Earl Van Dorn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Earl Van Dorn | |
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| September 17, 1820 – May 7, 1863 | |
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| Nickname | Buck |
| Place of birth | Port Gibson, Mississippi |
| Place of death | Spring Hill, Tennessee |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Years of service | 1842–61 (USA); 1861–63 (CSA) |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars | Mexican-American War American Civil War |
Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820 – May 7, 1863) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Confederate major general during the American Civil War.
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[edit] Early life
Born near Port Gibson, Mississippi, Van Dorn graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1842 being ranked 52 out of 56. He fought in the Mexican-American War and against the Seminoles and Comanches.
[edit] Civil War
His West Point background and previous war experience led to rapid advancement in the Confederate States Army, rising from colonel in March 1861 to major general in September. In this capacity, he commanded the Confederate forces at the Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern) in Pea Ridge, Arkansas. The Confederates' defeat at this battle, and Van Dorn's decision to move his army east of the Mississippi River enabled the Union to control the state of Missouri and threaten the heart of Arkansas. His incompetence at the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, in October 1862 led to another Union Army victory.
Van Dorn was more effective as a cavalry commander. His action destroying Union supplies at Holly Springs, Mississippi, in December 1862, seriously disrupted Ulysses S. Grant's first Vicksburg Campaign. He was also successful at Thompson's Station, Tennessee, in March 1863.
[edit] Death
It was Van Dorn's reputation as a womanizer, not a Union bullet, that led to his death. On May 7, 1863, he was shot at his headquarters in Spring Hill, Tennessee, by Dr. George Peters, who claimed that Van Dorn had carried on an affair with his wife. Peters was later arrested by Confederate authorities, but was never tried for the killing. Van Dorn is buried at Port Gibson, Mississippi.
[edit] Headline text
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Carter, Arthur B., The Tarnished Cavalier: Major General Earl Van Dorn, C.S.A., University of Tennessee Press, 1999, ISBN 1572330473.
- Hartje, Robert George, Van Dorn: The Life and Times of a Confederate General, Vanderbilt University Press, 1994, ISBN 0826512542.
