The fall of Fort Donelson in 1862 secured the flank of the Union forces in that area. General Henry Halleck took this opportunity to have Union forces to move up the Tennessee River as far as was possible.
Ulysses Grant.
KY
Well, during the Battle of Forts Henry and Donelson, the Union used a combination of naval bombardment and ground forces to surround and ultimately capture the Confederate forts. They strategically cut off supply lines and communication to weaken the Confederate defenses. By working together and utilizing different tactics, the Union forces were able to secure a significant victory in the Western Theater of the Civil War.
Fort Henry and Fort Donelson were significant Confederate fortifications during the American Civil War, located in Tennessee. Fort Henry, situated on the Tennessee River, fell to Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant in February 1862, marking one of the first Union victories in the Western Theater. Following this, Fort Donelson, located on the Cumberland River, was also captured by Grant’s forces shortly thereafter, earning him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant and opening the way for the Union's advance into the South. Their capture was pivotal in securing Union control over key waterways and contributed to the overall momentum of the Union Army in the early stages of the war.
Ulysses Grant.
Superior Navy
US Grant captured Paducah, Ft. Henry, and Ft. Donelson early in the war.
At the time of US Grant's capture, mainly Fort Donelson, it endangered Nashville, Tennessee. It also opened up Union forces to use the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. These river ways enabled, if it could be done, the Union to strike deep into the western part of the Confederacy.
The North and South clashed at Shiloh because a month after the victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, Ulysses S. Grant gathered his troops there, and about a month later, Confederate soldiers showed up and attacked the Union forces. Following afterwards, Grant reorganized what was left of his troops, and counterattacked the Confederates.
The Union won Ft. Henry, Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, and Perryville, among others.
The Union forces as Fort Donelsson surrendered to U.S. Grant.