The Tarnished Cavalier: Major General Earl Van Dorn, C.S.A.Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1999 - 247 páginas "Arthur Carter brings new perspective to Confederate knight-errant Earl Van Dorn, who might have been famous rather than infamous had he lived. . . . Carter suggests how Van Dorn the cavalryman could have joined mounted leaders Forrest, Morgan, and Wheeler as raiders-superb and mainstay of Confederate success in the West. Except for one costly peccadillo, Van Dorn would have been one of the South's rising rather than falling stars."--Benjamin Franklin Cooling, Author of Fort Donelson's Legacy Dashing, bold, and fearless in command, Major General Earl Van Dorn was a soldier whose star shone brightly during the early days of the Confederacy. A veteran of the Mexican War and Indian campaigns, he is remembered for suffering devastating defeats while leading armies at Pea Ridge and Corinth and then redeeming himself as a cavalry commander at Holly Springs and Thompson Station. Yet he was perhaps best known for his reputation as a womanizer killed by an irate husband at the height of his career. Arthur B. Carter's biography of Van Dorn, the first in three decades, draws on previously unpublished sources regarding the general's affair with Martha Goodbread--which resulted in three children--and his liaison with Jessica Peters, which resulted in his death. This new material, unknown to previous biographers, includes the revelation that the true circumstances of Van Dorn's death were kept secret by friends and comrades in order to protect his family. Carter reveals that the general was probably mortally wounded on the Peters plantation but was carried back to his Spring Hill headquarters. He reconstructs the details of Van Dorn's murder in a brisk narrative that draws on accounts of Van Dorn's confidantes, capturing both the danger and passion of those events. The Tarnished Cavalier is more than a story of scandal. Carter sheds new light on Confederate conduct of the war in the western theater during 1861 and 1862, revisits the pivotal battles of Pea Ridge and Corinth--both of which are important to understanding the loss of the upper South--and introduces new perspectives on the defense of Vicksburg and the Middle Tennessee operations of early 1863. Carter's narrative juxtaposes Van Dorn's flamboyance with his failings as a commander: although he was a soldier with heroic aspirations, he was also impulsive, reckless, and unable to delegate authority. Perhaps more telling, it shows how Van Dorn's character flaws extended to his personal life, cutting short a promising career. The Author: Arthur B. Carter, a retired U.S. Army officer and educator, lives in Mobile, Alabama. |
Contenido
A SPLENDID LITTLE WAR | 23 |
Van Dorn in a Confederate Uniform c 1861 | 35 |
THE LONG ROAD TO PEA RIDGE | 41 |
Mississippi Central Railroad Depot Holly Springs142 | 142 |
A GAME OF FOX AND HOUNDS | 147 |
Dedication of Marker on Caroline Van Dorns Grave 198 | 198 |
Bibliography | 229 |
241 | |
Otras ediciones - Ver todas
The Tarnished Cavalier: Major General Earl Van Dorn, C.S.A. Arthur B. Carter Sin vista previa disponible - 2013 |
Términos y frases comunes
action advance Arkansas army arrived artillery attack Battery battle Battle of Corinth Bragg Brig Brigade camp Campaign cavalry Civil command Confederate continued Corinth crossed Davis December defenses Department direction dispatched Division Dorn's Earl Van Dorn earlier early east enemy failed Federal fighting fire force Forrest front Grant Hill Holly Springs hour Illinois infantry Jackson John Johnston Kimmel late later leaving lost Memphis miles military Miller Mississippi Missouri Mobile morning mounted move movement night Notes officer once ordered passed Pemberton personally Peters position Press Price railroad reached rear Rebels received Record regiments remained result returned ride Ridge River Road Rosecrans sent short shortly side Soldier's Honor soon Southern success supply taken Tennessee Texas told took town troops turn Union units Vicksburg West Yankees
Referencias a este libro
Lee's Cavalrymen: A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of Northern ... Edward G. Longacre Sin vista previa disponible - 2002 |
A Politician Turned General: The Civil War Career of Stephen Augustus Hurlbut Jeffrey Norman Lash Vista previa limitada - 2003 |