The Battle of Fort Donelson

Dover Hotel/Surrender House on Petty Street ca. 1948. Photo courtesy of Jim Bailey.

The Dover Hotel was the site of the "unconditional surrender" of General Buckner to General Grant, on February 16, 1862. Grant's terms of "unconditional and immediate surrender" were described by Buckner as "ungenerous and unchivalrous". This was the Union Army's first major victory of the the Civil War, setting the stage for invasion of the south and eventual capture of the Mississippi River Valley.

The structure was originally built in 1851, and still stands in the heart of Dover. The structure had served as General Buckner's headquarters during the battle. The Fort Donelson House Historical Association and the National Park Service restored the house in the 1970's, and today the exterior looks much as it did at the time of the surrender.

Jim Bailey's Surrender House Photo Album
Jim Bailey's Fort Donelson Photo Album

Links to Information about the Battle of Fort Donelson

The Capture of Fort Donelson by Major General Lew Wallace, U.S.V.
Grant/Buckner Surrender Correspondence
The Battle of Fort Donelson: "No Terms Except Immediate and Unconditional Surrender"
The Capture of Fort Donelson, Part I
The Capture of Fort Donelson, Part II
The Battle of Fort Donelson
Civil War Artillery at Fort Donelson National Military Park
National Park Service: Fort Donelson National Battlefield

Return to Stewart County Civil War Page.

Return to Stewart County Homepage.