Early in the Civil War, which two forts did Grant capture to gain crucial strategic advantage?

• A. Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
• B. Fort Sumter and Fort Wagner
• C. Fort Monroe and Fort St. Philip
• D. Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Niagara

Answer: (A)

Controlling key river chokepoints early in the war was crucial for splitting the Confederacy and opening routes to the Deep South. Grant’s victories at Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in February 1862 gave the Union mastery of those rivers, forced Confederate forces to retreat, and put Nashville at risk. This sequence opened a vital gateway into Tennessee and beyond, boosting Union momentum in the Western Theater and enabling further offensives toward the Mississippi.

Other forts listed are from different theaters or moments: Fort Sumter marked the war’s opening, Fort Wagner occurred later in South Carolina, and Fort Monroe and Fort St. Philip were involved in other campaigns; Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Niagara are not tied to Grant’s early Civil War advances.