Booknotes: The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign

New Arrival:

• The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign: February 6–16, 1862 edited by Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear (SIU Press, 2026).

Southern Illinois University Press's Civil War Campaigns in the Heartland essay anthology series, edited by Steven Woodworth, opened its doors in 2009 with the publication of The Shiloh Campaign. From the start, planning was very ambitious (see series roadmap), and pacing challenges have produced some wide gaps between releases, but it is great to see that the wheels are still turning. Changes over the years include the addition of a series co-editor, Charles Grear, and the renaming of the series to Civil War Campaigns in the West. Releasing hardcover and paperback versions at the same time is a new development. The eighth and newest installment, the first in six years, is The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign: February 6–16, 1862. It addresses a series of military events that not only resulted in the "first major strategic breakthrough of the war" but "signaled a dramatic shift in momentum and elevated Grant’s national profile."

From the description: In the volume's seven essays "leading and emerging scholars provide in-depth analyses of previously overlooked aspects of the Forts Henry and Donelson campaign. Contributors examine how ecological forces influenced the campaign, the effectiveness of the joint command between the Union army and navy, and Union brigadier general Charles F. Smith’s assault that doomed Fort Donelson. They also explore the battle’s impact on the military career of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the effects of surprise during the Confederate breakout attempt from Fort Donelson, Confederate colonel Gabriel Wharton’s memoir, and how the loss of the forts showed Texans that the fight to preserve the enslaved South would cost them more than they had imagined."

Here's the full Table of Contents:

Introduction - Steven E. Woodworth
1. Natural Chaos: Ecological Forces and the Struggle for Forts Henry and Donelson by Michael Burns.
2. Joint Command: The Union Gunboats at Forts Henry and Donelson by Blakeney K. Hill.
3. Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Fort Donelson Dilemmas by Brian S. Wills.
4. Surprise and Security: Launching and Resisting the Confederate Breakout at Fort Donelson by Jonathan M. Steplyk.
5. C. F. Smith's Attack at Fort Donelson by Steven E. Woodworth.
6. Justifying Surrender: Colonel Gabriel C. Wharton at Fort Donelson by Sheilah R. Elwardani.
7. “This Time of Our Ill Success and Defeat”: Texans' Reaction to the Battle of Fort Donelson by Charles D. Grear.

All of the previous series volumes have been covered on the site, the full reviews easily found using the search bar.