During the Civil War, control of the Tennessee River became a crucial objective. In 1861, the Confederates built Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River and Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, but Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Adm. Andrew Foote captured them with army and navy forces in February 1862. The Federal victory at Shiloh in April secured control of the Tennessee River in West Tennessee. African American laborers then built an extension of the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad between Kingston Springs and the depot on the eastern bank of the river, and in 1863 they also constructed Fort Johnson at the depot to help maintain control and supply Union forces. U.S. Colored Troops served as the fort's garrison, and the post was named for military governor Andrew Johnson, later president. In November 1864, Confederate Gen. Nathan B. Forrest attacked the depot, placed artillery on the western side of the river, and shelled it. When Union Col. Charles R. Thompson panicked and ordered all vessels burned to prevent capture, the fire spread to the depot and supplies, causing losses totaling millions of dollars.