Prior to doing so, he led the vast majority of his garrison troops on the 12-mile road to Fort Donelson, and then returned to surrender with a handful of artillerymen who were left defending the fort.
Inden han overgav sig havde han ført hovedparten af sin garnison på en 20 km march til Fort Donelson, og var dernæst vendt tilbage for at overgive sig sammen med en lille flok artillerister, som var efterladt til at forsvare fortet.