Fort Heiman was a Confederate earthwork constructed hastily on the high bluffs of the Kentucky side of the Tennessee River. It was built to protect the poorly positioned Fort Henry on the Tennessee side of the river.
When Gen. Ulysses S. Grant advanced with 15,000 troops in early February 1862, the fort's position was untenable. On February 4, Gen. Lloyd Tilghman, who was in charge of both forts, evacuated Fort Heiman. Union troops arrived to find warm stew still on the fire.
The fort’s significance exceeded its bloodless capture. Its fall helped crack the entire Confederate defensive line in the West, triggering retreats from Kentucky and setting in motion the chain of events leading to Shiloh.
Fort Heiman: What's Nearby
Preservation
Save 139.9 acres at Stones River and Fort Heiman Battlefields.
The American Battlefield Trust and our members would like to save land at Fort Heiman.
