The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-04-14


rendered the Confcderacy By lnountedmen
led by dashng commanders. Van Dorm
had all of Forests personal courage and
restless energy, and he had at the outset
what Forrest won only by slow and painful
effort-the confidence and approval OF his
superiOrs, and at the moment OF his tragic
death was ut the head of corps Of cavalry
In q field Offering every advantage for bril-
liant results. Forrest was ut the time
brigade commander under Van Dorm, and
the death Of the leader broke up the corps.
Van Dorm entered the fight in 1851 with
the prestige Of trained West Point sol
der who had seen hard service, and, more
over he was Il cavalryman with record.
He had served in the border troubles in
Mexico, and against the wild Apaches and
COmanches. and his name was Il familiar
one in many home in the southwest,
where the veterans of those wars recounted
the deeds of their comrades into the recep-
tive ears of the boys growing up to be war
riors, too, when the time came. In the
news from CerrO GordO Van Dorm had
been gazettci hero; SO, too at Churu
buScO, Chapultepec, and the gates OF Mex
leo he had come off with scars and brevets.
When the Southern army was regularly
organized Van Dorn's promotion was
WHO knew his record, and, in fact, had
served with him while he was making it.
He entered the Confederate service as col
onel of cavalry in March, 1861, and before
the year closed was major general com
manding the transmississippi depart
ment This last assignment was given
him while he was in Virginia. He has
tened to the field Of action, which was
along the Missouri and Arkansas border,
with his plans all laid for Il campaign. He
would attack st. Louis, break up the
Union headquarters there, cross to Illinois
and erect powerful batteries, and so con-
troll the upper Mississippi channel and hold
Missouri to the Confederacy.
The people d the west who sided with
the Confeccracy took hope, for they looked
upon the dashing and graceful, though
small staturcd Van Dorm, as a young Ma
poleon and Il savior Gen. Sterling Price
was at the head of an army of Missourians,
organized for state defense against the
Federal government, and lay at Springfield,
in the southwestern part of the state. Van
Dorm at once ordered all the Confederate
forces in the southwest to report to Price
and to his own headquarters at POcahOntas,
Just across the border in Arkansas. Before
/ the concentration Of forces could be effected
Price was driven cut of Springfield and
across the border by Il strong Union force
under Gen 5. r. Curtis. Van Dorm then
! turned his attention to Curtis and pushed
| all the scattering detachments forward to
| Prices camp. Curtis had followed Price
! into Arkansas and held Il strong position
| in the mountains. On the 4th of March,
| 1862, Van Dorm moved against Curtis with
! 10000 men, divided into two columns. \
force of 10000 men, led by Gems. Ben Nc
| Culloch and James Mcintosh, was ordered
| to begin a direct attack, while Van Dorm
| and Price would make 4 detour and strike
| the Union army on the flank. This turn
| ing column was pushed out on the night of
| the 9th with secrecy and boldnes5 worthy
of 'StonewalP' Jackson.
The battle was joined on all sides on the
afternoon of the 18th of March on the field
| known as Pea Ridge. The column under
| Van Dorm and Price carried everything be-
| fore it, but nightfali put a stop to the
movement, just when victory was within
| grasp McCulloch and Mcintosh had not
done so well however Both of these lead
| ers had fallen, and Gen. Hebert, who took
| chief command when they fell, was a
| prisoner. On the morning OF the Sth Van
| Dorm found that Curtis had taken up a
| new position. and thai t ne main column of
his own army was badly broken up by its
experiences of the previous day. He re-
ucwed the battle without success.