Fort Donelson National Battlefield

09/01/2026

NOTICE:

Visitor Center Operations Temporarily Located at the Dover Hotel
8:30 am–4:00 pm

Fort Donelson National Battlefield visitor services will be available at the historic Dover Hotel (Tour Stop 10), located at 101 Petty Street in Dover.

Visitors may meet with park rangers, receive park orientation and information, and view the park film.

The Dover Hotel will be open from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm each day.

Credit: NPS Photo

08/30/2026

What inspires a Junior Ranger? For one newly sworn in ranger, the answer was simple: Ulysses S. Grant — and a determination to follow in his footsteps.

As part of National Park Week, today is all about celebrating our youngest stewards — those who explore, learn, and protect our national parks.

Recently, one of our newly minted Junior Rangers shared that their favorite U.S. president is Ulysses S. Grant. They admired Grant’s steady resolve, his calm under pressure, and his determination throughout challenging moments of his life. Motivated by that same spirit, this young ranger set an ambitious goal: to visit every National Park Service site connected to U.S. Grant — beginning right here at Fort Donelson National Battlefield, where Grant’s Civil War career took a defining turn.

Grant’s story reminds us that learning, exploration, and curiosity can take us far. We encourage all visitors — young and young at heart — to chase your goals and discover the places that help shape America’s story.

Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant

08/29/2026

National Park Week--Staff Saturday

Since its establishment in 1928 as Fort Donelson National Military Park, generations of dedicated employees and volunteers have worked to preserve the resources and share the stories of the Battle of Fort Donelson Campaign and its associated battles and resources. They have also carried forward the solemn responsibility of caring for Fort Donelson National Cemetery and honoring those who rest there.

Although the faces may have changed, the mission has not. Fort Donelson National Battlefield thrives because dedicated people protect, preserve, and share this place every single day. Whether you meet them face‑to‑face or benefit from their work behind the scenes, each staff member helps keep the battlefield welcoming, safe, and meaningful for all who visit.

Interpretation Rangers help bring Fort Donelson’s history and landscape to life. You might see them presenting programs, answering questions at the front desk, or using historic clothing and hands‑on materials to make the past feel present.

Maintenance staff care for the park’s grounds and facilities so visitors can enjoy them. From mowing and repairs to keeping restrooms clean and trails safe, their work ensures the battlefield is ready for you year‑round.

Administrative staff coordinate budgets, planning, and essential operations. You may not often see them, but their efforts keep every part of the park running smoothly.

Law Enforcement Rangers help protect visitors and park resources. They respond to emergencies, assist during hazardous situations, and work to ensure the battlefield remains safe for both people and wildlife.

Every one of these professionals plays a vital role in caring for Fort Donelson National Battlefield. Even if you only meet a few during your visit, countless others support your experience—maintaining the landscape, safeguarding resources, and helping share the stories that define this place.

Image: Group photo from 2012. NPS Photo

08/28/2026

Weekend Activities at Fort Donelson National Battlefield

As National Park Week concludes, we invite you to join us for a weekend filled with ranger led programs and activities for visitors of all ages. Discover new perspectives, connect with the resources we protect, and enjoy experiences designed to inspire, inform, and engage.

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Saturday, August 29, 2026 11:00 am
Location: Fort Donelson National Battlefield Visitor Center (120 Fort Donelson Park Road, Dover, Tennessee)

Join a park ranger for a living history program at Fort Donelson National Battlefield.
On the snow-covered hills where thousands of Union soldiers once fought for the first time, you’ll explore how they fought, why they fought, and discover the equipment and tools they carried into battle. The program concludes with an exciting musket firing demonstration.
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Saturday, August 29, 2026
2:00 pm
Location: River Batteries (Tour Stop #4)
"Exchanging Iron Valentines"

Join a park ranger for a dynamic look at the extraordinary events of February 14, 1862, when newly constructed Union ironclad gunboats exchanged powerful fire with the Confederate river batteries defending Fort Donelson. This engaging, on site program highlights how innovation, determination, and river warfare converged along the Cumberland—shaping the course of the Civil War.
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Sunday, August 30, 1:00 pm–3:30 pm
1:00 pm–3:30 pm
Location: Fort Donelson Visitor Center (120 Fort Donelson Park Road, Dover, TN)
National Junior Ranger Day Program

Join us on Sunday at the Fort Donelson Visitor Center for special hands on Junior Ranger activities. Families are invited to step back in time and explore what life was like for Civil War infantry soldiers and artillerists.
• On the hour: Learn how infantry soldiers marched, drilled, and lived in camp.
• On the half hour: Discover what it took to fire field artillery.

Earn your Junior Ranger badge and become part of America’s story!
For any questions, please contact the park at (931) 232 5706.

Image: Artwork courtesy of NPS Art collection. "Exchanging Iron Valentines" by Andy Thomas

08/28/2026

Come Celebrate National Junior Ranger Day with us at Fort Donelson National Battlefield!

Sunday, August 30, 1:00 pm–3:30 pm
Junior Ranger Day Program Location: Fort Donelson Visitor Center (120 Fort Donelson Park Road, Dover, TN)

Join us on Sunday at the Fort Donelson Visitor Center for special hands on Junior Ranger activities. Families are invited to step back in time and explore what life was like for Civil War infantry soldiers and artillerists.

• On the hour: Learn how infantry soldiers marched, drilled, and lived in camp.
• On the half hour: Discover what it took to fire field artillery.

Earn your Junior Ranger badge and become part of America’s story!

For any questions, please contact the park at (931) 232 5706.

Image: NPS Photo

08/25/2026

For the places that inspire us. For the stories that shape us.

110 years ago, America had a pretty good idea: protect some of its most extraordinary places so all could enjoy them for generations to come. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service. Since then, parks have connected us to the landscapes, stories, and people that have shaped the nation, from towering mountains and wild rivers to battlefields, historic spaces, and sacred places.

For over a century, they’ve given us places to explore, learn, remember, and simply stand in awe. And, of course, plenty of reasons to lace up the hiking boots and say, “It’s just a little farther.”

08/25/2026

August 25, 1862: The Battle of Dover

After Shiloh and the controversial surrender at Clarksville, the question hanging over the 71st Ohio Volunteer Infantry was unavoidable: When the next demand for surrender came, what would the remaining soldiers choose to do?

On August 25, 1862, at Dover, they faced that moment.
A week after taking Clarksville, Confederate officers Thomas Woodward and Adam “Stovepipe” Johnson moved again through the region with roughly 900 men—far outnumbering the 160 soldiers of the 71st holding Dover. Major James Hart commanded the detachment, positioned behind earthworks on the main hill and supported by two unreliable cannons captured at Fort Donelson. Hart requested help from the 5th Iowa Cavalry at Fort Henry, but until reinforcements arrived, the Ohioans stood alone.

Around 1:30 p.m., Woodward’s forces approached Dover, some wearing civilian clothing that allowed them to surprise and capture pickets along the roads. Woodward demanded the Union soldiers surrender. Hart refused. After reviewing their situation, Hart and his officers agreed they could hold and prepared to fight.

To remove hiding places near their position, the 71st set fire to several buildings. As smoke filled the streets, Woodward’s cavalry advanced, pushing into town from multiple directions. The defenders held firm, firing from their fortified position and stopping each attempt to break through. Woodward’s horse was shot during the attack, and he escaped on foot. After about thirty minutes of fighting, the Confederates withdrew. Remarkably, the 71st reported no killed or wounded.

The 5th Iowa Cavalry arrived later that evening and pursued Woodward the next morning. In September, Woodward left Clarksville as United States forces—including the 71st—moved in. The men at Dover had met the question that had followed them for months and answered it in full view of their commanders, their community, and the nation.

Chaplain A. L. McKinney later shared the detachment’s experience with a local newspaper, offering a contemporary view of what the battle meant to those who fought it:
“You are fully aware of the odium that has been attached—we think unjustly—to the Seventy first regiment Ohio volunteer infantry…. I thank God that this detachment, at least, has flung that foul disgrace from its shoulders—washed the stain of imputed cowardice from its skirts in the blood of the enemy.”

Image caption: Newspaper report from the New York Tribune on the August 25, 1862, Battle of Dover.
Image is courtesy of Library of Congress, Chronicling America.

08/24/2026

71st Ohio Volunteer Infantry: Setting the Stage for Dover

The reputation of the 71st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) was about to be tested long before the men at Dover ever saw battle. In the summer of 1862, events unfolding just down the Cumberland River would soon cast a long shadow over the regiment—and shape how the public, the Army, and even their fellow soldiers judged them.
The 71st OVI arrived at Dover and Clarksville in April 1862, using the posts to train, organize, and patrol the surrounding countryside. By August, however, Confederate cavalry leaders Lt. Col. Thomas Woodward and Col. Adam Rankin “Stovepipe” Johnson were carving their own path across the region. Operating with speed, independence, and local support, their combined forces targeted communities along the river. Clarksville, guarded by only half the 71st’s strength and containing a large store of supplies, became their next objective.
Col. Rodney Mason knew Confederate troops were in the area and asked for reinforcements—none came. On August 18, Woodward and Johnson advanced on Clarksville. Mason was shown what appeared to be overwhelming Confederate artillery, growing ranks of soldiers, and hostile civilians. Convinced his men could not hold the town, Mason surrendered the command.
The fallout was immediate and fierce. Northern newspapers blasted Mason and the regiment, quoting the infamous “I’ll tickle you, you tickle me” comments reportedly exchanged during the surrender. Some papers went so far as to suggest the men should never return to Ohio. Four days later, on August 22, President Abraham Lincoln ordered Mason and all officers who had signed the surrender justification to be dishonorably discharged.
For the soldiers of the 71st still stationed at Dover—many of whom had not been present at Clarksville—the consequences were personal. Their regiment’s honor had been publicly damaged, and they now served under the weight of a story they hadn’t been part of. But they would not wait long for a chance to prove themselves and reshape how history remembers the 71st OVI.

Image caption: Photograph of Lt. Col. Thomas Woodward. Taken in Clarksville, TN by Col. Rodney Mason after Mason requested to take Woodward’s photograph.
Image courtesy of Library of Congress

08/23/2026

As we are celebrating National Park Week, it is timely to share of an important occurrence at Fort Donelson that unfolded during this time in 1862.

On a sunny, hot August day, 150 soldiers from the 71st Ohio Volunteer Infantry prepared to defend Dover against several thousand Confederate partisans, guerrillas, and irregulars led by Colonel Adam Rankin “Stovepipe” Johnson.

To understand how this engagement occurred, we first look at what set the stage for the battle.

The 71st Ohio began forming in September 1861 under Lieutenant Colonel Barton S. Kyle. Colonel Rodney Mason soon assumed command, reportedly using political influence from Mason’s father, which caused resentment within the regiment.

Whether because of limited weapons or limited motivation, the 71st received very little drill time—only about ten hours—before entering its first major engagement.

The regiment fought its first battle at Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862. Positioned on the Union left, the 71st quickly fell back in disorder. Even so, it suffered significant losses: 109 casualties out of roughly 508 soldiers. Their casualties exceeded those of several other regiments in the division. Lieutenant Colonel Kyle was among the fallen.

In the aftermath of Shiloh, senior leaders, including Major General Ulysses S. Grant, looked for explanations for the first day’s setbacks. The 71st’s retreat made the regiment a focal point of criticism, and newspapers across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois condemned it as cowardly. Grant later recounted that Mason approached him “with… tears in his eyes,” asking for another chance. Regardless of how accurately these accounts reflect the moment, the regiment’s reputation suffered greatly.

To remove the regiment from heavy fighting while still keeping them in service, Grant assigned the 71st to guard duties in Clarksville and Dover. With roughly 500 soldiers present, Colonel Mason placed about 200 men in Clarksville and 150 in Dover—unaware that those quiet river towns sat on the edge of a storm.

In just a few months, the regiment would find itself at the center of the August 1862 Battle of Dover, unexpectedly thrust into a moment that offered something they desperately wanted: a chance to reclaim their honor on the very ground where history was about to demand it.

Image caption: Two unidentified soldiers from Ohio.
Image is courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Records Division.

08/23/2026

Safety Sunday

As National Park Week continues, August’s intense summer heat is a reminder to stay alert and take care while exploring our parks. Drink water often, wear lightweight clothing, and take breaks in shaded or cool areas whenever you need to. Whether you walk, run, roll, or ride, we want every visitor to enjoy the remarkable landscapes our nation protects—safely.

By planning ahead for extreme heat, you help ensure everyone can make the most of their National Park Week adventures.

If you’re looking for a perfect way to escape the afternoon temperatures, join us for the Bobby Horton concert at the Stewart County Visitor Center at 2 p.m. It’s a great opportunity to cool off while enjoying outstanding music.