General Earl Van Dorn (a.k.a. “Buck,” a.k.a. Damn Born) attended West Point Military Academy, traditional military strategy didn’t mix well with the way that his brilliant mind worked.

As somewhat of a savant, General Van Dorn was a genius who saw things differently than that of a typical war strategist. Through a roller coaster of ups and downs, Van Dorn collected for himself victories that were as impressive as his losses and he is considered one of the greatest cavalry commanders to have ever lived.

Van Dorn was a noted painter and writer. He was respected for his horsemanship and was known as a skilled lover of women. A Vicksburg newspaper reporter dubbed Van Dorn as “the terror of ugly husbands” shortly before he was killed by a jealous husband.

Earl Van Dorn, married to Carolina Van Dorn, was known for having many romantic affairs with women, especially during his travels of the war, but perhaps his most well-known affair was that he allegedly had with Jessie Peters of Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Jessie was married to Dr. George Peters, also of Spring Hill. It appears that Jessie had a bit of a reputation as being adventurous and this trait is likely what caused her dissatisfaction with her husband, Dr. Peters, who was also significantly older. Her attraction to Van Dorn is, perhaps, understandable, since the New York Times said this of Van Dorn’s appeal to women:

It’s true that Van Dorn was enormously attractive to many women — one memoirist wrote that “his bearing attracted, his address delighted, his accomplishments made women worship him.”

The New York Times

When he entered Southern cities, he was greeted like a conquering hero and famed celebrity. It is recorded that women fought to carry his luggage, hoping to gain his favor and, hopefully, access to his bed. Van Dorn’s administrative assistant, also known as an adjunctant, was Colonel Manning Kimmel, who prophetically warned Van Dorn that the affair with Jessie could cost him his life.

The Union and General Ulysses S. Grant learned that Van Dorn, as a sophisticated and dashing lady’s man, was involved in a poorly hidden affair with a married woman while commanding in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Aware of this, the Union approached the scorned husband and offered him a land grant worth over $3 million dollars to assassinate Van Dorn. Because he was a regular in Van Dorn’s circle, he walked right past Van Dorn’s security, got close to the General, and shot him in the head in May of 1863 in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Personality of Earl Van Dorn

As he grew into his own and into trusting his instincts rather than traditional military strategy, the Union realized they had no answers for Van Dorn and decided they had to have him assassinated to have a better chance to win the war.

Quirky but brilliant, General Van Dorn thought with a different kind of genius. Attempting to follow the traditional strategy of war is what hurt his reputation as a military man, but key victories restored his reputation shortly before his death.

Van Dorn was known as a man of refinement as a painter and cherisher of fine wine while also as a drunkard who craved the taste of whiskey. He painted to ease his mind and to prepare battle strategy while using his good looks and charm to seduce women.

Van Dorn was one of only two opponents to defeat General Ulysses S. Grant. The other to defeat Grant was General Robert E. Lee, also of the Confederacy.

To this day, General Van Dorn’s war strategies and victories are studied and analyzed for military application. Though the history of this general is little known, new attention is being given to his story, legacy, and adventures.