Earl Van Dorn

Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820May 7, 1863) was an American Major General who started his military career as a United States Army officer and became famous for successfully leading two defenses of a Native American settlement from the Comanche. He joined Confederate forces in 1861 after the Civil War broke out and was a major general when he was killed in a private conflict.

A great-nephew of Andrew Jackson, he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy, graduating in 1842. Earl Van Dorn was known for fighting with distinction during the Mexican–American War and in defense of Native-American settlements against the attacking Comanche in the West in addition to his impressive victories as a cavalry commander during the American Civil War.

Although he opposed the secession of slave states in 1861, Van Dorn sided with the Confederacy in the ensuing civil war. Fighting in the Western Theater as a major general, he captured the Union transport ship Star of the West at Matagorda Bay, forcing the first surrender of the Civil War—a move that drew national attention and led President Lincoln to label him a pirate.

He was later appointed commander of the Trans-Mississippi District. At the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, in early March 1862, Van Dorn was commanding infantry rather than cavalry, which was his expertise, and though brilliantly battling early on, was defeated by a smaller U.S. force. He had abandoned his supply wagons for speed, leaving his men under-equipped in cold weather. At the Second Battle of Corinth in October 1862, he was again commanding infantry instead of his specialty, which was cavalry. Van Dorn was winning only to be defeated because of a failure of his reconnaissance team and was removed from infantry command. The battle was later described by Confederate President Jefferson Davis as an "impossibility" because many soldiers Van Dorn had inherited were starving and diseased. Davis said that Van Dorn handled the command "masterfully".

Van Dorn scored two additional notable successes as a cavalry commander, in which role he never lost, capturing a large U.S. supply depot in the Holly Springs Raid, embarrassing U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant by saving Vicksburg and protecting the Confederacy's main port.

His next success was the Battle of Thompson's Station, Tennessee.

Van Dorn's reputation was restored but short-lived. In May 1863, he was shot dead at his headquarters at Spring Hill by a doctor who claimed that Van Dorn had carried on an affair with his wife.

Early life and career

Van Dorn was born near Port Gibson, Mississippi, on September 17, 1820. He graduated 52nd out of 68 cadets in the class of 1842 with the low rank largely due to 163 demerits given for failing to salute in passing, tobacco, and profanity. He was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment on July 1, 1842, and began his army service in the Southern United States.

After graduation, in December 1843, he married Caroline Godbold, daughter of a prominent Alabama planter family. They had two children together: son Earl Van Dorn Jr. (1855–?) and daughter Olivia (1852–1878).

Van Dorn and the 7th were on garrison duty at Fort Pike, Louisiana, in 1842–43, and were stationed at Fort Morgan, Alabama, briefly in 1843. He did garrison duty at the Mount Vernon Arsenal in Alabama from 1843 into 1844. He was ordered to Pensacola harbor in Florida from 1844 to 1845, during which Van Dorn was promoted to second lieutenant on November 30, 1844.

The New York Times concurred, stating, "It's true that Van Dorn was enormously attractive to many women — one memoirist wrote that 'his bearing attracted, his address delighted, his accomplishments made women worship him.'"

War with Mexico

Van Dorn was part of the 7th U.S. Infantry when Texas was occupied by the U.S. Army from 1845 into 1846. During the early stages of the Mexican–American War, he was garrisoned at Fort Texas (Fort Brown) in Brownsville, defending the border from the southernmost town in Texas.

Van Dorn saw action at the Battle of Monterrey on September 21–23, 1846, and during the Siege of Vera Cruz from March 9–29, 1847.

Van Dorn declared pirate by Lincoln

Leaving New Orleans on April 14 and arriving at Matagorda Bay, Texas, Van Dorn led his men in successfully capturing the Union supply ship, the Star of the West, on April 17, 1861 in the town's harbor. With the motivation of avoiding bloodshed on either side, he assumed command of the ship but allowed the Union troops to keep their firearms, citing that they were all Americans. on April 17. For this, President Abraham Lincoln declared Van Dorn a pirate under the laws of the U.S. "for seizure of vessels or goods by persons acting under the authority of the Confederate States." He and his forces reached the last remaining regular U.S. Army soldiers in Texas at Indianola, forcing their surrender on April 23. While at Indianola, Van Dorn attempted to recruit the captured U.S. soldiers into the Confederate Army but was largely unsuccessful.

Promotion to divisional commander of the Confederate Army of the Potomac

Van Dorn was summoned to Richmond, Virginia, and appointed a colonel in the 1st C.S. Regular Cavalry on April 25, leading all of Virginia's cavalry forces. General Van Dorn was made divisional commander of the Confederate Army of the Potomac five days later, leading the 1st Division until January 10, 1862.

Pea Ridge

right|thumb|225px|Plan of the battlefield of [[Battle of Pea Ridge|Pea Ridge]]

By early 1862, U.S. forces in Missouri had pushed nearly all Confederate forces out of the state. When Van Dorn took command of the department, he had to react with his roughly 17,000-man, 60-gun Army of the West to events already underway. Van Dorn wanted to attack and destroy the U.S. forces, enter Missouri, and capture St. Louis, turning over control of this important state to the Confederacy. He met his now-concentrated force near Boston Mountains on March 3, and the army began moving north the next day.

In the spring of 1862, U.S. Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis entered Arkansas and pursued the Confederates with his 10,500-strong Army of the Southwest. Curtis collected his four divisions and 50 artillery guns and moved into Benton County, Arkansas, following a stream called Sugar Creek. Along it on the northern side, he found an excellent defensive position. He began to fortify it, expecting an assault from the south. Van Dorn left his supply wagons behind to increase their moving speed, which would prove critical.

Several other factors caused the proposed junction to be delayed, such as the lack of proper gear for the Confederates (some said to lack even shoes) for a forced march, felled trees placed across their path, their exhausted and hungry condition, and the late arrival of McCulloch's men. These delays allowed the U.S. commander to reposition part of his army throughout March 6 and meet the unexpected attack from his rear, placing Curtis' forces between the two wings of the Confederate army.

When Van Dorn learned of the problems with his right wing, he renewed Price's attacks, saying, "Then we must press them the harder", and the Confederates pushed Curtis back. That night, the junction of Price and what remained of McCulloch's men was made, and Van Dorn pondered his next move. Curtis then counterattacked and routed the Confederates, mostly without actual contact between the opposing infantries. Van Dorn decided to withdraw south, retreating through the sparse country for a week and his men living off what little they got from the few inhabitants of the region. The Army of the West finally reunited with their supplies south of the Boston Mountains. In his official report, Van Dorn described his summary of the events at Pea Ridge:

Casualties from this battle have never been fully agreed upon. Most military historians give figures of about 1,000 to 1,200 total U.S. soldiers and around 2,000 Confederate.

However, Van Dorn detailed significantly different numbers in his official reports. He stated losses of about 800 killed with 1,000 to 1,200 wounded and 300 prisoners (about 2,300 total) for the United States, and only 800 to 1,000 killed and wounded and between 200 and 300 prisoners (about 1,300 total) from his army. Despite the loss at Pea Ridge, the Confederate Congress would vote its thanks "for their valor, skill, and good conduct in the battle of Elkhorn in the states of Arkansas" to Van Dorn and his men on April 21.

On October 4–5, his command was "roughly handled" along the Hatchie River by U.S. soldiers led by Brig. Gens. Stephen A. Hurlbut and Edward Ord. However, Rosecrans' lack of an aggressive pursuit allowed what was left of Van Dorn's men to escape. Following the defeat at Corinth, Van Dorn was sent before a court of inquiry to answer for his performance there. He was acquitted of the charges against him, but Van Dorn would never be trusted with the command of an army again

Strategic Deception and the Prevention of Bloodshed at Galveston

In late 1862, General Earl Van Dorn played a crucial role in the Confederate recapture of Galveston, Texas, demonstrating his strategic ingenuity and desire to minimize casualties. According to Arthur B. Carter's biography, "The Tarnished Cavalier: Major General Earl Van Dorn, C.S.A.," Van Dorn instructed Major General John B. Magruder in the use of deceptive tactics to overstate Confederate strength. These tactics included the strategic placement of troops and the use of "Quaker guns"—logs painted to resemble cannons—to create the illusion of a larger and more equipped force. Van Dorn also had a rider go to the Union side and invite a trusted advisor of the commanding officer, Colonel Isaac S. Burrell, to come to the Confederate lines to inspect their illusory strength with a promise of his safety in doing so. This psychological strategy successfully convinced the Union forces to surrender without significant bloodshed, highlighting Van Dorn's ability to achieve military objectives while preventing unnecessary loss of life.

Battle of Thompson's Station

thumb|right|150px|Confederate General<br>Bedford Forrest

Van Dorn was also victorious at the Battle of Thompson's Station on March 5, 1863. There a Union brigade, under Col. John Coburn, left Franklin to reconnoiter to the south. About four miles short of Spring Hill, Coburn attacked a Confederate force composed of two regiments and was repulsed. Van Dorn then sent Brig. Gen. William Hicks Jackson's dismounted soldiers to make a direct frontal assault, while Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's troopers followed Van Dorn's orders and went around Coburn's left and into the Union rear. After three charges were beaten back, Jackson finally carried the U.S. position, as Forrest captured Coburn's wagon train, blocking the road to Columbia and the only escape route for Union soldiers. Nearly out of ammunition as well as surrounded, Coburn surrendered.

"Van Dorn [had] learned his lessons well from his bitter experiences at Pea Ridge and Corinth. With Sheridan not far away, he had wisely not divided his cavalry and had let the enemy come to him. His intelligence information was correct, as was his understanding of the terrain and road network where the action was fought. His plan of battle, based on the concept of drawing Coburn as far from Franklin as possible, was successful, thus making it all the more difficult for that officer to either escape or be reinforced. The Battle of Thompson's Station was important in that it prevented a union of Coburn's and Sheridan's forces and [it] marked Van Dorn as a promising and skillful leader of cavalry and mounted infantry. His popularity, already on the rise after the dark days of Corinth, was increased even more by the victory that March day in 1863. A mobile correspondent was soon to report the following, 'As Van Dorn rode along the column after the strife had ceased, cheer upon cheer greeted him from the enthusiastic soldiery, who under his daring direction had achieved the victory, and he is undoubtedly held high at the present moment in the estimation of his forces, and this confidence is well deserved.'"

First Battle of Franklin

On March 16, 1863, Van Dorn was placed in command of the cavalry corps of the Army of Tennessee and fought his last fight April 10 at the First Battle of Franklin, skirmishing with the cavalry of Gordon Granger and losing 137 men to Granger's 100 or so. This minor action caused Van Dorn to halt his movement and rethink his plans, and subsequently, he returned to the Spring Hill area.

Homicide

A few weeks later, on the morning of May 7, Dr. Peters went to the Cheairs mansion. Van Dorn's security staff recognized him, as he frequently stopped to obtain passes through the Confederate lines, and let him inside. Peters walked into Van Dorn's office, where the general was writing at his desk, pulled out a pistol, and shot him in the back of the head. A few minutes later, the daughter of Martin Cheairs ran outside, saying that Peters had shot Van Dorn. The general's staff found him unconscious but still alive. The shot was fatal, and Van Dorn died four hours later, never having regained consciousness. Peters alleged that he had pulled a pistol aiming for Van Dorn's forehead but that Van Dorn moved at the last minute; however, the bullet wound was in the back, not the side, of Van Dorn's head.

The small caliber pistol round had traversed Van Dorn's brain and lodged behind his forehead. He suffered cerebral herniation and eventual cardiac and respiratory arrest. Those searching for Peters horse trail found that stone walls had been broken down all the ways to the woods. Peters was later arrested by Confederate authorities but was never brought to trial for the killing. However, the claim of "little sympathy" was contradicted by eyewitness accounts of the funeral and letters to Van Dorn's family as recorded in A Soldier's Honor by Emily Miller, which suggest broad sorrow and sympathy from the majority.

Funeral

An eyewitness writes: "As we watched the immense procession of soldiers, the hearse drawn by six white horses, its gorgeous array of white and black plumes, that bore the grand casket in which the dead hero lay, we thought with sorrow of the handsome face still in death and the heart-broken wife thus cruelly widowed."

"Van Dorn's troopers would remember with fervent admiration his appearance as dawn arose on Dec. 20 and they waited with him just outside the town. 'Seated on his fine black mare, holding his hat above his head,' one recounted, 'I thought him as fine a figure as I had ever seen.' Colonel Griffith, whose plan Van Dorn had executed to perfection, wrote that 'I felt as if I could charge hell and capture the devil.'

Aftermath

Some conspiracy theories have been spoken about Van Dorn's death, including the possibility that Dr. Peters was motivated more by politics than the sanctity of his marriage. As a state legislator, Peters had earlier taken the oath of loyalty to the United States in Memphis, and although he divorced his wife soon after her affair was revealed, Van Dorn's sister Emily later wrote a memoir defending her brother and blaming Peters' loyalty to the United States in the war as the real reason for shooting him.

General Van Dorn was one of the three major generals in the American Civil War who died violently from personal problems. The others were U.S. Major General William "Bull" Nelson, shot as the result of a feud with then Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis in September 1862, and Confederate Major General John A. Wharton, shot as the result of an argument with Colonel George Wythe Baylor in April 1865.

Van Dorn's body was initially transported and buried in the graveyard of his wife's family in Alabama. At his sister's request, it was returned to Mississippi and reburied next to their father at Wintergreen Cemetery in their hometown of Port Gibson.

Van Dorn's childhood home, the Van Dorn House in Port Gibson, Mississippi, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Legacy

Controversial throughout his life, Van Dorn as a military commander was an exceptional leader of small to medium-sized groups of soldiers, particularly cavalry in which he was masterful, but was out of his element with infantry commands. Military historian David L. Bongard described him as "aggressive, brave, and energetic..."

According to the Mobile Register on the day of Van Dorn's death, "Gen. Van Dorn was every inch a soldier and just beginning to reap the reward of public confidence and praise. His loss will be severely felt in that branch of the service of which he was so complete a master."

Military historian and biographer John C. Fredriksen described him as "a brave and capable soldier, but he proved somewhat lacking in administrative ability." Fredriksen said that Van Dorn belonged in cavalry command, where he was "back in his element" and "demonstrated flashes of brilliance" with that branch of the service. Fredriksen believed Van Dorn's successes at Holly Springs and Thompson's Station in the spring of 1863 proved he was one of the leading cavalry leaders in the Confederacy. He said that his death cost the Confederacy a "useful leader at a critical juncture of the Vicksburg campaign", noting that Van Dorn was the senior major general in the Confederate States Army when he was killed.

Physically short, impulsive, and highly emotional, Van Dorn was also a noted painter and writer of poetry. He was respected for his horsemanship and was known as a lover of women. A reporter dubbed him "the terror of ugly husbands" shortly before Van Dorn was killed.

It is written that "Van Dorn had ample opportunity to participate in the social life of the community. Handsome, debonair, and polished, he presented a dashing figure in Confederate gray, so it was not surprising that he was a major attraction and the center of attention at public and private events."

Honors

CSS General Earl Van Dorn, a side-wheel river steamer in the Confederate States Navy, was named for him in early 1862. After destroying most of the River Defense Fleet in U.S. battles, this steamer was burned in June 1862 to prevent its capture by U.S. forces.
In 1906, the Daughters of the Confederacy of Claiborne County erected a monument to Confederate soldiers in front of the county courthouse in Port Gibson. It is topped by a portrait statue of Van Dorn.
In 1942, the U.S. Army established Camp Van Dorn, a training camp near Centreville, Mississippi, in Wilkinson and Amite counties for troops during World War II, naming it in his memory. It operated until 1946.

Notes

References

Print

Cannan, John, ed., War in the West: Shiloh to Vicksburg, 1862–1863, W.H. Smith Publishers, 1990, .
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, and Bongard, David L., Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography, Castle Books, 1992, 1st Ed., .
Eicher, David J. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. .
Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
Foote, Shelby. The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol. 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville. New York: Random House, 1958. .
Foote, Shelby. The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol. 2, Fredericksburg to Meridian. New York: Random House, 1958. .
Foote, Shelby. The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol. 3, Red River to Appomattox. New York: Random House, 1974. .
Fredriksen, John C., Civil War Almanac, Checkmark Books/Infobase Publishing, 2008, .
Hartje, Robert George, Van Dorn: The Life and Times of a Confederate General, Vanderbilt University Press, 1994 [1967], .
Johnson, Robert Underwood and Clarence C. Buel, eds. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 1 New York: Century Co., 1884–1888. . (Later edition: New York: Castle Books, 1956 (by arrangement with A.S. Barnes & Co.), Inc.)
Kennedy, Frances H., ed. The Civil War Battlefield Guide. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. .
Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .
Weinert Jr., Richard P. The Confederate Regular Army. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Publishing, 1991, .
Wright, Marcus J., General Officers of the Confederate Army: Officers of the Executive Departments of the Confederate States, Members of the Confederate Congress by States. Mattituck, NY: J. M. Carroll & Co., 1983. . First published in 1911 by Neale Publishing Co.

Online

www.library.ci.corpus-christi.tx.us Online military biography of Van Dorn.
encyclopediaofarkansas.net Encyclopedia Of Arkansas biography of Van Dorn.
tennesseeencyclopedia.net Tennessee Encyclopedia biography of Van Dorn.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20151222181056/http://www.nps.gov/resources/person.htm?id=113] U.S. National Park Service biography of Van Dorn.
www.civilwararchive.com Copies of Van Dorn's official reports concerning Pea Ridge.
www.tshaonline.org Texas St. Historical Assn. Biography of Van Dorn.

External links

; Official

Earl Van Dorn Papers at Miami University

; General information