Civil War for the day

Earl Van Dorn (17 September 1820 to 7 May 1863) was a career United States Army officer, fighting with distinction during the Mexican-American War and against several tribes of Native Americans. He also served as a Confederate general during the Civil War, noted for his defeats at Pea Ridge and Corinth in 1862 and his murder by a civilian in the spring of 1863.
Short, impulsive, and highly emotional, Van Dorn was also a noted painter, writer of poetry, was respected for his skill at riding a horse, and also known for his love of women. This last trait would lead to his death in 1863, when his alleged womanizing became public knowledge. A reporter at the time dubbed him "the terror of ugly husbands" shortly before Van Dorn's murder.
It was Van Dorn's reputation as a womanizer, not a Union bullet, that led to his death. In May of 1863, he was shot in his headquarters at Spring Hill in Maury County, Tennessee, by Dr. James B. Peters, who claimed that Van Dorn had carried on an affair with his wife Jessie. Alone in his office at the home of Martin Cheairs (now known as Ferguson Hall), Van Dorn was writing at his desk, and Peters entered and shot him once in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Peters was later arrested by Confederate authorities, but was never brought to trial for the killing. In defense of his actions, Dr. Peters stated that Van Dorn had "violated the sanctity of his home".