Picture 1 of 6
Stock photo
Picture 1 of 6
Stock photo
Tarnished Cavalier : Major General Earl Van Dorn by Arthur B. Carter (1999, Hardcover)
F
Friends of Transylvania Library (433)
99.3% positive feedback
Price:
$38.00
+ $5.22 shipping
Returns:
30 days returns. Seller pays for return shipping.
Condition:
The Tarnished Cavalier, Major General Earl Van Dorn, C.S.A
- Buy It NowThe Tarnished Cavalier : Major General Earl Van Dorn C.S.A (OOP) by Carter
Oops! Looks like we're having trouble connecting to our server.
Refresh your browser window to try again.
About this product
Product Information
"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 Arthur B. Carter's biography of Van Dorn, the first in three decades, draws on previously unpublished sources regarding the general's affair with Martha Goodbread--which resulted in three children--and his liaison with Jessica Peters, which resulted in his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.Product Identifiers
PublisherUniversity of Tennessee Press
ISBN-101572330473
ISBN-139781572330474
eBay Product ID (ePID)741207
Product Key Features
Book TitleTarnished Cavalier : Major General Earl Van Dorn
Number of Pages264 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year1999
TopicUnited States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), Historical
IllustratorYes
GenreBiography & Autobiography, History
AuthorArthur B. Carter
FormatBook, Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height1 in
Item Weight22 Oz
Item Length9 in
Item Width6 in
Additional Product Features
Dewey Edition21
Lccn98-040256
Dewey Decimal973.7/3/092 B
Lc Classification NumberE467.1.V2c37 1999
All listings for this product
Ratings and Reviews
Most relevant reviews
- Feb 17, 2024
Informative but a pain to plow through.
The book has a wealth of information. Unfortunately the author has written the book the way biographies were presented 100+ years ago. The grammar, although correct, is inefficient. And the author provides meaningless details which drag out the progression of events and actions.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
