VAN DORN'S
Cavalry Raid

"If you will fit up an expedition, comprising three or four thousand men, and give us Major-General Earl Van Dorn, than whom no braver man lives, to command us, we will penetrate to the rear of the enemy, capture Holly Springs, Memphis, and other points, and perhaps, force him to retreat to Coffeeville; if not, we can certainly force more of the enemy to remain in their rear, to protect their supplies, than the cavalry could whip if we remained in front."
-- Lieutenant Colonel John Summerfield Griffith, letter to command headquarters, 1862.

"Van Dorn is undoubtedly the right man in the right place, and if he be permitted to retain command of our cavalry force he will make what so far has been one of the poorest arms of the the body one of the more efficient and famous."
-- Correspondent, Mobile Register and Advertiser, 27 December 1862.

"I felt as though I could have stormed the gates of Hell and captured the Devil himself!"
-- John Summerfield Griffin, regarding the demonstrative reception given by local inhabitants of Holly Springs, December 1862.

"... I can see the dim, shadowy interior of the empty box car, with mother sitting quietly upon a chair, while I huddled fearfully upon a hastily improvised bed upon the floor ..."
-- Jesse Grant, having escaped with his mother from Holly Springs the night before the raid, In the Days of My Father General Grant, New York Times, 9 June 1934 and 2 July 1924.

"My fate is most mortifying. I have wished a hundred times today that I had been killed."
-- Colonel Robert C. Murphy, commander, Holly Springs Depot, December 1862.

Principal Commanders

Union: Colonel Robert C. Murphy Lt. Colonel Quincy McNeil Major John J. Mudd Colonel Benjamin H. Grierson		Confederate: Major General Earl Van Dorn Colonel William H. Jackson Colonel Robert M. McCullough Lt. Col. John Summerfield Griffith
Grierson		Van Dorn	Jackson

Physical Features

As Grant prepared his overland campaign, he was confident of his supply base in Holly Springs. It was intended to supply the largest and most modern army at the time, and lived up to its billing. All the major buildings in town were filled with clothing, canned goods, medical supplies, military rations, munitions, and explosives. The streets were filled with barrels of flour and bales of cotton. In addition, it contained unimaginable quantities of whiskey and cigars.

The Federals were so certain of the security of their enormous supply base that they located their Paymaster and Quartermaster in the town. They were also using it as a convenient and comfortable temporary home for Union officers and their wives. Among these residents was Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant with her youngest son, Jesse. Virtually all the men of Holly Springs were fighting elsewhere and an amicable relationship existed between the ladies of Holly Spring and their mandatory guests.

North of Holly Springs were two other federal garrisons. Eighteen miles from Holly Springs lay Davis's Mill, and seven miles southwest of Bolivar lay Middleton. Garrisoned at Davis's Mill were 250 soldiers in an old sawmill. Out of it the Union force had created an almost impenetrable position using railroad ties and cotton bales. At Middleton were only 115 Union solidiers. Both would give an important lesson to the Confederate cavalry.

Description of the Raid

Van Dorn's cavalry raid was actually conceived, proposed, and planned by Lieutenant Colonel John Summerfield Griffith, commanding the Texas Brigade. Major General John S. Pemberton liked the idea and ordered Confederate cavalry brigades under Griffith, Colonel William H. Jackson, and Colonel Robert M. McCullough to assemble in Grenada around 12 December. Then quietly they withdrew across the Yalabusha River on 15 December to wait for their new, and as yet unamed, commander. Most of the men had no idea of the planned objective, but it wasn't difficult to figure out. All the turpentine that could be found was distributed -- each man carrying his own container and a box of matches. Only three-day rations were issued, but each man received fifteen days of salt rations. And every company was issued axes.

The next morning they received orders to move out for a lengthy march, and with characteristic drama and flash, Major General Earl Van Dorn suddenly joined them. The Condederate troops knew "Buck" Van Dorn and were eager to ride under his leadership, vigorously cheering when he arrived. Seeing the diminutive Mississippi General at the head of the column, riding his horse like a knight, caused one cavalryman to later write that, "Seeing Gen. Van Dorn on a little rise, seated on his fine black mare, I thought him as fine a general as I have ever seen."

Between 16 - 19 December, the column moved steadily north, through Houston, Pontotoc, New Albany, and across the Tallahatchie River. Their first objective was the massive union supply base at Holly Springs, though Van Dorn gave no indication he was heading there. He passed up several roads that led to the supply depot, instead intimated to citizens and Federal patrols that he was headed for Bolivar. At Potonoc a small 800-man force of reconnoitering Union cavalry spotted the large Confederate column. Van Dorn could ill afford a confrontation with them, so ignored them. A dsipatch was sent to Grant's headquarters, but the couriers got lost during the night, and Grant did not receive the news until 20 December. By then it was too late.

Late in the afternoon of 19 December they came to a little-used road near Ripley that cut due west twenty-five miles to Holly Springs. It was slow going but through the night they slogged over the rugged, swampy road and were in position outside of Holly Springs by dawn. It would be a morning forever etched in the minds of the gentle women of Holly Springs and in the annals of the Confederacy. For on the morning of 20 December, Van Dorn descended on Holly Springs with 3,500 cavalry and infantry to wreck havoc.

Van Dorn's infantry attacked the Union infantry guarding the northeast end of town, near the railway depot. One Confederate cavalry column raced through these infantry, then turned toward the fairgrounds to surprise the Union cavalry encampment. Another cavalry column, riding at full gallop and giving the rebel yell, rode directly into Holly Springs to surprise another part of the Union infantry occupying quarters in the center of town. In the town square the Confederates took the infantry completely by surprise, and were soon greeted by an entire town of women running into the streets cheering their liberators. Their joy would be short-lived as they soon realized their liberation required the destruction of virtually every important building in town.

While most of the Union soldiers were caught unawares, resistance was offered and the fighting became hand-to-hand. The most successful attempts were made by Lieutenant Colonel Quincy McNeil, who was second in command, and Major John J. Mudd. Pistols were the preferred weapons for close fighting -- swords were carried largely for symbolic reasons. But in Holly Springs that morning, the fighting reverted to the only reported instance of a hand-to-hand sword fight in the war. Mudd rallied his men and refused to surrender. He and 130 men, with swords flashing, cut their way out and escaped. McNeil was not so lucky. He quickly deployed men into a defensive square at the fairgrounds, but after 8 men were killed and 39 wounded, McNeil and most of his command were taken prisoner.

Acting quickly, the Rebels immediately paroled their captives and begin the systematic destruction of twenty to thirty buildings that were full of union supplies. They made sure that every component of Grant's huge arsenal was incinerated or detonated, that every resource which could aid his army in their Mississippi campaign was destroyed.

Fires filled the sky with smoke, and throughout the day the air was filled with the sound of the exploding munitions. They destroyed the trains that were already packed with supplies and ready to head south. One southern soldier recalled that "cars after cars of bacon were burned." The hundreds of bales of cotton that lined the streets were burned along with thousands of barrels of flour. Whiskey literally flowed in the streets as officers broke the barrels to prevent the men from becoming incapacitated. One eyewitness estimated that three thousand cigars were being smoked at one time. Many of the men replaced their worn and inadequate garments with greatcoats, fine boots, and large hats of the Union. Every man acquired a variety of weapons, and carried away as many provisions as he could. By all accounts they now constituted the best-equipped cavalry in the world.

By nightfall, the sky continued to glow and residual explosions could still be heard as the raiders left Holly Springs, headed north and deeper into occupied territory. On 21 December, Van Dorn and his magnificantly-supplied cavalry rode boldly into Davis Mill, Mississippi, eighteen miles north of Holly Springs. It was garrisoned by only 250 men under Colonel H. Morgan, who went about showing the world how a small force, in a good defensive position, and with adequate warning could withstand superior numbers. Van Dorn decided to attack with infantry rather than cavalry, but after easily getting through the Union pickets his men were met by a savage fussilade. Van Dorn was forced to pull his men back without even coming close to the fortified Union positon. Three times he assulated the positon, and three times was repulsed. Knowing pursuit would be upon him soon, Van Dorn realized he could not waste any more time or men trying to take the small and unimportant garrison. Time was now a major concern, and Van Dorn could do little but withdraw and move on.

For two days Van Dorn rode north, cutting telegraph lines and destroying rail lines. He feinted an attack at Bolivar, but instead reversed his direction and trapped the Federal pickets. While travelling north, no one was exactly sure where Van Dorn was. But as he turned south, Colonel Benjamin H. Grierson pursuing from Holly Springs finally found Van Dorn's trail, and began breathing down his neck.

On 24 December Van Dorn arrived at Middleton, Tennesse. With only 115 men, they nevertheless refused to surrender and fought of Van Dorn from their entrenched position as their countrymen had done at Davis's Mill. For two hours Van Dorn assaulted the Union position without success. Realizing he would be unable to budge them without artillery, Van Dorn turned and headed south. His withdrawl was in earnest and he moved quickly, knowing that Union Cavalry was close upon his heels. They spent Christmas in the saddle, but Van Dorn knew he was not outrunning the pursuit. To buy him time, he left a small contingent behind at Ripley, who employed hit-and-run skirmishes against the Federal column, then raced out of Grierson's reach to re-join the main column. It gave Van Dorn just enough time to cross the Tallahatchie unimpeded on 28 December 1862. the Union cavalry turned back at the river, and Van Dorn's Cavalry Raid was over.

Results

• Confederate victory at Holly Springs.
   
• Strong Federal defenses of Davis's Mill and Middleton.
   
• Van Dorn and his cavalry covered 500 miles in two weeks and handed the Union forces perhaps their most significant defeat in Mississippi at Holly Springs. The raid proved that with surprise on its side, the Confederate cavalry was one of the South's most effective weapons. It also showed that it could do little against entrenched positions, a fact they learned well at Davis's Mill and Middleton. The lessons learned would set the pattern for almost all future Confederate Cavalry actions in the west.
   
• The strategic significance of the raid and the amount of supplies destroyed was almost unimaginable. The raid on the Union arsenal at Holly Springs was a complete military success. Encountering little resistance, the Confederates captured 1,800 Union troops with few shots fired and fewer casualties. It resulted in the destruction of over two million dollars worth of Federal military supplies, a tremendous sum at the time of the Civil War. A military attack of similar value would not surpass the devastation of Holly Springs for many years, quite possibly even up until another infamous December surprise attack -- against Pearl Harbor in 1941.
   
• One of the best inventories of Union losses at Holly Springs was recorded in the Richmond Dispatch of 15 January 1863. It noted the following: captured were 1,800 men and 150 commissioned officers; destroyed were 1,809,000 ordinance stores, including 5,000 rifles and 2,000 revolvers; also destroyed were 100,000 suits of clothing and other quartermaster's stores; 5,000 barrels of flour and other commissary stores; 1,000 bales of cotton; $1,000,000 worth of medical stores; and $600,000 worth of sutlers' stores. The numbers may not have been completely accurate, but all first-hand accounts confirm such an overwhelming sense of destruction, that even if the reported looses are not accute, they are a close approximation.
   

Additional notes, interesting incidents, and fate of the principals

• Grant was uncharacteristic in his wrath towards Murphy, perhaps showing the depth of his distress over having to retreat. Departing from normal procedures, Grant removed Murphy without a hearing. His one sentence dismissal came from Washington on 10 January, but was made retroactive to 20 December, the date when Holly Springs was lost. It stated that the reason for his being relieved of his command was "... his troops having been found in bed at the time of the attack." The Confederate cavalry had literaly ridden over the infantry before they awoke. Murphy was supposedly pulled from under his bed and presented to Van Dorn in his night clothes. What happened to Murphy's pickets remains a mystery, though some Confederate reports indicated they were quietly silenced at dawn before the attack. Northern newspapers, however, blamed Murphy for not placing his pickets in strategic positions. Both explanations hold some credence, and it may be that some pickets were silenced while Van Dorn was able to ride between others.
   
• With the men away at war, Holly Springs contained mostly women, and they may have contributed significantly to the Union loss of the depot. Mudd later complained that the principal reason that the Union lost Holly Springs was excessive drinking by officers, and blamed the women of Holly Springs for promoting excessive intoxication at the grand Christmas ball the night before the raid. He noted they were "unusually agreeable and polite and lavish with their wines and brandies." They had assisted in their own liberation, though it would only last a day.
   
• Griffith was involved in an often-published story called the "Crinoline Encounter" that occurred during the raid. Mrs. Grant and her son Jesse had been staying at the home of Colonel Harvey W. Walter. Walter was away serving the Confederacy, but having Mrs. Grant stay there offered the Walter home the best protection from indiscriminate destruction by Federals stationed there. After Holly Springs was secured and the Union arsenal was put to flames, Griffith ordered that houses searched for Union officers in hiding. After some time, he received word that only at the Walter house could his orders not be carried out. There, Griffith found three resolute women with full dresses blocking the gate to the Walter Place. The ladies were certain no southern gentleman would take direct action against them. But the resourceful Griffith ordered his men to remove sections of the fence on either side of the gate. Because of this encounter, many beleived that Mrs. Grant was still within and had been captured by Griffith. But she had escaped the night before with her son on a railway car.
   
• In a stunning misuse of resources, Griffith's Texas Cavalry were unmounted for the raid on Holly Springs. After a successful campaign in Arkansas in the spring of 1862, their horses had to be left behind when they crossed the Mississippi River due to a lack of forage. During the summer of 1862 they served as "dismounted cavalry." Just before attacking Holly Springs they received news that their mounts were nearby, but the horses didn't reach them in time. When it became time for the Texans to move out with the infantry, they stubbornly refused, shouting "Horses! Horses!" Griffith appealed to their Texan sense of duty and honor, and all the men fell into the line of march -- except one who only joined at the point of Griffith's saber. Soon after, they were remounted and their duties would take them through Mississippi and Tennessee.
   
• In spite of their unprofessional and amateur appearance, cavalry service came naturally to Texans. The men of Griffith's command had spent their lives raising and riding horses. Plus the Indian wars in Texas proved to be an excellent training ground, superior to the training available in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio or even West Point, New York. When Griffith returned to Texas in 1863 due to poor health, he was succeeded by L.S. "Sul" Ross, who was already a famous Texas Ranger. The Texas Brigade would be remembered as "Ross' Brigade," and would soon be regarded as the finest cavalry in the world.
   
• In the late 1830�s Holly Springs had experienced its first cycle of boom followed by bust, largely from artificially overvalued land. It forced many of the inhabitants to leave their spendid homes behind, and in a singular expedition headed out to the Texas frontier. Gathering supplies in the town of San Augustine, Texas, the homesteaders pressed deeper into Texas during 1839. In a strange twist of coincidence, John Summerfield Griffith was a young boy living in San Augustine at that time. He would grow up in the town of Rockwall, Texas, but was still young when the Griffith family moved west from Maryland, pausing for a spell in San Augustine. The young John Summerfield must surely have watched the caravan of settlers from Holly Springs head west, not realizing that years later he would conceive the plan that would destroy most of their former home.
   
• While Grierson was unable to catch Van Dorn, he later turned the tables on the Confederates. Taking a page from Van Dorn's book, he participated in his own raid through Mississippi as Grant was attacking Vicksburg the second time. Leaving from La Grange, Tennessee, he cut throught the heart of Mississippi fighting several small battles, disrupting communications, and destroying military materials, before emerging in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Grierson gained national renown for his raid and was promoted as a result.

1. Faust, Patricia, L., ed. Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War. 1986.
2. Foote, Shelby. The Civil War, A Narrative. 1986.
3. Hartje, Robert G. Van Dorn, the Life and Times of a Confederate General. 1967.
4. Long, E.B., and Long, Barabara, eds. The Civil War Day by Day. 1971.
5. McPherson, James M., ed. The Atlas of the Civil War. 1994.

1. A Day at Holly Springs, Forgotten Triumph in a Tragic War

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