Fort Donelson National Battlefield: An Analysis of Past and Present Vegetational Patterns and Historic Parameters with Recommendations for Restoration and Future Management, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, National Park Service
McCrain G and Grubb A. 1987. Fort Donelson National Battlefield: An Analysis of Past and Present Vegetational Patterns and Historic Parameters with Recommendations for Restoration and Future Management, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, National Park Service. Cultural Landscape Management Plans. NPS Southeast Regional Office. Southeast Regional Office
An Analysis of Past and Present Vegetational Patterns and Historic Parameters at Fort Donelson National Battlefield with Recommendations for Restoration and Future Management On February 16, 1862, Brig. Gen. Simon B. Buckner surrendered the Confederate garrison at Fort Donelson to forces under the command of Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. This loss, in conjunction with the capture of nearby Fort Henry, represented more than just a defeat for the fledgling Confederate army. The fall of Fort Donelson helped provide an avenue for Union entry into the heart of the South as well as bring General Grant into the national limelight for the first time. To commemorate this historic event and to honor those who fought and died here, the U.S. Congress established Fort Donelson as a national military park in 1928; management responsibility was transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1933. Past research efforts have concentrated on interpreting events and identifying details of the fighting. However, natural features that represented critical components of the battlefield and surrounding terrain during the Civil War period are poorly understood. The purpose of this report is to address that omission. An effort has been made to compare/contrast expected historical plant community patterns with vegetative types in existence today. The location of roads, pathways, and other significant cultural features that were present at the time of the 1862 battle have also been investigated. Factors affecting distribution and restoration of desirable historic parameters are evaluated along with recommendations for recreation and management.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- McCrain, Gerald; Grubb, Audrey
- Date of Issue
- 1987
- Publisher
- NPS Southeast Regional Office
- Units
- FODO , SER
- Keywords
- Burning, Civil War, Confederate, Encampment, fortifications, Indians, iron manufacturing, logs, lowlands, oak forest, parapets, Pioneers, Prairie, rifle-pits, Settlers, sod, Stewart County, Swamp, union, Woodlands