Military officer; born near
Port Gibson, Miss., Sept. 17. 1820; graduated at
West Point in 1842, and served in the war against
Mexico, receiving brevets for gallantry at
Cerro Gordo,
Contreras,
Churubusco, and at the capture of the city of
Mexico, where he was wounded.
After serving in several Indian campaigns, he resigned, Jan. 31, 1861, and was commissioned a colonel in the Confederate army.
He was ordered to
Texas in April, 1861, to secure for the
Confederates the remnant of the forces betrayed by
Twiggs (see
Twiggs, David Emanuel). At that time seven companies, under
Major Sibley, were at
Matagorda Bay, preparing to embark for the
North on the
Star of the West, under convoy of the gunboat
Mohawk.
These vessels did not make their appearance, and
Sibley embarked on two lighters for
Tampico, Mexico.
Lack of coal and provisions compelled him to turn back.
Four vessels, with 1,500 Texans under
Van Dorn, came into the bay, and captured
Sibley and his whole command.
At about the same time a party of volunteers from
Galveston captured the
Star of the West (April 17), with all her stores.
On the 23d
Colonel Waite and all his officers, on duty at
San Antonio, were made prisoners; so also were seven companies under
Colonel Reese, who were making their way towards the coast.
These were all the
National troops remaining in
Texas, which
Twiggs had surrendered.
They were kept prisoners awhile, and, after being compelled to give their parole not to bear arms against the
Confederates, embarked for New York.
Promoted major-general,
Van Dorn took command of the trans-Mississippi district in January, 1862, and was defeated at
Pea Ridge and
Corinth, and superseded by
Pemberton.
Defeated at
Franklin, he was shot dead by
Dr. Peters in
Spring Hill, Tenn., May 8, 1863.
