The 1862 Battles for Forts Henry and Donelson: The Opening of the Western Theater

Join Park Ranger David Hatfield as he discusses the 1862 battles at Forts Henry & Donelson, a decisive win that secured Kentucky for the Union and marked a major turning point in the Western Theater

At the beginning of 1862, the American Civil War had reached a stalemate. The Union public was growing restless with the lack of action, and President Abraham Lincoln ordered his cautious and methodical generals to attack. Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant was more than willing to carry out his superior, Major General Henry Halleck’s, orders to capture Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson. These two forts defended the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, which flowed deep into the Confederacy. Learn about these battles, how they shattered the Confederate defensive line between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains, and how they changed the course of the war.

Park Ranger David Hatfield began working for the National Park Service in 2017 as a seasonal employee at Vicksburg National Military Park. He has worked at multiple National Park Service sites related to the American Civil War and the Revolutionary War, and he enjoys sharing history with others. He received his Master of Arts in U.S. History from Mississippi State University. While attending university, he also worked as an intern for the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. He began working as a Park Ranger at Fort Donelson in 2024. 

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