"Unconditional Surrender Grant" is Born at Fort Donelson

With a growing Federal Army engulfing the Fort Donelson garrison on the Cumberland River, Confederate Generals Gideon Pillow and John Floyd flee to safety, while the majority of their men surrender to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
Grant meets with his old friend Simon Bolivar Buckner, now in charge of the Confederate garrison, at the Dover Hotel. Grant gives him his terms...unconditional surrender. It was the first of three Confederate armies that Grant bagged during the Civil War.
Head to the Dover Hotel with Garry Adelman, Greg Biggs, Chris Mackowski, and Kris White as they tell one of the great tales of the American Civil War. #FortDonelsonTour
This video is part of our Battlefield Tour Series covering Civil War Tennessee and Mississippi. View the full playlist here: • Civil War Tennessee/Mi...
The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters. We permanently protect these battlefields for future generations as a lasting and tangible memorial to the brave soldiers who fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

[@johnp9402]

Ulysses as president signed the land grant for my great great grandfather before he came across the Oregon trail. We still have it framed on the wall

[@oceantree5000]

Whoa! What an incredible heirloom!

[@pamelaoliver8442]

Very cool!!

[@johnp9402]

@@oceantree5000 thanks 😊

[@johnp9402]

@@pamelaoliver8442 thanks 😊

[@user-uq8zz2wh3o]

جت تج

[@JonathanLundkvist]

Informed of Pillow's escape by Buckner, Grant commented "if I had got him, I'd let him go again. He will do us more good commanding you fellows."

[@nwalsham]

Grant was effective as he knew you had to take the initiative, keep it and bring every resource to bare. He was not cavalier with his mens lives. Unfortunately you could not beat Lee without enduring casualties.

[@TheCivilwargal]

The misconception that Grant was brutal and careless with his men's lives is another one of the myths of our Civil War. At Donelson he captured an army, at Vicksburg another. In the Vicksburg campaign his army marched from the river to Jackson, and back to Vicksburg in 3 weeks, fighting and winning 5 battles. Routed Bragg at Chattanooga. Ya, well, Bragg was a big help. Trouble of it was, he had a (mostly) competent officer corps in the West. Going East, he had to deal with the very politized, incompetent officer corps of the Army of the Potomac. Read how some of them criticized him in B. & L. vol. 4. They were still clueless. Also Catton, "Campaigning with Grant", by Porter (slanted, but interesting nonetheless) and Fletcher Pratt had an insightful commentary on Grant's "hammering campaign". And Lee didn't make things easy. The Army of Northern Virginia was used to winning, and when an army is used to winning, especially an American army (no prejudice here) they are kindly hard to handle.

[@TheDeanoinlox]

We spent yesterday, Grants 200th birthday, at Ft Donaldson and this hotel. It was an honor.

[@cyndiebill6631]

The South is full of battlefields. It amazing and great history. I went to my only Civil War battlefield when I lived in Arkansas. It was called the Battle of Poison Springs near Camden. I visited a house that had bullet holes in the walls from the battle. Because of this I have learned to look at the Civil War from both sides. I feel that if you want to understand why you need to understand who the people were and what they were fighting for.

[@strumbum946]

Cyndie Bill - You should visit Pea Ridge National Battlefield near Springdale if you haven’t already. Pea Ridge is very well kept, (at least it used to be), and the largest National Battlefield in Arkansas. I agree with you regarding trying to understand/learn what people on both sides “were like” and what “they thought” at the TIME of the War, NOT today…

[@bryanwiedeman3154]

@@strumbum946 Pea Ridge is the best park and most interesting battle of the Civil War

[@oceantree5000]

Thank you gentlemen (and also of course any ladies off-screen whom we aren’t seeing) for your wontedly excellent work. Bowling Green, KY native here; it’s great to see sites so close to my hometown! Living out in Oregon, I get homesick. Keep it up, if you please.

[@davestein4162]

As brutal as Grant’s philosophy was the Union needed his stubborn, run your head into a brick wall, mentality. Tragic it cost so many lives. But the country became a unified United States (instead of 40-50 independent countries) and resulted in the super power that was instrumental in winning WW1 and WW2 and the beacon for freedom worldwide.

[@oceantree5000]

Great points. I think a lot of folks fail to do that part of the math. Without excusing excess effusion of blood, it also bears mentioning that Lee’s men were statistically more likely to be killed and wounded than Grant’s; indeed, it was largely not until he ran across Lee that Grant’s men began falling at that clip.

[@xisotopex]

I dont think subjugating a large portion of the country is any beacon for freedom. subjugation and coercion is the exact opposite of freedom.

[@oceantree5000]

@@xisotopex not just the Confederate economy, but the nation itself (as per secession documents and post-secession state constitutions) was wholly based on subjugation and coercion of the most brutal stripe. Not sure how you’ve missed this elephant in the room.

[@xisotopex]

@@oceantree5000 you do realize that slavery was still legal in the US during the civil war as well? not to mention the slave traders ships sailed under American flags, not Confederate. Plenty of other countries were able to abolish slavery without going to war over it.

[@oceantree5000]

@@xisotopex Yes, although the time frame matters a lot with regards to when slavery was legal where. By the time frame of the CSA, it was only legal in the border states, and very much under threat from above there as well.

[@FredSmithCemeteryAdventures]

Great acting worthy of an academy award

[@kevindice1092]

The comic opera manner in which command passed to Buckner from Pillow and Floyd is worthy of mention.

[@theRappinSpree]

I’ve really enjoyed Greg’s insight over the last few videos. A fantastic guest, and just a fountain of knowledge on Ft.Henry & Ft. Donelson

[@toddmoss1689]

My great great grandfather M.C Hill of Tishomingo County, Mississippi was captured at Fort Donelson as part of the 26th Mississippi Infantry, with which he’d later be captured at Champions Hill and then return to again for service leading up to and including Petersburg, VA. I learned most of his service from the National Archives.

[@bmdecker93]

Tremendous work. Thank you.

[@jumpmaster82nd.]

In your surrender reenactment I believe I read that at some point Buckner gave a Grant a two finger Three Stooges poke in the eye which Grant blocked with his hand on the bridge of his nose. Maybe try that again?! Nice work men!

[@cal4625]

Great Videos! You guys really know your stuff! THANKS!!!

[@darrenrawlings9278]

Brilliant 👏

[@travisbayles870]

Both my great great grandfather and my great great great uncle of the 32nd Tennessee infantry were at Ft Donelson

[@nathanfisher1826]

Thanks

[@waltw4537]

Mt. McGregor is about 2 1/2 hours away from us. The Save Grant Cottage committee helped preserve the cottage and prevent it from becoming the offices of the superintendent of the prison located below. Great videos of the Tennessee campaigns. Thanks so much!

[@jszopin]

amazing re-enactment!

[@craiggleason8386]

Another great video

[@stevearchtoe7039]

Enjoyed this very much. Great job.

[@CreatorsKid]

That bit about Halleck and McClellan conspiring, I guess out of jealousy (?) against Grant. That was a piece of the puzzle I was missing concerning the replacement of Lincoln's generals, i.e. Why wasn't Halleck chosen after Meade? Conspiring against success with such a low bar would convince me Halleck had some problematic flaws in his character.

[@bobbyb.6644]

Absolute Power of Display ! Grant obviously felt they were “ Traitors “ not deserving respect ? 🤔

[@TheMidwesternViking]

Proud To Say My State's Regiment Was Under The Command Of U.S Grant And Fought At Fort Donelson, 1st Nebraska Infantry Regiment under General Lew Wallace

[@christopherr.561]

Thank you. Awesome video. Need to careful with how loud or soft you speak when emphasizing things. It’s fine just can make the volume a bit challenging and sporadic;)

[@seancurran6727]

Yep, the guy in red becomes almost inaudible. We could always turn it down if it were too loud, can't turn it up past maximum.

[@dannyphillipsmusic]

Couldn't wait five minutes for the sirens to pass? Other than that, great job!

[@TroyMastern]

AAHHH!! These videos are so awesome I had to scream.

[@fernandobastidas1983]

I like military history and specially civil wars, like the spanish civil war of the 1930s. I started to get interest in the american civil war thanks to a curiosity. I am from Venezuela. Several years ago, I was watching a TV documentary on the battle of Okinawa in WW2 in spanish and in some point, the narrator said Simón Bolívar ... (I did not care what was his last name at that moment) and I thought I had misheard, because I had never heard anyone named after venezuelan general Simón Bolívar. At least, I searched on the internet at that moment and found the biography of Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr, who led the 10th Army at that battle and I also found his father, Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr., was a confederate general. That was the moment when I started to pay attention to civil war movies, documentaries and all the rest. This year has been the one when I started to attend virtual meetings. A good experience for someone who lives in a different country.

[@coreyirwin8258]

My Mom who was a Kentucky girl or should I say woman took me too this Battlefield and let me run all over it. Great video

[@jorgemartinpaez4376]

the stories is so interesting! the surrender! sorry USN! no surrender these old amigos of the army and militia will surrender to Grant!

[@davidharrington4374]

haha weed