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Undeleted text of May 2007 version of Alfred Jefferson Vaughan, Jr.

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General Alfred Jefferson Vaughan, Jr. was born on May 10, 1920 in Dinwinddie County, Virginia. His aunt raised him after his mother died when he was twelve. General Vaughan attended Virginia Military Institute, graduating in the class of 1851. During his senior year, he was appointed “cadet First Captain.” He married Martha Jane Hardaway on November 6, 1856. Together they purchased a 517-acre plantation (Peterson 2006) in Marshall County, Mississippi. By 1860 they had around 60 slaves working on the plantation. The plantation was worth $58,000. Together they had eight children, including my great-great-grandmother Lucy Williams (Peterson 2006). He fought for the Confederates in the Civil War, participating in a total of seven major battles, most notably including Belmont in November 1961; the Battle of Shiloh in April 1962; Chickamauga in September 1863; and Kennesaw Mountain in June 1864 (Peterson Interview).

Before the war, General Vaughan knew he had a decision to make: should he fight, and if so, for which side. Col. Alfred Jefferson Vaughan, General Vaughan’s father, helped the General make the decision. He “[stated] that he must go with his people if Virginia and Mississippi left the Union” (Peterson 2006). Therefore, General Vaughan started a company, which he called the Dixie Rifles. He then joined the Dixie Rifles to the state of Mississippi. But Mississippi didn’t have any artillery available, so General Vaughan took the Dixie Rifles to Tennessee. The Dixie Rifles became part of the 13th Tennessee Infantry. General Vaughan at that time was appointed Lieutenant Colonel Vaughan of the regiment. Soon after the battle at Belmont, Vaughan took full control of the 13th regiment as Colonel.

Life in the Confederate army was actually “very routine” for General Vaughan. His brigade was usually camped somewhere, where daily they would to exercises and drills. When they got an order they would typically “march 20 miles or more, with an occasional battle thrown in” (Peterson Interview). General Vaughan then fought in Shiloh, Richmond (KY), Perryville (serving as a reserve), and Chickamauga (Peterson 2006). General Vaughan was appointed Brigadier General (Confederate Generals) on November 18, 1863 (Peterson Interview) for his efforts at Chickamauga where he took over for his fallen comrade, General Preston Smith, who General Vaughan was close to in battle at the time of his death. When General Vaughan saw General Smith fall, he “immediately took charge” of General Smith’s brigade. Then “by skill and courage [he] richly earned” the title of Brigadier General from the President of the Confederacy (Brigadier General P.A.C.S.).

Throughout his Civil War career, General Vaughan had “eight horses shot out or killed while riding them” (Peterson Interview). It was more then any other infantry officer on either the Union or the Confederates. In addition to surviving while eight of his horses were killed, General Vaughan survived all seven battles without being seriously injured, even though Confederate Generals lead their troops from the front and were “constantly exposed to enemy fire” (Peterson Interview).

In a freak accident on July 4, 1864, General Vaughan’s “foot was blown off.” After lunch on the 4th, General Vaughan was resting under a tree when a Union artillery shell hit his foot and exploded. General Vaughan’s leg was amputated, although it was not done very well and it “caused him much pain and discomfort for the rest of his life”. Ironically, it is believed that the loss of his leg is what saved his life, as he “probably would have been killed at Franklin, Tennessee … [where] six other generals were” killed (Peterson Interview).

Larry Peterson, General Vaughan’s great-great-grandson, claims we should remember General Vaughan because he “was a well rounded individual.” Peterson says, “He was a natural leader, caught up in the Civil War.” Peterson says General Vaughan “is the true example of the ultimate citizen-soldier” because of his leadership qualities and because Peterson “[has] not found one negative remark about him in all [of his] research.” Peterson is currently finishing up a book about General Vaughan’s accomplishments (Peterson Interview).

After the war, General Vaughan went back to his plantation and, while most of his former slaves left, kept the plantation as a farm, and attempted to farm with the help of a few of his slaves who stayed. In 1873, General Vaughan and his family moved to Memphis. He was elected the Clerk of the Criminal Court of Shelby County, Tennessee. Then he became very involved in the United Confederate Veterans (Peterson Interview). General Vaughan died on October 1, 1899 in Indianapolis, Indiana (Confederate Generals).

<http://members.aol.com/jweaver303/tn/vaughan.htm>. <http://www.historycentral.com/bio/cwcgens/CSAVaughn.html>.
Peterson, Larry. Alfred Jefferson Vaughan, Jr. July 2006.
Peterson, Larry. Alfred Jefferson Vaughan, Jr. Brigadier General: CSA. 10 November 2005.
Peterson, Larry. Email Interview. 20 May 2007.

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