A farkon 1861 jihar kan iyaka mai mahimmanci ta Kentucky ta ayyana tsaka tsaki a yakin basasar Amurka.An fara keta wannan tsaka-tsakin a ranar 3 ga Satumba, lokacin da Confederate Brig.Janar Gideon J. Pillow, yana aiki bisa umarnin Manjo Janar Leonidas Polk, ya mamaye Columbus, Kentucky.Garin da ke gefen kogin yana kan tudu mai tsayin ƙafa 180 wanda ke ba da umarnin kogin a wancan lokacin, inda Ƙungiyoyin Ƙungiyoyin suka girka manyan bindigogi 140, nakiyoyin ruwa na ƙarƙashin ruwa da kuma wani babban sarka mai tsayi wanda ya kai nisan mil a kogin Mississippi zuwa Belmont, yayin da yake mamaye garin tare da 17,000 Confederate. dakaru, ta haka aka katse kasuwancin arewa zuwa kudanci da bayanta.Bayan kwana biyu, Union Brig.Janar Ulysses S. Grant, yana nuna yunƙurin kai da za a iya kwatanta aikinsa na gaba, ya ƙwace Paducah, Kentucky, babbar tashar sufurin jiragen ƙasa da tashar jiragen ruwa a bakin Kogin Tennessee.Daga nan gaba, babu wani abokin gaba da ya mutunta shelar rashin tsaka-tsaki na Kentucky, kuma an rasa fa'idar Confederate.Yankin buffer da Kentucky ya bayar tsakanin Arewa da Kudu ba ya samuwa don taimakawa wajen kare Tennessee.A ranar 4 da 5 ga Fabrairu, Grant ya sauka sassa biyu a arewacin Fort Henry a kan Kogin Tennessee.(Rundunar sojojin da ke aiki a ƙarƙashin Grant sune jigon ƙungiyar sojojin da suka yi nasara a cikin Tennessee, kodayake ba a yi amfani da sunan ba tukuna.) Shirin Grant shine ya ci gaba a kan sansanin a ranar 6 ga Fabrairu yayin da jiragen ruwa na Union suka kai hari a lokaci guda. Jami'in Tuta Andrew Hull Foote.Haɗin harbe-harben bindiga mai inganci da inganci, da ruwan sama mai ƙarfi, da matalautan wurin kagara, wanda ruwan kogi ya kusa mamayewa, ya haifar da kwamandansa, Brig.Janar Lloyd Tilghman, don mika wuya ga Foote kafin isowar Sojojin Tarayyar.Mika wuya na Fort Henry ya buɗe kogin Tennessee zuwa zirga-zirgar Union kudu da iyakar Alabama.A cikin kwanakin da suka biyo bayan mika wuya, daga ranar 6 ga Fabrairu zuwa 12 ga Fabrairu, hare-haren kungiyar sun yi amfani da jiragen ruwa na ƙarfe don lalata jigilar kayayyaki da jiragen kasa a kan kogin.Ranar 12 ga Fabrairu, sojojin Grant sun ci gaba da tafiya mai nisan mil 12 (kilomita 19) don shiga tare da sojojin da ke cikin yakin Fort Donelson.