When General Ulysses S. Grant targeted Forts Henry and Donelson, he penetrated the Confederacy at one of its most vulnerable points, setting in motion events that would elevate his own status, demoralize the Confederate leadership and citizenry, and, significantly, tear the western Confederacy asunder. More to the point, the two battles of early 1862 opened the Tennessee River campaign that would prove critical to the ultimate Union victory in the Mississippi Valley. In this book, the author gives readers a battlefield view of the fight for Forts Henry and Donelson, as well as a critical wide-angle perspective on their broader meaning in the conduct and outcome of the war.--Publisher's description.

"The keys of the gate-way into her own territory" -- "You have no idea how much work is required to improvise" -- "Too much haste will ruin everything" -- "We soon understood that the great western move was to begin" -- "Alternately mud and water all the way up" -- "A good day's work" -- "The entering wedge to all our subsequent successes" -- "I think we can take it; at all events, we can try" -- "Pretty well tested the strength of our defensive line" -- "You are not at Fort Henry" -- "Not generally having an idea that a big fight was on hand" -- "The whole line just seemed to melt away and scatter" -- "Up to this period the success was complete" -- "The one who attacks first now will be victorious" -- "We got the place" -- "The trophies of war are immense.".