Fort Henry was commanded by Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman. The fort was strategically placed in a bend of the Tennessee River to control a stretch of water about three mile long and to stop any attack that could happen. The fort was located on low ground sadly. Slaves had to work on construction for Fort Heiman in January 1862.
That fort will provide additional defense for the Confederacy. A five-sided earthwork parapet of Fort Henry was on about three acres on the east bank in Stewart and Henry counties of the Tennessee. The fort also had rifle pits extending to the river and two miles east. The fort’s seventeen heavy guns, twelve were facing the river, and the rest facing land. The fort did not have ammo for eight of them.
Also the fort did not have enough men to protect the fort, and the ones that were there were fresh recruits. On February 2nd, the Union left Cairo, Illinois to go attack the fort. The four Ironclads the Cincinnati, the Carondelet, the Essex, and the St. Louis led the flotilla. There were three Timberclads the Conestoga, the Lexington, and the Tyler at the back and the transport ships in front of them. On February 4th and 5th, the two transport ships were needed to move all the men to the landing zone three miles away from the