Samuel Watkins

‘’’Samuel Watkins’’’ served in the Union Army during the American Civil War in Company A, 31st Illinois Infantry Regiment.
He entered service on 15 Aug 1861 and mustered in on 18 Sep 1861 in Cairo, IL.
He was killed in the Battle of Fort Donelson in Stewart County, Tennessee on February 15, 1862.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/31st_Illinois_Volunteer_Infantry_Regi...
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Donelson
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93095162/samuel-watkins

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Samuel Watkins memorial. Civil War records indicate that he was killed in the Battle of Fort Donelson Feb. 15, 1862.

Information provided by:
Roy Noack

Battle of Fort Donelson

Part of the American Civil War
February 11, 1862–February 16, 1862
Location Fort Donelson, Tennessee
Result Union victory[1]

Commanders and leaders
Ulysses S. Grant
Andrew H. Foote John B. Floyd
Gideon J. Pillow
Simon B. Buckner (POW)
Units involved
District of Cairo
Western Flotilla Fort Donelson garrison
Strength
24,531[2] 16,171[2]
Casualties and losses
2,691 total
507 killed
1,976 wounded
208 captured/missing [3] 13,846 total
327 killed
1,127 wounded
12,392 captured/missing [3]

The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River, an important avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant from an obscure and largely unproven leader to the rank of major general, earning him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant in the process (using his first two initials, "U.S.").

The battle followed the capture of Fort Henry on February 6. Grant moved his army 12 miles overland to Fort Donelson on February 12 and 13 and conducted several small probing attacks. (Although the name was not yet in use, the troops serving under Grant were the nucleus of the Union's Army of the Tennessee.[4]) On February 14, U.S. Navy gunboats under Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote attempted to reduce the fort with naval gunfire, but were forced to withdraw after sustaining heavy damage from Donelson's water batteries.

On February 15, with their fort surrounded, the Confederates, commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd, launched a surprise attack against Grant's army, attempting to open an avenue of escape. Grant, who was away from the battlefield at the start of the attack, arrived to rally his men and counterattack. Despite achieving a partial success and opening the way for a retreat, Floyd lost his nerve and ordered his men back to the fort.

On the following morning, Floyd and his second-in-command, Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow, panicked and relinquished command to Brig. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner (later Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky), who agreed to accept the unconditional surrender terms offered by Grant.
Inscription: CO A 31 REGT ILL INF

MEMORIAL ID 93095162

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Samuel Watkins
FamilySearch Family Tree
Birth: Circa 1820 - Illinois, United States
Death: Feb 15 1862 - Fort Donelson, Stewart, Tennessee, United States
Parents: William Watkins, Mary Watkins (born Atterberry)
Spouses: Malinda Betsey Watkins (born Hamilton), Agnes "Nancy" McCullough
Children: Harriet Cates (born Watkins), Emaline Stanton (born Watkins), James Watkins, Edith Ann Dunn (born Watkins), Newton Watkins, William Calvin Watkins, Elizabeth Colligan (born Watkins), and name of one more daughter
Siblings: Elias Watkins, Anna Blissett (born Watkins), Elizabeth Cates (born Watkins), Lydia Atwood (born Watkins), George Watkins, William Watkins, Nancy Black (born Watkins)

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Feb 24 2024, 17:07:48 UTC