What do you think?
Rate this book
Holly Springs: Van Dorn, the CSS Arkansas and the Raid That Saved Vicksburg
Midway between Memphis and New Orleans along the Mississippi River, Vicksburg was essential to both Confederate and Union campaigns. With both sides bent on claiming the city, Vicksburg, and the fate of the nation, lay in the balance. General Ulysses S. Grant began his campaign on the city in November 1862, but he was forced to abandon the operation in December when the fiery General Earl Van Dorn made a daring raid on Grant's main supply depot at Holly Springs, Mississippi. With the help of the CSS Arkansas, Van Dorn's single day raid on Grant's supply base saved Vicksburg from Grant's forces for an entire year. Historian Brandon H. Beck recounts the tactics, leaders, and legends involved in this exciting, if overlooked, chapter of Civil War history.
- GenresCivil War
130 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2011
5 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 23, 2017
Brandon Beck's Holly Springs: Van Dorn, the CSS Arkansas and the Raid That Saved Vicksburg is a short account of the roles played in the defense of Vicksburg by the Confederate ironclad CSS ARKANSAS and Major General Earl Van Dorn's cavalry raid on Grant's supply base at Holly Springs, Mississippi. These events combined to thwart the second Federal campaign against Vicksburg.
The U.S. Navy considered the peril posed by CSS ARKANSAS as serious, but in fact her career as a warship lasted less than a month. The vessel's operations were handicapped by such poor engines that she destroyed no Union vessels before being blown up by her own crew. CSS ARKANSAS was more effective as a threat than a reality. The colorful Earl Van Dorn, with his reputation tarnished by defeats at Pea Ridge and Corinth and recurrent charges of drunkenness and debauchery, accepted a descent from corps command to lead the cavalry raid against the Union depot at Holly Springs. Van Dorn found his niche as a cavalry raider. His three small brigades, about 3,500 men, rode 500 miles in two weeks, surprised and routed the defenders of Holly Springs, captured and paroled 1,500 Federal troops, plundered warehouses, cut telegraph lines, and tore up vital railroad tracks. After putting the torch to those supplies they could not carry off, the Confederates withdrew to their own lines with impunity. In one day at Holly Springs, Van Dorn's force destroyed $1,500,000 worth of supplies ($66,000,000 in today's dollars) and burned many buildings, including a new 2,000-bed hospital (unoccupied). The Confederate success at Holly Springs, followed quickly by Sherman's repulse at Chickasaw Bayou, forced Grant to retire to southwestern Tennessee. His next campaign against Vicksburg would not rely upon vulnerable supply depots. What he could not carry with him, he took from the local inhabitants. And only eight months later, Vicksburg fell.
Beck's book, at only 99 pages of text, is like an extended journal article. It is not comprehensive, but brief and well-written. On the subject of CSS ARKANSAS, I recommend James McPherson's War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 and Iron Afloat: Story of the Confederate Armourclads by William Still. The definitive look at Earl Van Dorn remains Robert Hartje's Van Dorn: The Life and Times of a Confederate General. It includes a thorough chapter on the Holly Springs expedition.
The U.S. Navy considered the peril posed by CSS ARKANSAS as serious, but in fact her career as a warship lasted less than a month. The vessel's operations were handicapped by such poor engines that she destroyed no Union vessels before being blown up by her own crew. CSS ARKANSAS was more effective as a threat than a reality. The colorful Earl Van Dorn, with his reputation tarnished by defeats at Pea Ridge and Corinth and recurrent charges of drunkenness and debauchery, accepted a descent from corps command to lead the cavalry raid against the Union depot at Holly Springs. Van Dorn found his niche as a cavalry raider. His three small brigades, about 3,500 men, rode 500 miles in two weeks, surprised and routed the defenders of Holly Springs, captured and paroled 1,500 Federal troops, plundered warehouses, cut telegraph lines, and tore up vital railroad tracks. After putting the torch to those supplies they could not carry off, the Confederates withdrew to their own lines with impunity. In one day at Holly Springs, Van Dorn's force destroyed $1,500,000 worth of supplies ($66,000,000 in today's dollars) and burned many buildings, including a new 2,000-bed hospital (unoccupied). The Confederate success at Holly Springs, followed quickly by Sherman's repulse at Chickasaw Bayou, forced Grant to retire to southwestern Tennessee. His next campaign against Vicksburg would not rely upon vulnerable supply depots. What he could not carry with him, he took from the local inhabitants. And only eight months later, Vicksburg fell.
Beck's book, at only 99 pages of text, is like an extended journal article. It is not comprehensive, but brief and well-written. On the subject of CSS ARKANSAS, I recommend James McPherson's War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 and Iron Afloat: Story of the Confederate Armourclads by William Still. The definitive look at Earl Van Dorn remains Robert Hartje's Van Dorn: The Life and Times of a Confederate General. It includes a thorough chapter on the Holly Springs expedition.
March 13, 2025
Excellent overview of this Underappreciated Battle (Raid)
This book is a well researched and written account of the the Holly Springs raid and the events leading to the raid. Several of my Union ancestors were in the 101st Illinois Infantry Regiment and I was hoping to learn more about their experiences. The explanations of the strategic plans by the Confederate and Union militaries was very helpful. The bibliography is very thorough and a source for additional research.
This book is a well researched and written account of the the Holly Springs raid and the events leading to the raid. Several of my Union ancestors were in the 101st Illinois Infantry Regiment and I was hoping to learn more about their experiences. The explanations of the strategic plans by the Confederate and Union militaries was very helpful. The bibliography is very thorough and a source for additional research.
January 21, 2025
This book about General Van Dorn his time in command at Vicksburg, the Confederate gunboat CSS Arkansas and the raid on Holly Springs.
It is a general summary of of these events and covers Grant's movements as well. There are some photos, illustrations and a few maps. It is a good account.
It is a general summary of of these events and covers Grant's movements as well. There are some photos, illustrations and a few maps. It is a good account.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews