Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-03-22
Van i6oHt, the HsaO or mB4
SlSSIPPI.
TIE AlstsFy Of q Gallaal SsldIOT Of the
CSaIsdSFaSy-Hls PsrSOaaI eharae.
isFlstOs aaa bic HIllaFV Achieve.
assls-Ths caapalss On
ne West Of he Me
siSsIppL
sE MAJoR.SEHEaAL DABSET n. nAUnT.
philadelphia WEEKLY TImesI

NENHN9A 1AIA 4u bVFN WAS III kU9 UHAA~
lon Of the writer, tho most remarkable
man the State OF Mississippi has eveF
known. Ny Acquaintance with him began
In MOnterey, In the Fall Of 1873 he vas
AIde-de-Camp then TO Genera PersiEOr r.
SMITH, and was one Of the most attractive
young 70 lows In the army. He used to
ride q beautiful bay AndalnsiAn hOrse,
and 10 he came g%allOping along the lines,
with bis yellow hair wavlag In the wind
aud his bright face lighted With kindness
add courage, we all loved to see him. HIS
figure was 1.-THE nd grhcetll, hls statue
did not exceed five feet six L. Ches, but his
clear blue eyes, his firm ST. mouth, with
White strong teeth, his we'll cut nose with
expanding nos .rils, gave assurance Of q
man whom men could trust and follow.
n, yOnny UfdGer zane out Of the Mexican
war with a reputation more envlable than
his. After the clOs0 OF that war he re.
sumed ris duties and position In the Infan-
try regiment Of which he was . Lieuten,
ant. Ia 1854 the second Cavalry wac or.
ganiAed, and Van Dorm wac promoted ~
6e the Major Of the regiment. He con-
Quoted several Of the most important and
successful expeditions against the Co
manches We have eVer made, and in Q Of
them was shot through the body, the polnt
OF the arrow just protFudIng through the
skin. M surgeon Was at hand. Van
born, rejecting that 70 withdraw the ar.
row would leave the barbed head 10 hiS
body, thrust Il IN through, aud LEFT the
surgeon little IN do. When the States re-
sumed their State sovereignty be took .
OOId aAd ~etiuient part Ia securing 70 rex.
AZ, where he vac serving, all Of the war
material within her b0rdgrO. Early 10 the
var he was ordered 10 Join The army under
General Joe Johnston at Manassas;
whence soon alter, in february, 1851, he
was ordered TO take o1mmand OF the
franc Isalsslppl Department.
VAN DORN's Bold Project.
was associated with him in this com.
maud as chief Of his staf add Jaw him
daily for many mnnlha. lie had conceived
the bold project OF capturing 50. LOui. anu
Il. nSierTing the war lot Illinois, and vas
actively engaged 10 prep Lring for this en-
{ rpTi,e when ne was SUNNI utd by Gen.
PIics 10 Boston mnunLaln, where The
{ rcss OF Price ana McCullOuh lay 10
gr, ~ need Ot q cOnmUn snpeTiOr-iOr
these two 6enerdls cIlld not go operate
because OF questions o: rank. Therefore,
Van born prom, tly responded n Prioe's
summons. aud IN a few hours Was 10 the
saddle and on his way u Van Buren,.
went with him, aid one aide.de. camp, an
OFderl, aud my servant man Jen. made up
our p Irty. Van Dorm role u Il ie thorough.
bred Olack male he had brought from Vlr.
giniA. 1 was mounted On u s0Frel | had
bought In Z cahOntas a iew hours before
We set Uut. Except my sOrrel mare, Van
rOrn'7 b ack mare WAS the haIdes' trotser
in the world. and ~ we trOtted tilLy. i've
miles every day for i've Or SIX days, We
had q very unUouAl opportunity VI learn.
ing al that u hari ttUtter can DO 70 q man
IN a long daI's march. Had It NOS been
that We slept every ui ht Ia a = arb
hat so0thed our sore bOnes o served "a
4 pOulIice TO our CALLED saddle pieces, WI
would have heen permanently disabled To-
cayaiiy service i0rr yer. NY boy Jem alOnI
epj Yed that trip. Ne lode In the am0u
lA1de ell day and slept Ad libitum day AMI
night; aud except hen he got . duSklnl
by ire upsettlag ~ = ~ Black river
BIZ vac ~ happy az ever be had been sinC
the lat her log season on the POt0msO
The battle Ut klkhbrn disturbed Jsmf
equilibrium even more than The upsettlnl
u the canoe. Tho e~xoitemsag OF imminenI
danger, wGich was never y pleasing emo
tion 70 Jem, was kept up at ElkhOrn muci
longer than In Black ii or, and could no
hnG b m for three d~Rys-not, indeed, unit
We accidentally met On the route Of on
eiIeAt, when | must say nc showed greA
delight at " meeting up With me again
/: snd took ~ himself a. little credit foF th'
skill with which ne had conducted thl
movements VI that ambulance for the pas
three days. |: had contained all Of on
/, clio hing and blankets and camp supplies
Ut no little value 10 hungry aud Weariet
warriors. The blankets aud clothing weF,
all right, but w i0und nothing whAteve
Tor the inner man Jem was cheerful ant
cordial and comfortable, but we neve
. could ascertain where he had the ambu
Ia CO nom IN. time tho hrst shot was DR.
until the moment we encountered bin i
: full retreat, q, d with toe last sound Of VI,
battle died uut 10 the distance behind hlm
II BATTLE OF ELKHoRN.
Van Dorm had plann d tue battle OF Elk
. horn welt; he had moved 90 rapidly fEOT
q Boston mountain with the forces Of Prio
/, ami MOI uilOch combined that be caugh
the enemy u~npTepaTed, add With his d
visions go far separated that but f0f th
inevitable indiscipllne o ftrOOps 81 hastll
, thrown together, he would have destrOye
? the whole Federal army. BY the loss Q
, thirty minutes 10 reaching Be%ntonVille "
: lOst the cutting od Of 5iegel, with 100
men, who we're hurrying to Join the mai
body on 5ugac creek. But we puehed bit
a hard all that day, and after he had close
upon tue main body, Van Dora, leaving
small GOFos TO occupy the attention |
front, threw his amr!, by q night march
" quite around the Federal army aud aOr0s
/ their only road, BY which retreat 70 Nil
a souri, could be Effected. He handled hi
! forces we'll; always attaching, Away
pre-, sing the enemy back. When he hear
II the death, 10 quick succession. OF thI
three principal ~cOmmandars OF bis RICH
wing-McCulloch, Mcintosh and Hebert-
: aud the consequent withdrawal from tn
= attack OF that whole wing, he only set hi
v lips q little Armer; HE blue eyes blaze
Q brighter, and his nOstIils looked wider, q
he said, "then we must press them hard
4 Q Y" And he did, too, and be had every
y thing moving finely BY sundOwn, and a
the enemy's line before us 10 III retreat
10 at o run, and falling back lnts their WACO
trains; when, by Misrepresentation on III
ia part Ot the commander with our advance
|, troops, the pursuit Was arrested, on
. fOrces Withdrawn from the attack TO go II
o to bivouac, and the enemy was permtIte
q 10 quietly %TeOrganlZs his army and prI
,. pare for a combined attack upon us In Ii
morning. During the night we found tn
10 most II our batteries and regiments ha
exhausted their ammunition, aud the or
le nance train, with all the reserve ammun
4. ton, had been sent away, fifteen mile
l, back, on the road along which we ha
!. come, and the enemy lay between. The
10 was nothing left for Van Dorm but 10 g
his train on the road 70 Van Buren,, al
his army Oh by the same route, and TO hs
enough to secure them, This be did, ~
le marched away unmOlested.