Page "Albert Sidney Johnston" Paragraph 15

Maj. Gen. Polk ignored the problems of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson when he took command and, after Johnston took command, at first refused to comply with Johnston's order to send an engineer, Lt. Joseph K. Dixon, to inspect the forts.

After Johnston asserted his authority, Polk ultimately had to allow Dixon to proceed.

Dixon recommended that the forts be maintained and strengthened, even though they were not in ideal locations, because much work had been done on them and the Confederates might not have time to build new ones.

Johnston accepted the recommendations.

Johnston wanted Major, later Lt. Gen., Alexander P. Stewart to command the forts but President Davis appointed Brig.

Gen. Lloyd Tilghman as commander.

Then, in order to prevent Polk from dissipating his forces by implementing his proposal to allow some men to join a partisan group, Johnston ordered him to send Pillow and 5, 000 men to Fort Donelson.

Pillow took up a position at nearby Clarksville, Tennessee and did not move into the fort itself until February 7, 1862.

Alerted by a Union reconnaissance on January 14, 1862, Johnston ordered Tilghman to fortify the high ground opposite Fort Henry, which Polk had failed to do despite Johnston's orders.

Tilghman also failed to act decisively on these orders, which in any event were now too late to be adequately carried out.