"It almost appears as if Van Dorn had no intention of coming back."

That is true, and is what leads me to believe that the plan all along was to move Trans Mississippi troops east. As we well know that the total abandonment of Arkansas in the face of a victorious Union Army, upset Governor Rector to no end. Militarily I can see where the concentration of your troops would be something that looks good on paper. But why didn't Johnston order this earlier? He had been retreating since January.

No, I think the plan all along between Davis, Johnston and Van Dorn, from the moment of Van Dorn's appointment and maybe even before that, was to gather all possible forces into one large army east of the Mississippi.

I know that you cain't defend every inch of ground of your territory. But to abandon 1/3 of your people totally makes no sense. Because your enemy is going to secure the resource of whatever you abandon and concentrate his forces also for the same purpose. This move gives the impression of elitism of those in the eastern states. Protect my home and forget yours.