Fort Henry

(Did you mean a different Fort Henry)

Fort Henry (1861-1865) - A Confederate post established in 1861 during the U.S. Civil War on the east side of the Tennessee River in Stewart County, Tennessee. Named for Confederate Senator Gustavus Henry. Captured by Union forces in 1862 and renamed Fort Foote for Union Admiral Andrew H. Foote. Abandoned at the end of the war in 1865.

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  Capture of Fort Henry by Union Gunboats, 6 Feb 1862

History

A Confederate post built out as a 17 gun earthworks and an adjacent garrison camp. The post was poorly sited and was prone to flooding of the Tennessee River.

In February 1862 Union naval forces under Admiral Andrew H. Foote and army forces under Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant approached Fort Henry. Fort Henry was garrisoned with some 3,400 troops under Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman (Cullum 887) but was partially flooded at the time. General Tilghman realized that he was in an untenable position and sent the bulk of his garrison to Fort Donelson. The remaining 70 artillerymen were quickly overwhelmed by Admiral Foote's seven gunboats and General Tilghman surrendered the fort on 6 Feb 1862.

The loss of Fort Henry opened up the river to the Union forces and was a major loss to the Confederacy. The fort was renamed Fort Foote for Admiral Foote and occupied by Union troops.

Current Status

Fort henry Marker

Marker on Highway 79. Fort mostly submerged but may have some outer works exposed, Stewart County, Tennessee.

Context

Location: Fort Henry, Stewart County, Tennessee. Fort map point may not be accurate. The marker location was verified by on-site visit.
Lat: 36.505° Long: -88.032° Elevation: 463' Bing, Google, OldMapsOnline, USGS, OHM

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Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 741
• USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1284665

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Henry
• Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture - Fort Henry
• Land Between the Lakes - Fort Henry Historic Site
• Wikipedia - Battle of Fort Henry
• Fort Henry Trail

Related:
Fort Casino, Fort Dan McCook, Fort Defiance, Fort Donelson, Fort Foote, Fort Garesche, Fort Gillem, Fort Heiman, Fort Henry, Fort Johnson, Fort Morton, Fort Negley, Fort W.D. Whipple, Fort Webb, New or Updated Forts and Camps, Ulysses S. Grant,