A commanding view of the Cumberland River from the Upper Artillery Battery
Photo: NPS
About
Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant was becoming quite famous as he wrote these words following the surrender of Confederate Fort Donelson on Sunday, February 16, 1862. The Union victory at Fort Donelson elated the North, and stunned the South. Within days of the surrender, Clarksville and Nashville would fall into Union hands. Grant and his troops had created a pathway to victory for the Union.
Location
174 National Cemetery Drive
PO Box 434
Dover, TN 37058
Hours
wednesday8:00AM - 4:30PM
monday8:00AM - 4:30PM
thursday8:00AM - 4:30PM
sunday8:00AM - 4:30PM
tuesday8:00AM - 4:30PM
friday8:00AM - 4:30PM
saturday8:00AM - 4:30PM
Activities
Auto and ATVScenic DrivingGuided ToursSelf-Guided Tours - AutoHikingJunior Ranger ProgramPark FilmMuseum Exhibits
Directions
The main entrance is at 120 Fort Donelson Park Road, in Dover Tennessee. It is advised to start a visitor experience here. Brochures and information are available at this location. Physical address for the park's Fort Heiman unit, in Calloway County, Kentucky: 654 Fort Heiman Road, New Concord, Kentucky. This site is not staffed daily, but exhibits and information are available for visitors.
Get directions →Weather
Fort Donelson National Battlefield traditionally experiences mild to moderate winters and hot summers with an average high of 90 degrees in the summer and 40 in winter; average lows in the winter are 30 degrees but single digits are not unusual. Rainfall in the area averages 53 inches a year with an additional 6 inches of ice/snow and violent thunderstorms can take place at any time of year.