Cumberland (river, United States)

Cumberland (river, United States), river, east central United States. It rises in the Cumberland Plateau, southeastern Kentucky, near the border with Virginia, and empties into the Ohio River near Smithland, Kentucky, after a winding course of 1,160 km (720 mi). The area of the drainage basin is almost 48,000 sq km (about 18,500 sq mi). Ships can ascend the river for 311 km (193 mi) to Nashville, Tennessee, and vessels of less than 1-m (3-ft) draft are able to reach Burnside, Kentucky, 523 km (325 mi) farther upstream. During the American Civil War, to control the passage of supplies on the river, the Confederates built Fort Donelson, which General Ulysses S. Grant besieged and captured in February 1862.