Page "Gideon Johnson Pillow" Paragraph 7

Pillow resigned from the Army on December 28 in a dispute with Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk, but he soon realized that this was a rash decision and was able to cancel his resignation by obtaining an order from Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

When he returned he was given command of Fort Donelson, a crucial installation protecting the Cumberland River.

This was a brief assignment, however, that ended when three additional brigadier generals were assigned to the fort.

One, John B. Floyd, former governor of Virginia and Secretary of War under James Buchanan, outranked Pillow, who found himself in the unofficial position of second-in-command.