Foote's Gunboat Flotilla-Fort Donelson - Dover TN
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 36° 29.688 W 087° 51.371
16S E 423318 N 4039172
The gunboat flotilla that Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote launched against Forts Henry and Donelson consisted of both timberclad and ironclad vessels.
Waymark Code: WM171AT
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 11/19/2022
Views: 1
Foote's Gunboat Flotilla- The gunboat flotilla that Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote launched against Forts Henry and Donelson consisted of both timberclad and ironclad vessels. The timberclads - Conestoga, Lexington, and Tyler - were commercial river steamers converted to gunboats by adding heavy wooden bulkheads and a mix of cannon. The ironclads, all named for towns on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers - Carondelet, Cincinnati, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburg, and St. Louis - were broad-beam, shallow-draft vessels protected with 2.5 inches of armor on their sides (called casemates) and 1.25 inches on the conical forward pilothouse. They were built by James Eads, a civil engineer with riverboat experience. Because of their rectangular sloped casemates, designed by by Samuel M. Pook, made them resemble mud turtles, they were called "Pook Turtles."
Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote
Flag officer Andrew Hull Foote, a veteran of nearly 40 years of naval service, commanded the Union's Western Flotilla. Blunt and of implacable resolve, Foote, like Grant, believed the best way to defeat an enemy was to attack him.
LOCATION: Marker is in Dover, Tennessee, in Stewart County. Marker is on Lock D Loop, on the right when traveling north. Located at stop 4, the river batteries, on the driving tour of Fort Donelson National Battlefield.
Name of Battle:
Battle of Fort Donelson
Name of War: U.S. Civil War
Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 02/11/1862
Entrance Fee: Not Listed
Parking: Not Listed
Date of Battle (End): Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post a photo of you in front of a sign or marker posted at the site of the battle (or some other way to indicate you have personally visited the site.
In addition it is encouraged to take a few photos of the surrounding area and interesting features at the site.