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Fort Henry, on the the right bank of the Tennessee River and Fort Donelson, on the left bank of the Cumberland River, both next to the border between the Tennessee and Kentucky were two Confederate strongholds built to prevent the Union naval and land forces to invade Tennessee.

The Forts stood about 12 miles far each other and had been conceived to provide mutual support moving troops through a strategic road that linked them.

At the end of Feb. 1862, Gen. Grant and Commodore Foot noticed by means of intelligence that the entrenched camp defending the land side of Fort Henry had not been completely garrisoned yet and decided to attack it before reinforcements were sent there.

The assault began on Feb. 6, 1862 at 12,30AM with a bombardment carried out by Commodore Foote's 7 gunboats, which after about two hour compelled the Fort to surrender, after the Confederate infantry units (about 3200 men) evacuated the entrenched camp, retreating towards Fort Donelson, avoiding to be taken prisoners by the approaching Union's land forces.

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13y ago

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