There are so many interesting stories and heroics in the life of General Earl Van Dorn that it is surprising that he is not a more common name in historical discussions of the present.
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One such notation concerning the late cavalier is that he was the first person of the Civil War to capture the ship of an opponent.
The famous vessel named The Star of the West was anchored off the coast of Texas in Matagorda Bay April 17, 1861.
It carried cargo including stockpiles of rations (food for soldiers) and lay in wait for men who would be joining the Union ranks to fight against the South.
General Van Dorn decided to seize the ship after nightfall in order to avoid bloodshed.
He boarded another ship, the Matagorda and had it’s captain travel alongside another ship, the General Rusk.
It was that ship that Van Dorn used to get close to the unsuspecting Star of the West and board it. His troops boarded first at 9 p.m., quickly covering the interior of the ship and holding Union soldiers at gunpoint.
General Van Dorn entered the bridge and announced that he was taking command of the ship – and he did.
Captain Howe realized he was outmanned and surrendered command to Van Dorn.
The ship and provisions were taken for the Confederacy.
Van Dorn allowed the soldiers on board to keep their sidearms (pistols) but required them to swear an oath not to take up arms against the south.
Most of them took this oath but none were killed who did not make such an oath.
Van Dorn captained both ships to Galveston, Texas before sending The Star of the West on to Louisiana.
Earl Van Dorn – The Confederate Pirate
When news got to President Abraham Lincoln concerning Van Dorn’s capture of this ship, he proclaimed and declared him a pirate under the laws of the United States “for seizure of vessels or goods by persons acting under the authority of the Confederate States.” (1)
General Van Dorn was honored with a banquet by the loyal ladies of San Antonio that included music, dancing, fine wine, and other elements of southern high culture.
He is said to have been asked by women at the banquet about his thoughts on being proclaimed a pirate.
He was quoted as saying, “I shall dance with a sort of Corsair gravity becoming the situation.”
1. Carter, Arthur. The Tarnished Cavalier: Major General Earl Van Dorn, C.S.A. pg. 32. The University of Tennessee Press / Knoxville. 1999.