Unconditional Surrender

In February of 1862 the Union won their first major battle of the war. Kentucky had attempted to declare neutrality. Since it was a border state and a prime invasion route for the Union, neither the North nor the South were having any of that. Abraham Lincoln is said to have uttered the famous words “I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky”.

Shortly after the declaration, Confederate forces occupied Columbus to try and defend the Mississippi from Union advances. Their advantage was lost soon after when General Ulysses S. Grant seized the rail and river hub of Paducah. Soon after, Grant seized Fort Henry on the Kentucky River on February 6th in combination with heavy ironclad Union Navy gunboats and torrential rain flooding out the fort’s defenders.

Grant was then ordered to attack Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River about 10 miles to the east. Skirmishing and probes by ground troops started on the 12th and Union gunboats were repaired. On February 14th, Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote began the gunboat assault on the fort. The ironclads sustained heavy damage but the Union army was able to stifle an attempted escape by the Confederates who surrendered on the 16th. Grant replied to General Buckner’s request for terms with the following:

Yours of this date, proposing armistice and appointment of commissioners to settle terms of capitulation, is just received. No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works.

Grant became known as “Unconditional Surrender” and the Union began the systematic dismantling the Confederacy.

See Also

• Fort Donelson - Wikipedia
• Battle of Fort Henry - Wikipedia
• Fort Donelson
• THE FIERY TRIAL: “I Must Have Kentucky” – Exact Words
• Battle of Fort Donelson ‑ Winner, Location & Date
• 10 Things You May Not Know About Ulysses S. Grant
• General Ulysses S. Grant’s Report on the Battle and Capture of Fort Donelson – Iron Brigader
• Forts Henry and Donelson

• History