grant. Needing to consult with Grant, Foote requested the general visit him aboard his flagship as soon as possible. At daylight Grant made his way over the frozen ground to the riverbank accompanied by an orderly. The sounds of artillery and skirmishing could be heard along the way, but intermittent firing had been happening for three days, so Grant's interest was not aroused. When he reached the river, a small boat took him to the flagship.

  Once aboard, Grant was not prepared for what Foote had to say. The fleet had been disabled much worse than he was aware. Foote stated he needed to return at once to Cairo or Mound City to make repairs lasting ten days. Foote asked Grant to entrench and refrain from attacking until he could return in ten or fifteen days. Grant requested Foote to remain while he finished off the fort. Finally, they reached a compromise. Foote would take the two most heavily damaged ships downstream for repairs, while Grant could keep the other two ironclads for any assistance they could offer. The conference at an end, Grant headed back to shore.

  When he returned to shore he found Captain Hillyer of his staff riding up, his countenance pervaded with fear. While Grant was away, the division commanders had been instructed not to precipitate an engagement, but the rebel commanders had been under no such orders and had launched the desperate attack they planned the night before against Grant's right flank.

  Hillyer told Grant that at dawn the enemy had launched a savage attack upon McClernand's division. Grant was truly surprised by this. In his memoirs he wrote: "I had no idea that there would be any engagement on land unless I brought it on myself." 38 He had a comparable feeling about the Battle of Shiloh. Perhaps Grant felt such disdain for their cause that he was truly surprised that they had the audacity to attack.

  Whatever his feeling, the enemy had removed from him any consideration of a siege. He had to act now or suffer the same fate that would later befall so many commanders of the Army of the Potomac.

  Grant made his way across the icy ground as fast as he could. He would have to travel from his extreme left to his extreme right, a distance of between seven and eight miles. To do this he had to pass Smith's and Wallace's divisions. He witnessed no sense of urgency with Smith, but as he approached Wallace's command he began seeing signs of a fierce struggle.

  What Grant discovered was that the enemy had attacked McArthur's brigade at the far right end of the siege line. Soon the rebels forced the fight upon all of McClernand's division. The fight had been going on for hours and McArthur was finally forced to give way. By 10 A.M. McClernand's entire division appeared to be collapsing.

  As disaster loomed, McClernand pleaded with Wallace to send aid. Wallace referred the question to Grant who was not at his headquarters. Grant's staff, apparently too new, failed to act. Hard pressed, McClernand renewed his plea for help from Wallace. Now Wallace, sensing how critical the situation had become, began to pour in troops.

  Up to this point, the Confederates had entirely succeeded in their undertaking. McClernand's position on the right had been routed. The way to their escape was now open.

  About this time, Thayer's brigade pushed forward toward the right. This helped stem the flight of the battered Yankee forces that were retreating. For green soldiers, they had fought well, giving way only after running out of ammunition.

  Wallace and McClernand were together on the field catching their breath and conferring on what to do next. Finally, Grant appeared on the scene. For some inexplicable reason, the rebel offensive ceased and the Confederates began to fall back to their intrenchments probably owing to confusion among their top command.

  Wallace and McClernand filled Grant in on the details of the morning's fight. The details were pretty grim. McClernand had lost 1500 men and McArthur 400. The Federals had acquitted themselves bravely, but they were opposed by overwhelming numbers. Grant heard some of the men say that the enemy had come out with knapsacks full of rations. Grant turned to Colonel J. D. Webster of his staff and said, "Some of our men are pretty badly demoralized, but the enemy must be more so, for he has attempted to force his way out, but has fallen back: the one who attacks first now will be victorious and the enemy will have to be in a hurry if he gets ahead of me." 39 Grant had immediately grasped the situation. For the enemy to attack with such a large force he must have weakened his defenses in another area. Grant's outward appearance never changed, as always, he remained calm. He said: "Gentlemen, the position on the right must be retaken." 40

  At once he galloped off. Fuller described what Grant did next.

  1) He ordered McClernand and Wallace to withdraw out of cannon range and entrench.

  2) He sent a message to Foote urgently asking him to make a demonstration: "If," he wrote, "all the gunboats that can will immediately make their appearance to the enemy it may secure us a victory."

  3) He ordered Smith to prepare to assault the works in front of him.

  4) Then he returned to Wallace and McClernand, and ordered them to advance and reoccupy their former lines. 41

  Although Grant appeared composed in front of his men, in actuality, he was nothing of the sort. This was one of the few times in his career when he felt uncertain of the outcome. During this turmoil, he quickly penned a revealing note to Foote. "If all the gunboats that can will immediately make their appearance to the enemy it may secure us a victory. Otherwise all may be defeated. A terrible conflict ensued in my absence, which has demoralized a portion of my command, but I think the enemy is more so. If the gunboats do not show themselves it will reassure the enemy and still further demoralize our troops. I must order a charge to save appearances. I do not expect the gunboats to go into action, but to make an appearance and throw a few shells at long range." 42 For Grant to say, "otherwise all may be defeated," is nothing short of a revelation. This clearly indicated that he was shaken by the peril in which he found himself. Negative thoughts such as these would not even cross his mind at Shiloh.

  Shaken or not, duty called and Grant pressed on to see General Smith. As Grant and Webster rode to Smith's position they called out to the men as they passed: "Fill your cartridge-boxes, quick, and get into line; the enemy is trying to escape and he must not be permitted to do so." 43

  Grant found Smith seated under a tree with one of his aides. He explained to Smith what had happened and then told him, "General Smith, all has failed on
our right, you must take Fort Donelson." 43 Like the true soldier he was Smith replied, "I will do it." 44 Grant advised Smith that if his analysis was correct he should find very little opposition.

  Smith had previously reconnoitered his front and was in position to move at once. As the columns formed for the advance, Lauman's brigade of the Second Iowa took the lead. Smith placed the assaulting columns in two lines, thirty paces apart and he took a position between and in front of the columns. When all was ready he yelled to his men, "Second Iowa, you must take that fort. Take the caps off your guns, fix bayonets, and I will support you." 45 The charge began. Smith continued to stir his men as he led them up that slope. "Damn you, gentlemen, I see skulkers. I'll have none here. Come on, you volunteers, come on. This is your chance. You volunteered to be killed for love of your country and now you can be. You are only damned volunteers. I am only a soldier and I don't want to be killed, but you came to be killed and now you can be." 46 Smith's force pushed on right into the rebel works with Smith being the first Federal to enter the enemy's lines. The Union army did not stop at the outer works, but continued to push the rebels for over a quarter mile.

  Simon Bolivar Buckner held this part of the Confederate line. He was by far the most qualified soldier the Confederates had at Fort Donelson. If Pillow or Floyd had been in command of that section, Smith may have taken all of Fort Donelson, but Buckner was put up a valiant defense until reinforcements arrived. Smith's attack had been a huge success forcing the rebels to recall men from their left where they had opened the path for their escape.

  While Smith launched his attack, Grant returned to the area where Wallace and McClernand were located. He urged them to counterattack at once and retake the ground that they had lost during the morning. The attacking Yankees found the going relatively easy, probably owing in some part to Smith's attack pulling portions of the enemy's forces to that part of the field. Before long McClernand and Wallace's forces reoccupied most of their former positions, while Smith had gained a lodgment putting Fort Donelson in great jeopardy. Grant summed up the situation that existed the evening of February 15th like this. "There was now no doubt but the Confederates must surrender or be captured the next day." 47

  Grant’s assessment of the circumstances was correct for inside Fort Donelson one of the most extraordinary scenes of the war was being played out. General Floyd, who was in command of Fort Donelson, summoned a council of his immediate subordinates during the night. His prime concern was the propriety of surrender. The opinion of all present was in favor of surrender. Buckner felt that his troops could hold no longer than thirty minutes if attacked and he felt an attack was imminent at daylight.

  With the ultimate course determined, the next consideration was who was to handle the duty of surrender. General Floyd was a former Secretary of War under President Buchanan. He had made every effort, before the war, to disperse the regular army and transfer arms and munitions from northern arsenals to southern arsenals. If he was captured, he probably would be tried for misappropriation of public property and possibly treason. For these reasons, Floyd felt he could not affect the surrender of the fort and handed over command to General Pillow.

  General Pillow, a rather conceited fellow, expressed his desire to follow Floyd's lead. He declared, "there were no two men in the Confederacy the Yankees would rather capture than themselves." 48 He in turn handed the command to General Buckner who felt it was his duty to stay with his troops. He apparently felt that he would have been dishonoring the Confederate soldiers who had fought so well, if he would have followed the lead of his superiors. He would share their fate and surrender the fort.

  About three o' clock in the morning, a Confederate flag of truce arrived on Smith's front with a letter for the Commanding General. Smith rode forward took the letter and rode off to see Grant.

  Unbeknownst to the Nationals at this time, Floyd, Pillow, and Nathan Bedford Forrest were making their escape on transports and overland to the south. The exact number of soldiers that escaped is not known, but an estimate of between 2000 and 4000 appears reasonable.

  Grant's headquarters were located in a small farmhouse to the rear of Smith's lines. When Smith arrived he found Grant on a mattress on the floor of the kitchen. Smith handed Grant the letter from Buckner which read as follows:

  Headquarters, Fort Donelson,

  February 16, 1862

  SIR:----In consideration of all the circumstances governing the present situation of affairs at this station, I propose to the Commanding Officer of the Federal forces the appointment of commissioners to agree upon terms of capitulation of the forces and fort under my command, and in that view suggest an armistice until 12 o' clock to-day.

  I am, sir, very respectfully,

  Your ob't se'v't

  S. B. BUCKNER

  Brig. Gen. C. S. A.

  To Brigadier-General U. S. Grant,

  Com'ding U. S. Forces,

  Near Fort Donelson. 49

  Grant responded with his typical brief correspondence, direct and to the point. This short letter would contain some of the most powerful language in the world's history of armed conflict. This language would become synonymous with Grant and make him a hero, larger than life.

  Headquarters Army in the Field,

  Camp near Donelson,

  February 16, 1862

  General S. B. BUCKNER,

  Confederate Army.

  SIR:----Yours of this date, proposing armistice and appointment of Commissioners to settle terms of capitulation, is just received. No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works.

  I am, sir, very respectfully,

  Your ob't se'v't,

  U. S. GRANT,

  Brig. Gen. 50

  Buckner believed an attack imminent, but if he thought Grant was bluffing, he should be glad he did not call his bluff. Grant had previously issued orders to Wallace and McClernand to attack when they heard Smith attack.

  Buckner, who had been a friend of Grant's before the war, was taken aback by the unchivalrous terms offered. He replied as follows:

  Headquarters, Dover, Tennessee,

  February 16, 1862.

  To Brig. Gen'l. U. S. Grant,

  U. S. Army.

  SIR:----The distribution of the forces under my command, incident to an unexpected change of commanders, and the overwhelming force under your command, compel me, notwithstanding the brilliant success of the Confederate arms yesterday, to accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous terms which you propose.

  I am, sir,

  Your very ob't se'v't,

  S. B. BUCKNER

  Brig. Gen. C. S. A. 51

  Upon receipt of the above letter, Grant rode into Dover to receive the surrender of Buckner arriving in time to have breakfast. During the course of the morning, Dr. Brinton, Grant's medical director, asked Grant when the formal surrender ceremonies would take place when Buckner would hand him his sword. Grant’s reply spoke volumes about his character. "The surrender is a fact. We have the fort, the men and the guns. Why should we go through with vain forms and mortify and injure the spirit of brave men who, after all, are our countrymen and brothers?" 52

  Grant was tough as nails during war. He used any means necessary to advance his cause, but at the core of the man stood a shy, kind, caring and sensitive individual. He was so shy, he blushed when others swore. He was so kind and sensitive that when the time came for Buckner to be shipped north, Grant, remembering Buckner's kindness to him years earlier when he was down on his luck, took Buckner aside (out of earshot) and offered him whatever money he needed to tide him over. Yet history records Grant as a hard war man, uncaring about anyone.

  February 16, 1862, recorded Grant victorious with the first significant Yankee victory of the war. The entire North exploded in jubilation with Ulysses S. Grant's name on everyone's lips. Everybody was sure his initials stood for Unconditional Surrender Grant. Gifts were showered upon him
from an adoring public, including an unusually large number of cigars. Until this point in his life, he smoked mostly pipes, but the story depicted him calmly smoking a cigar during the height of the battle. Consequently, it is from this time period that Grant's infamous romance with cigars dates.

  Grant wrote the following in a letter to Julia that night: "This is the largest capture I believe ever made on the continent."53 While he had a right to be proud, this statement was more than a boast, it was to portend future events, for Grant was to become one of the greatest military geniuses in world history. This was the first of three entire armies captured whole. Lee, McArthur, Patton or Eisenhower, none would ever achieve such success. Grant would never know the smell of defeat.

  The exact number of Southerners captured at Fort Donelson is not known, but the best estimate puts the number at about 13,000. In addition, Floyd, Pillow and Forrest escaped with between 2000 and 4000 men the night of February 15th. The number of rebels killed was estimated at 2500. A reasonable approximation of the total Confederate force at Fort Donelson at the outset is between 15,000 and 20,000. The original investment of the fort occurred with a force of no more than 15,000 against a force that was at least as large as his.

  This was no small defeat for the Confederacy. Because of Donelson, the rebels abandoned Bowling Green on February 14th and evacuated Columbus in early March. The impregnable Confederate western wall was broken. For the Union, the way was open to Tennessee.

  Grant's losses at Fort Donelson were approximately 3000 in killed, wounded and missing in spite of Grant being the attacking force.

  Fort Donelson was Grant’s first large battle and his methods were much improved over Belmont. He learned quickly and had remedied his previous shortcomings. He not only had reconnoitered his objective before the movement, but had reserves in ample supply during the operation. When he first moved on Donelson, he was able to call upon Wallace to fill the void between McClernand's and Smith's divisions. He also sent Thayer's brigade by water to have a reserve available as soon as he arrived before Donelson. He continued to receive reinforcements during the conflict, until, on February 16th, his command numbered 27,000 men.