CSS General Earl Van Dorn

The Fort Pillow naval battle, CSS General Earl Van Dorn is behind CSS General Sterling Price.
History
Confederate States
Name	General Earl Van Dorn
Namesake	Earl Van Dorn
Operator	Confederate States Navy
Acquired	1862
Fate	Burned to avoid capture, 26 June 1862
General characteristics
Type	Side-wheel River Steamer
Service record
Part of:	River Defense Fleet
Operations:	Battle of Plum Point Bend Battle of Memphis

Cropped image of the Fort Pillow naval battle depicting CSS General Sterling Price and CSS General Earl Van Dorn.

The CSS General Earl Van Dorn, a side-wheel river steamer, was fitted out in early 1862 at New Orleans, Louisiana as a River Defense Fleet "cottonclad" ram. It was named for Confederate general Earl Van Dorn, born and raised in Mississippi.

In late March, the ship steamed up the Mississippi River to Memphis, Tennessee, where outfitting was completed. In the naval action off Fort Pillow on May 10, the Van Dorn attacked a Union mortar boat with gunfire and rammed the ironclad USS Mound City.

On June 1, the steamer was used to help cover the Confederate evacuation of Fort Pillow. It retreated to Memphis, where, on June 6 it was the only survivor of the River Defense Fleet's final battle. After escaping to Yazoo City, Mississippi, General Earl Van Dorn was burned by its Confederate crew on June 26, 1862, to avoid capture by Federal warships.

See also[]

• Bibliography of early American naval history
• Seth Ledyard Phelps (Battle of Memphis section)

References[]

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

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