Daniel Smith Donelson | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Donelson byGeorge Dury, circa 1850 | |
| Born | (1801-06-23)June 23, 1801 |
| Died | April 17, 1863(1863-04-17) (aged 61) Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Place of burial | Presbyterian CemeteryHendersonville, Tennessee |
| Allegiance |  United States of America Tennessee State Militia Confederate States of America |
| Branch | United States Army Confederate States Army |
| Service years | 1825–1826 (USA) 1827–1834 (Tennessee) 1861–1863 (CSA) |
| Rank |  Second Lieutenant (USA) Brigadier General (Tennessee) Major General (CSA) |
| Conflicts | American Civil War |
| Relations | Andrew Jackson (Uncle) Rachel Jackson (Aunt) John Donelson Martin (cousin) |
Daniel Smith Donelson (June 23, 1801 – April 17, 1863) was aTennessee planter, politician, and soldier. The historicFort Donelson was named for him when he was serving as a Brigadier in the Tennessee militia, early in theAmerican Civil War. He was commissioned as a regularConfederate general, serving notably at the battles ofPerryville andStones River.
After their father died when Donelson and his two brothers were young, the three boys were taken in and adopted by their paternal auntRachel Donelson Jackson and her husbandAndrew Jackson, a future United States president.
Daniel Smith Donelson was born inSumner County, Tennessee, the youngest of three sons of Samuel and Mary "Polly" (Smith) Donelson. Donelson's father died when Daniel was about five. After their mother remarried, Donelson and his two brothers were taken in by their paternal aunt,Rachel Donelson Jackson, and her husbandAndrew Jackson, a future president. Rachel and Andrew Jackson adopted Donelson and his two brothers and they grew up atThe Hermitage.
His older brother,Andrew Jackson Donelson, who served as private secretary to Jackson during his presidency, was avice presidential candidate in his own right in 1856.
Donelson's paternal grandfather was ColonelJohn Donelson, a frontiersman and founder ofNashville, Tennessee, and his maternal grandfather, ColonelDaniel Smith, was a Revolutionary War officer, an early leader inmiddle Tennessee and one of Tennessee's first U.S. Senators.
In 1821, Donelson enteredWest Point, and graduated in 1825, becoming aUnited States Army officer. He resigned his commission half a year later, on January 22, 1826, to become a planter inSumner County, Tennessee.
He became a member of themilitia in that state. Starting as abrigademajor in 1827, he was promoted tobrigadier general in 1829.
In 1834, Donelson resigned his commission in the Tennessee militia and moved toFlorida, where he worked as a planter until 1836. His stay there was brief, and he returned to Tennessee two years later, still a planter.
In 1841, Donelson was elected to theTennessee House of Representatives. He left after one two-year term in 1841–1843. More than a decade later, he was elected again, serving from 1855–1861. He was chosen asSpeaker for the term 1859–1861.
Donelson and his wife Margaret had 10 children born between 1834 and 1854: Mary, Sarah, Emily, Rebecca, Samuel, Martha, James, Susan, John B., and Daniel.[1][2]
They resided first at theDaniel Smith Donelson House and later atHazel Path, both located inHendersonville, Tennessee.[3][4]
With the outbreak of theCivil War in 1861, Donelson volunteered for the Tennessee militia. He left behind his plantation and service as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
He was returned to his previous rank of brigadier general in the militia. That May he approved the sites for construction ofFort Henry andFort Donelson, the latter named in his honor. (Fort Henry was a poor site, as it nearly flooded and was easily captured by Union General Grant.)
After Tennessee joined the Confederacy, Donelson became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army on July 9, 1861. In the following two years, he was active in several campaigns, includingRobert E. Lee's Western Virginia Campaign of 1861. He led the initial assault at theBattle of Perryville, and fought at theBattle of Stones River. He was transferred briefly to help defendCharleston, South Carolina and the inner coastal region. Afterward he eventually rose to command of the Department of East Tennessee.
Donelson was promoted tomajor general on 5 March 1863 (to rank from 17 January); the Confederate Senate approved his appointment on April 22, prior to learning of his death a week earlier. He died of chronicdiarrhea at themineral water resortMontvale Springs, nearKnoxville, Tennessee. He was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery inHendersonville, Tennessee.[5]
Media related toDaniel Smith Donelson at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
