General Earl Van Dorn, the Wood Cutter's Wife, and How the South Lost Vicksburg
Pember was the general on site, but Van Dorn had kept the Yankees from getting out of the river and up behind the fortress. The one time when Grant did get up on the Railroad to try to come in behind, Van Dorn had called in Forrest who had destroyed Grant's supply line and driven him back into the river. The Confederates could not get across the river to drive Grant off, but as long as they held Vicksburg, Yankee shipping could not get up and down the Mississippi. No, it was not easy to find fault with Van Dorn's performance in the field. It was his performance at night, when not in the filed, that was worrying Joe Johnston.
