(DISCLAIMER) At the 2:08 mark, I misspoke and said February 1863 instead of February 1862. My apologies. It was bound to happen at some point but I'll be more cautious of any slip ups like that in the future.

you should do a whole series on civil war battlefields. love your channel always great history learned.

I lived in Dover for a while. Worked at Land Between the Lakes and did alot of different programs with Fort Donelson. Next time you're in the area check out The Homeplace. It's an 1850 living history farm. Worked there for 5 years.

I remember being in school and having a history textbook sitting open on the desk before me. You could speak about something fascinating and couldn't put me to sleep quicker. Now, bring me on a field trip where I could touch, smell, and see all of the wonderful historical artifacts and I was hooked. Now if teachers could combine the 2, and make history more fascinating for kids, you would have so much interest from the younger generation.

"During the war a southern editor, wishing to compliment Gen. G. Pillow, wrote a notice of him in which the Gen. was called the "battle-scarred hero," but the typesetter made the phrase read "battle-scared hero." On reading the notice, an irate soldier hied himself to the newspaper office and demanded a correction. This was promised and the next day's paper spoke of Gen. Pillow as a "bottle-scarred hero." It is not known that any further correction was asked for."

Really need to get up to Gettysburg! It’s an amazing place and.. oh my the history.. and land marks are great. The cemetery is pretty good also. Worth the drive and it will take at least 3 days to see everything

I find it great that the very first battlefield you went to was Fort Donelson. It is one of my favorites. It was my first as well. I did my senior history degree thesis in college on the place. Just under thirty years it has been favorite. In the same area in Western Kentucky is Columbus Belmont State Park, in Columbus, ky. Go there if want to see almost completely intact earthworks. Go fast because the Mississippi is doing a number on the park. Consider it a prequel as it were to Fort Donelson..

I've been here! Btw it was 1862. Also, you really need to go to Vicksburg, such a significant battlefield. "Vicksburg is the key and the key bnb is in my pocket." Lincoln. And here in northern Arkansas we have 2vmajor battlefields which were the key to keeping Missouri. Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove.

Enjoying your videos. When I was traveling in the South, I wanted to visit this place but did not get to go. I saw Chattanooga and Vicksburg and Shiloh but did not have time to go here. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent! Seeing the area brings it to life. Thanks

Great video as always. Can't wait to see more Civil War history on your Channel

I like watching the Ranger lectures on the different battles. Especially Gettysburg. Thank you for sharing

Your history traveler segments are the best. Thank you.

It is here at Fort Donelson where General Grant earned the nickname "Unconditional Surrender". Confederate Brigadier General Buckner asked Grant on what terms would they accept surrender and Grant replied "No terms except immediate and unconditional surrender can be accepted."

Great video,love to see anything on the civil war !

As a new subscriber who happened to have somehow obtained a BS in Native American History with a Minor in US History from the University of Oklahoma, I truly enjoy your channel. Your presentations of places I've read about extensively over the years, coupled with what seems to be my exact taste in music is TREMENDOUS! Keep up the good work, my good Sir!

I was at fort donelson a few years ago its pretty neat especially the cannons that are on the river

Another great video and I love the Civil War history. You took me on another journey I'll never see in person. Thank You!

Keep up the great work, JD! I have visited the Fort Donelson National Battlefield twice. A very impressive American Civil War venue. Looking forward to more American Civil War videos.

Where I’m at in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We have about 4 or 5 of these forts belonging to Bragg and Rosecrans during the Battle of Stones River

Some 20 years ago I was travelling with some other people and passed the exit to Gettysburg. Because of time we could not stop to visit. It has always been a regret for me. And so now I can visit such sites via the internet. Hope you do more of these. Thanks.

It looks like you had the place all to yourself. I think I saw only one other guy with a camera. Sad, so many of these sites don’t get visited nearly as much as they should. Great video!

Never fret over getting old .its a privilege denied to so many.

Well done presentation .Thank you for talking about battles other than in the "east"

Being a relative of the fort's name sake, I appreciate your video. I am just getting started in the history of the Donelson family and have learned a lot from videos like yours. Thank You!

I reside about an hour, visited and studied the battlefield. There was mention the fort was built by Confederate soldiers and slaves; in the first 2 years of the war, the Union Army had no issue conscripting slaves to build fortification, Ft. Negley in Nashville is one example. Narrator mentioned the Confederates surrendered the fort, failed to mention not all surrender, then Lt. Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest took his command and whomever wanted to escape, through the Union lines to Nashville.

Good show. I have especially enjoyed your videos from Normandy. My father was a 2nd Ranger and wounded on Dog Green.

I’ve really enjoyed your civil war videos. They are fantastic and it’s just like being there. Thanks for your work on your channel.

I remember visiting Ft Donelson many years ago with my husband and two of my daughters. A very solemn place! Thank you for your history!

Thanks for covering Ft. Donelson. I had two Great Uncles which were captured there and sent to Camp Morton in Indianapolis and later were involved in a prisoner swap at Vicksburg.

Glad you got to check out the Fort Donelson Battlefield. Fort Henry is under water now and can’t be visited. Here’s a cool story that I learned about Dover, TN. There was a gentleman by the name of Jack Hinson that lived in the area. He actually greeted General Grant when he was in the area and initially supported the union forces. Union forces mistook his sons for bushwhachers, executed them, decapitated them, and mounted their heads on posts outside of Jack’s plantation in Dover. His home was later burned after he was evicted. After these events, Hinson took up arms against the union as a sniper and targeted union forces coming down the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. He used a custom made octagonal .50 caliber rifle and was credited between 30-100 union soldiers deaths. The rifle is still in collectors hands today

I am a huge history buff and i have to say that i absolutely love your channel. By far the best history series I've found. While i really enjoy all of the ww2 videos, i do enjoy these civil war videos even more because there are far less videos on these places. Would really like to see more videos like this one, as well as sites from the revolution. Keep up the good work and thank you very much for sharing

Very good and very interesting vidéo. I apreciate your chanel and the history of the civil war . Thank you from France.

I'll never forget Shilo. The first thing that caught my eye was a large monument that said "Iowa". I stopped my truck and got out to take a picture. But before I could raise the camera, I just started to cry. A very moving experience. I knew that Iowa boys had fought there, but to actually see the place was just overwhelming. Your assertion of visiting historical sights being the best way to learn is spot on. Bless you and safe travels.

This is just down to road from me and I recently found your channel via the Andersonville video. Great video and even better channel

Thanks for these videos! It’s like being there.

Great video - really enjoy watching them - thanks!

Both my great great grandfather and great great great uncle who were in the 32nd Tennessee Infantry CSA fought at Ft Donelson Thank you so much for this great program Keep up the good work sir

Excellent video--planning a trip here next week and was looking for a bit of insight. Thank you. Now a subscriber I look forward to seeing more of your work.

im a lifetime civil war buff and i have to say this video was awesome!

The beginning of this video gave me flashbacks to the movie Vacation ... "Sorry folks, park's closed. The moose out front should've told ya". haha Love your work! Even when things don't go your way!

Used to fish ky lake with my dad often as a kid, and we stumbled across fort donelson on our way there one day. We stopped to check it out and were glad we did.

You sure get around... And it's much appreciated. This is Real History ! Please like and share. Great videos .

Loving your videos man. Thank you.

Enjoy watching your videos. Especially at places I’ve been like Ft Donelson. I didnt get to see an eagle while i was there. Pretty cool.

One of the first ones I've ever visited, right after Stones River. Thankfully I have relatives that live over by Paris, TN...gives me an excuse to visit often :D

Thank you for this video very interesting l live in the UK so for us Brits it's not easy to get to see all the Civil War battlefield sites I've been lucky to visit some but as there are so many it's great to see videos like this so you get the feeling you are there so once again thanks. Subscribing now

I’m from Britain and have an interest in the history of the First World War. Over the last 20 years I’ve visited a number of WW1 battlefield sites in France and Belgium. I’m moving to the USA next year as my partner has won a scholarship to study Law at Yale University. Ive been watching your videos to learn about the American Civil War and find them absolutely fascinating. I’m looking forward to visiting some of the sites myself when I come over.

Must have taken lot of men quite a few hours making those earthen wall. Hills....so cool first time seeing this!

Thank you for this great video. I would visit the Fort and Dover but now that the museum is permanently closed I have stopped visiting.

Permission to rant? Fort Donelson, cool as it is, is another example of how tragically underfunded the NPS is. The center closed for renovation in 2016! Four years later, it is STILL not done. Now, having said that, I’m just glad the history is there, it is preserved and hopefully, in better context when the work is done. By the way, NPS has outlawed drone flights on all their locations, so forewarned for future visits.

My Great great grandfather, John Eubanks was a Confederate soldier and fought in the Civil War and was captured Feburary 16, 1862 in the battle at Ft. Donelson. He was held as a prisoner of war at Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois and was later sent to Vicksburg, Mississippi to be exchanged for captive Union soldiers on September 2, 1862. I have copy of a record of this event and pictures of him in his uniform.

Very Good....Thanks........

You surely opened up the Civil War 'Can of Worms' with this episode. Pre COVID. I was planning to explore Western Tennessee & Civil War Sites. The Eagle would be a sign of your success in doing the Episodes of the Civil War. Earthworks against Cannon was realized in much earlier European Warfare. The taking of Fort Henry & then Fort Donaldson saved Kentucky for the Union, opened up Tennessee and got Grant promoted to Three Star General. A Turning Point for the North. Good Stuff. Thanks.

My father and I just went on a Civil War history trip and checked out a bunch of battlefields and forts. Started at Fort Donelson, went to Fort Henry area, went down to Shiloh battlefield and then down to Mississippi to Corinth where the battle for the intersection of two major rail lines crossing took place. You're right, there's nothing like reading about it and then being there where it happened.

Bald Eagle photo bombing your vid was great! 7:40😀

Amazing footage, planning a trip south to hit a few C.W. sites this summer. This is on my list!

I recently covered this big Union early turn in the war. Thank you for your video.

Would love to see and hear about the Castillo de San Marco in St Augustine FL.

dont forget about chickamauga and chattanooga. we have a national cemetary and a park on the battle field chickamauga

Another great video my friend keep up the great work 👍👍

My grandparents home is about 5 miles from fort donelson and I’ve visited it every time I go! My grandma said she had a note from a POW from Alton but I’ve never seen it. They also have several bullets and I’m almost positive they have a cannon ball on their front porch but that’s never been confirmed. I love the history around Dover, Tn.

We were just at Fort Donelson (June 2024). The Visitors Center is still closed. There’s a temporary building being used as a museum, visitors center, and park office in use nearby.

If you get back to Tennessee please go to Fort Defiance in Clarksville, TN. It is a small park but good history linking it to this battle and the Battle of Nashville.

I am so much more informed than I was since watching your videos ** Thank you for sharing 😊

Nice video - really gives a good idea of what the area is like - hope you keep making them and adding in more details! My ancestor fought here and at Shiloh, so appreciate being able to visit through your work. Thank you!

I'm heading there this week. Thanks for the preview.

This is where Grant earned the nickname Unconditional Surrender Grant.

In the 1960s, they did not keep us off those earthen walls and we played on them all the time. I lived about a mile from this battlefield

Fort Donelson is the first Civil War battlefield I visited. I'm very, very interested in the Civil War, but living in Illinois all of the major battlefields are so far away. It was a very humbling experience to be standing on that ground, and even though open fields have given way to forest you can still get a sense of the battle, you can almost hear it still in the breeze. And when I went to the cemetery and stood amongst the circle of soldiers from Illinois, that was indescribably chilling, and it is something I will never forget. I'm hoping to visit Shiloh next year, and hopefully an eastern tour including Gettysburg in the next couple of years. I'd love to be in Gettysburg for the 160th.

Fort Davidson in the Pilot Knob, Ironton, MO area a very interesting Civil War battle took place. Cannon balls still in the Court House building in Ironton, MO

Another fine presentation of this Civil War Battlefield......You laid out the details in an easy to follow style...... Thank You..... Kevin Rich

Just found your channel and I really enjoyed your videos. Just finished a book on Grant's Vicksburg campaign and its awesome to see a video on one of the lesser known battles. Would definitely love to see more Civil War videos. Thank you!

Absolutely love your videos!

Thank you for your channel. I really enjoy it. God bless

I've toured Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania where I had an ancestor from Vermont die. It's surreal to walk where they walked and fought.

Excellent content and production!

Great coverage. Have you ever considered doing a piece on Chester, Pa. ( The Crozer estate and later the hospital ) ? I understand that the Crozer Mansion was used as a hospital during the civil war for the service men. Also of that same area is the Pusey House and his association with William Penn. It is located in Upland, Pa. maybe 3-4 miles from the Crozer estate along the Chester Creek.

I use to live in Dover. We would go over to Ft Donelson 3 or 4 times a week to walk. There was a couple bald eagles who had established their home at the Ft and they would have babies every year. We loved watching them. Great to see them go grab dinner out of the river. The Delta Queen Paddle Wheeler would visit once or twice a year. Was exciting seeing that old boat come in.

Can ya beat seeing a bald eagle while touring a national military park? #Awesome!~

I recall being told by a park employee that when Grant took Fort Henry is was unseasonable warm for a February. The northern soldiers thinking that this was the warm sunny South, began tossing their overcoats and blanks as they marched eastward toward Fort Donelson. Upon arriving at Donelson, the weather turned more winterlike. Brrr!

I was there in June, '19. Didn't even know it was there and drove past. Quickly turned around and went back. Loved your vid. Like being there again. Just found your channel the other day as a suggestion. (BTW, you didn't miss much at the visitors centre. It was mostly a short film of the site).

You are genuinely the coolest. I haven’t had this much fun learning before I met you and I’ve had some fun ass teachers

Another great history video. Thanks

Thanks for sharing this with me I have visited there before in fact I live about 45 miles away from Ft.Donelson

Hey JD. I was re-watching this and wanted to mention the Dover Hotel, also known as the Surrender House. It is the location where General Buckner surrendered to his old friend. It is open to the public.

The Response Of General Grant To The Confederate Surrender Ter Is A Classic "No Terms But Unconditional Surrender Are Acceptable!!! I Propose To Move Upon Your Earthworks Immediately!!" After This Response, U.S. Grant's First And Middle Initials Were Said To Stand For UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.

My great grandfather Alfred Whitfield fought there with the 11th Illinois volunteers infantry regiment company B . He was shot in both legs two in the left one in the right and his second joint finger shot off

I finally got to tour Fort Donelson last year. 🎉 Shiloh Battlefield is only 2 hours away. 🚗 Both are awesome ! 💥 🇺🇸 💥

I agree everybody should see the battlefields what these guys went through thank you for the video

Have you heard the story of Capt Jack Hinson? Amazing history that happened right in that area. Also if it hadn’t been for poor Confederate leadership U. S. Grant would have possibly never gained the fame he did. The Confederate commander “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory”

You were just an hour away from a great museum for the 101st Airborne at Ft. Campbell. Better than the 4th Infantry museum.

If you haven't been, you should check out the USS Cario and the battlefield in Vicksburg, and Fort Pickens in Pensacola Fla. Great video.

I can’t believe I’m at the age where I’m watching civil war videos and visiting battle fields. It came out of nowhere hit 40 and bam

Man love your videos! I just went and checked out Columbus-Belmont today very cool battlefield you should check it out!

I`d love to see Fredericksburg,and the many sites that made up that battle...My great(x3) grandfather lost his leg during the conflict---Charles Leroy Babson of the 16th Maine.....shipped him up to Rhode Island,where he contracted gangrene,which is another story......the man should`ve had a film made about him.....very proud of the man.........thanx for your dedication.......

Very interesting as always...great video!

Great videos! You might look up the battle at Glorieta Pass around Fort Union in New Mexico. It was the furthest west battle that was fought during the Civil War. :)

Another good video mate 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

You might want to check out the Civil War Museum at Jefferson Barracks. There are also acouple of other museum there. One has guns, guns, gun.