VANDORN, EARL
Van Dorn, Earl
(September 17, 1820–May 7, 1863)
Confederate General
A
lthough he mishandled his two major
engagements, the colorful, philander-
ing Van Dorn emerged as one of the
South’s most talented cavalry leaders. He ren-
dered useful service throughout the Vicks-
burg campaign, only to die at the hands of an
enraged husband.
Earl Van Dorn was born near Port Gibson,
Mississippi, on September 17, 1820, the son of
a local magistrate. He was admitted to West
Point in 1838 and graduated four years later, a
dismal fifty-second out of a class of 56. Van
Dorn had almost been expelled for unruly be-
havior, including heavy drinking. Nonethe-
less, he received his commission as a second
lieutenant in the Seventh U.S. Infantry before
fighting against the Seminoles in Florida.
Thereafter, he joined Gen. Zachary Taylor’s
Army of Occupation in Texas, and he partici-
pated in all the opening battles of the Mexican
War (1846–1848). Transferring to the army of
Gen. Winfield Scott, Van Dorn was conspicu-
ously engaged at Cerro Gordo, Contreras, and
Churubusco, winning brevet promotions to
captain and major. In 1855, he rose to captain
in the prestigious Second U.S. Cavalry for ser-
vice along the Texas frontier. In this capacity
he participated in many successful scrapes
with hostile Comanches and received two se-
rious wounds. Van Dorn thus became cele-
brated as one of the army’s most adept cav-
alry leaders. He advanced to major in 1860,
but he resigned his commission and went
home following Mississippi’s secession in Jan-
uary 1861.
Van Dorn initially served as a major gen-
eral in the Mississippi state militia, replacing
his friend Jefferson Davis, who went on to
become president of the newly formed Con-
federacy. Shortly after, he was commissioned
a colonel in the regular Confederate service
and spent several months in Texas. There he
gained notoriety for accepting the surrender
of several U.S. Army detachments and also
constructed the first prisoner of war camps.
Van Dorn, a dashing, handsome dilettante,
was quite favored by President Davis, who
arranged his promotion to brigadier general
in June 1861 and major general the following
September. Thus situated, he was tapped to
serve as commander of the newly created De-
partment of the Trans-Mississippi, a sprawling
jurisdiction encompassing Texas, Arkansas,
and Missouri. Van Dorn’s principle task was
sorting out confusion in Confederate ranks
brought on by bickering between Gens. Ster-
ling Priceand Ben McCulloch. This would
prove an impossible task.
Van Dorn was a capable soldier, but he
faired poorly at administering large numbers
of troops. Ordered to clear Union forces out
of Missouri, he led a scratch-built force of
16,000 men forward and on March 6–7, 1862,
engaged 11,000 Union troops under Gen.
Samuel R. Curtis at Pea Ridge. The Confeder-
ate Army of the West, poorly armed, trained,
and exhausted after hard marching in cold
weather, attempted a clumsy flanking move-
ment, only to be beaten in detail. McCulloch
was killed and the Confederates driven off
with heavy losses. Pea Ridge was a decisive
defeat for the South insomuch as it ensured
Union control of Missouri and parts of north-
ern Arkansas. Van Dorn was subsequently or-
dered across the Mississippi River, where he
was to reinforce the army of Gen. Pierre G.T.
Beauregard. At length he obtained an inde-
pendent command, assisted by Price, and
fought at the ill-conceived Battle of Corinth
on October 3, 1862. There he ordered his men
repeatedly to charge a larger force under
Gen. William S. Rosecrans and sustained
heavy losses. At length Van Dorn was forced
back with 4,200 casualties to a Union tally of
only 2,500. Two days later his men were
roughly handled by a Union attack on the