{⋆★⋆} MG Van Dorn, Earl

Earl Van Dorn​

Born: September 17, 1820

Birth Place: Port Gibson, Claiborne County, Mississippi

Father: Peter Aaron Van Dorn 1773 – 1837

(Buried: Wintergreen Cemetery, Port Gibson, Mississippi)​

Mother: Sophia Donelson Caffery

(Buried: Wintergreen Cemetery, Port Gibson, Mississippi)​

Wife: Caroline Godbold 1827 – 1876

(Buried: Godbold – Webb – Simms Cemetery, Washington Co., Alabama)​

Children:

Olivia Van Dorn Lumsden 1852 – 1874​

(Buried: Godbold – Webb – Simms Cemetery, Washington Co., Alabama)​

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Earl Van Dorn Jr. 1854 – 1884​

(Buried: Monroe City Cemetery, Monroe, Louisiana)​

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Percy Goodbread Van Dorn 1856 – 1879​

(Buried: Wrightsboro Cemetery, Wrightsboro, Texas)​

​

Lammie Belle Van Dorn Carr 1858 – 1930​

(Buried: Mission Burial Park South, San Antonio, Texas)​

​

Douglas Van Dorn 1861 – 1906

(Buried: Wrightsboro Cemetery, Wrightsboro, Texas)​

Education:

1842: Graduated from West Point Military Academy (52nd​ out of 56)​

Occupation before War:

1842 – 1861: Served in the United States Army, rising to Major​

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1847 – 1848: Aide to General P. F. Smith​

Civil War Career:

1861: Brigadier General in the Mississippi State Militia​

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1861: Major General, & Commander of Mississippi State Militia​

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1861: Colonel of 1st​ Confederate Cavalry, Regulars Regiment

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1861: Brigadier General of Confederate Army, Infantry​

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1861 – 1863: Major General of Confederate Army, Infantry​

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1862: Confederate Commander at Holly Springs Raid​

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1862: Commander during the Battle of Pea Ridge​

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1862: Commander during the Second Battle of Corinth​

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1863: Confederate Cavalry Commander Dept. of Mississippi, and East Louisiana​

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1863: Successful during the Battle of Thompson's Station​

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1863: Shot at his headquarters at Spring Hill, Tennessee​

Died: May 7, 1863

Place of Death: Spring Hill, Tennessee

Age at time of Death: 42 years old

Cause of Death: Wounds to the head due to bullet shot from citizen

Burial Place: Wintergreen Cemetery, Port Gibson, Mississippi

 

[jvarnell]

In the end boys will be boys.....

 

[Pollaco]

Interesting article on Adams but where did the enraged husband come in?I guess John H.Martin was someone's husband? And he was enraged.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

I've honestly never heard of that story regarding Adams. You've got me curious... I'll have to look into it.

It seems Adams was a bit more cautious about his indiscretions than Van Dorn.
So there's not much of a "paper trail " .

But the "word on the street" was that Adams was having an affair with the wife of the newspaper publisher.

I seem to recall a thread on this site from years ago that had links to contemporary sources.
I searched, but could not find that old thread.

But I'll keep searching.

 

[Vicksburger]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GENERAL VAN DORN- DEO VINDICE!

 

[Study the Past]

Very good & capable officer when in charge of Cavalry, not so much as an Army Commander, by far.

 

[tennessee]

@gentlemanrob mentioned - Successful during the Battle of Thompson's Station.
He should have mention his successful Holly Springs Raid on Grant's supplies.

Yes, Van Dorn's defeat of Grant restored some of his reputation and brought back some of the expectation for him as well. Interestingly enough, Grant's only two defeats came from Robert E. Lee and Earl Van Dorn.

One other thing I think is worthy of mention is the Van Dorn Flag, which was quite unique to the flags of the day. General Van Dorn was an artist and designed the flag himself which is an interesting tidbit in my opinion.

 

[Luke Freet]

Yes, Van Dorn's defeat of Grant restored some of his reputation and brought back some of the expectation for him as well. Interestingly enough, Grant's only two defeats came from Robert E. Lee and Earl Van Dorn.

One other thing I think is worthy of mention is the Van Dorn Flag, which was quite unique to the flags of the day. General Van Dorn was an artist and designed the flag himself which is an interesting tidbit in my opinion.

You forget Belmont where he's beaten by Polk and Pillow (probably the only successes of either of their careers)
And Grant certainly suffered a lot more defeats to Lee, if we are counting all the Petersburg related battles

 

[DanSBHawk]

Yes, Van Dorn's defeat of Grant restored some of his reputation and brought back some of the expectation for him as well. Interestingly enough, Grant's only two defeats came from Robert E. Lee and Earl Van Dorn.

One other thing I think is worthy of mention is the Van Dorn Flag, which was quite unique to the flags of the day. General Van Dorn was an artist and designed the flag himself which is an interesting tidbit in my opinion.

Counting a raid on Grant's supply lines as a defeat in battle seems a bit weak.

 

[DanSBHawk]

You forget Belmont where he's beaten by Polk and Pillow (probably the only successes of either of their careers)
And Grant certainly suffered a lot more defeats to Lee, if we are counting all the Petersburg related battles

Unless there was an intent by Grant to occupy Belmont, it's hard to see how it was a confederate victory.

And Grant vs Lee was a match that Lee won a couple rounds, but lost the fight.

 

[tennessee]

Counting a raid on Grant's supply lines as a defeat in battle seems a bit weak.

A large number of troops were captured as well and Grant pulled back forces from several areas. Van Dorn destroyed millions of dollars (modern equivalent to hundreds of millions) of supplies and telegraph lines. It was devistating for the Union and the brillance was in the trip there since he was being watched and he knew it. He had them thinking he was going everywhere but where he went. To say this was anything but a colossal success for Van Dorn seems a bit odd to me. Give them an his due. And then he routed Coburn in Thompson Station.

 

[Luke Freet]

Counting a raid on Grant's supply lines as a defeat in battle seems a bit weak.

That raid halted Grant's overland offensive to Jackson in its tracks and ended any threat by Grant to Vicksburg until May of 63.

 

[GwilymT]

As a colonel early in the war he did a brief stint down here in Texas seizing US property and receiving US Army detachments after their surrender. I believe it was him would helped commandeer the ship "Star of the West".

Don't you mean before the war?

 

[ErnieMac]

Van Dorn's assassination as reported in the 13 May 1863 edition of the Yorkville (SC) Enquirer:

 

[DanSBHawk]

A large number of troops were captured as well and Grant pulled back forces from several areas. Van Dorn destroyed millions of dollars (modern equivalent to hundreds of millions) of supplies and telegraph lines. It was devistating for the Union and the brillance was in the trip there since he was being watched and he knew it. He had them thinking he was going everywhere but where he went. To say this was anything but a colossal success for Van Dorn seems a bit odd to me. Give them an his due. And then he routed Coburn in Thompson Station.

I agree that it was a successful raid, but it wasn't a battle where Van Dorn and Grant faced off against each other.

 

[DanSBHawk]

That raid halted Grant's overland offensive to Jackson in its tracks and ended any threat by Grant to Vicksburg until May of 63.

And Belmont made Polk even more obsessed about the security of Columbus, thereby leaving the security of Forts Henry and Donelson even more neglected.

So yes I agree that raids can have a far-reaching effect.

 

[Pollaco]

Don't you mean before the war?

You may have me on part of that one. He didn't become a CS colonel until March 16, 1861. The seizures of US property, arsenals forts and such, in Texas happened mainly the months before his commission. But Van Dorn was a colonel when the Star of the West was seized.

 

[danny]

I have always had a low opinion of him, probably due to Pea Ridge, somebody tell me why I am wrong.

Pea Ridge was a tough place at a tough time to garner high opinions

 

[danny]

Counting a raid on Grant's supply lines as a defeat in battle seems a bit weak.

Don't count it

 

[ErnieMac]

Don't you mean before the war?

The Star of the West was seized on April 18, 1861, five days after the surrender of Fort Sumter. Van Dorn received the surrender of Federal troops in Indianola on April 25. The troops were at Indianola TX as a result of an agreement reached between the State of Texas and Bvt. MG David Twiggs in February to the effect that troops garrisoning Federal forts in Texas would be removed from the state by marching to designated points on the coast for embarkation to Federal held territory.

 

[Pollaco]

The Star of the West was seized in Matagorda Bay, Texas on April 18th by the militia groups the "Wigfall Guards" and the "Island City Rifles" led by Col.Van Dorn.