13,000 Prisoners-Fort Donelson - Dover TN
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 36° 29.344 W 087° 50.182
16S E 425087 N 4038520
Marker is on Petty Street, located at stop ten, Dover Hotel, of the driving tour of Fort Donelson, Dover United States 37058
Waymark Code: WM18V6Q
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 09/28/2023
Views: 1
13,000 Prisoners-Thirteen thousand dejected Confederate defenders of Fort Donelson huddled here against the cold on February 16, 1862. They had fought long and hard against Grant's forces and did not consider themselves defeated. They had been surrendered against their will and now waited to be transported north. Never before in the Civil War had so many prisoners been taken, and the poorly clad Confederates could only guess what awaited them. After being issued two day's rations and allowed to keep "their clothing, blankets, and such personal property as may be carried about the person," the prisoners were shipped 120 miles to Cairo, Illinois. From there trains carried them to prison camps in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Massachusetts. In September 1862 most of the prisoners were exchanged for Union soldiers being held in Confederate prison camps.
Where did they go?
Most of the enlisted men were taken to prison camps in Illinois and Indiana; most of the officers went to camps in Ohio and Massachusetts:
• Camps Douglas & Butler
Chicago & Springfield, Illinois
• Camp Morton
Indianapolis, Indiana
• Camp Chase & Johnson's Island
Columbus & Sandusky, Ohio
• Fort Warren
Boston, Massachuset
Name of Government Entity or Private Organization that built the monument: National Park Service
Union, Confederate or Other Monument: Confederate
Rating (1-5): 
Related Website: [Web Link]
Photo or photos will be uploaded.: yes
Date Installed or Dedicated: Not listed
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