An exploration of the capture of the river bastions Forts Henry and Donelson during the American Civil War. Spencer C. Tucker blends the elements of naval innovation, combined operations and political considerations into this story about the beginning of the end for the Southern Confederacy.
SPENCER C. TUCKER is the John Biggs Professor of Military History at Virginia Military Institute. He is the author of numerous books, including Raphael Semmes and the Alabama and a recent biography of Andrew Foote, and is editor of the award-winning three-volume Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War and several other major reference works. He lives in Lexington, Virginia.