Posts Tagged With: Paris Tennessee

Paris, Tennessee (forgot to post this, posting on Dec. 9)

It is 300 miles from Little Rock Arkansas to Fort Donelson, Tennessee. It was a sunny, breezy, cool day as we played tag with the semis along Interstate 40. Once again we crossed the Mississippi River, this time at Memphis, going east.

Fort Donelson was constructed over a period of months, perched on a hillside overlooking the Cumberland River. A companion fort on the Tennessee River was not finished in a timely manner and Union troops and iron sided gun boats easily took that location. The Union expected another easy battle but the Confederates put up a stiff fight.

The Union, under the leadership of General U.S. Grant, did win the battle at Fort Donelson. Like many battles, individual courage tells only part of the story. The South had more poor decisions that changed the outcome of the battle. In the end, 13,000 Confederate troops surrendered. The Union victory in February 1862 opened up the interior heartland of the Confederacy through the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.

This battle brought the attention of the North of General Grant. When the South sought to negotiate their surrender, he wrote back that the only terms would be unconditional surrender. Thereafter, Northerners said his name of U.S. Grant stood for Unconditional Surrender Grant.

Our evening meal was a great Italian dinner at Moustos Pasta and Grill in Paris TN.