The Last Confederate General: John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry [Hardcover]

Larry Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2009

John Crawford Vaughn was one of the most famous men in Tennessee in the mid-nineteenth century. He was the first man to raise an infantry regiment in the state--and one of the very last Confederate generals to surrender.  History has not been kind to Vaughn, who finally emerges from the shadows in this absorbing assessment of his life and military career.  Making use of recent research and new information, Larry Gordon’s biography follows Vaughn to Manassas, Vicksburg and other crucial battles; it shows him as a close friend of Jefferson Davis, and Davis’s escort during the final month of the war.  And it considers his importance as one of the few Confederate generals to return to Tennessee after Reconstruction, where he became President of the State Senate.  Gordon examines Vaughn’s (hitherto unknown) location on the field of crucial battles; his multiple wounds; the fact that his wife and family, captured by Union soldiers, were the only family members of a Confederate general incarcerated as hostages during the Civil War; and the effect of this knowledge on his performance as a military commander.  Finally, the book is as valuable for its view of this little understood figure as it is for the light it casts on the culture of his day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Civil War Books & Authors

“Modern reappraisals of maligned Civil War figures like Confederate General John Crawford Vaughn often attempt to even the score by either going too far in the other direction or attacking the subject's critics. Fortunately, Charles Larry Gordon's The Last Confederate Generalavoids such tactics, and instead attempts a balanced, 'warts and all' portrait of the man…

 

“The Last Confederate General is a largely sympathetic, yet even handed, appraisal of the checkered military career of John C. Vaughn. In addition to the narrative account of the general's military service, the lengthy biographical sketch is useful, both as a portrait of a neglected Civil War figure and a personalized example of the deep divisions within East Tennessee politics and society.”

Our History Project

“The Last Confederate General is a fine read for anyone: Action, adventure, love, drama, war and perseverance. What more can you ask for in a book. Five stars for Larry Gordon for a job well done…Larry Gordon seemed to have nailed both recreational reading and historically accurate statistics in one read….a fascinating story of courage, determination and self worth.”

Blue & Gray Magazine

“With more than 30 pages of notes and bibliography, it appears Mr. Gordon left nothing unturned in search of material. Nearly 20 letters written by Vaughn are the heart of the book and provide a unique glimpse into the life of this fascinating man…I discovered much of interest about this man’s role in some extraordinarily diverse corners of the War. Mr. Gordon has brought to light another neglected tale of the Civil War. The story is compelling and I found it difficult to put down. There’s no denying, John Crawford Vaughn was an interesting character. I recommend this book.”

Book Description

John Crawford Vaughn was one of the most famous men in Tennessee in the nineteenth century. He was the first man to raise a regiment in the state . . . and one of the very last Confederate generals to surrender.  The first biography of this poorly understood figure, this book reveals new information about Vaughn’s location on the field of crucial battles; his multiple wounds; his role as Jefferson Davis’s friend and escort; the fact that his wife and family were captured by Union soldiers; and the effect of this knowledge on his performance as a military commander. It also serves as an admirable unit histories of one of the only Rebel cavalry brigade of East Tennesseans.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press (March 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760335176
• ISBN-13: 978-0760335178
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Colonel (Ret.) Charles "Larry" Gordon is the author of The Last Confederate General, John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry. He has been a student of the American Civil War all his life and has worked as a volunteer interpretive guide at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Northern Virginia since 1996. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army, he became a senior analyst at a not-for-profit organization that works for the Department of Defense in the Washington, DC area.

Larry Gordon is originally from Texas, where he graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in science. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, and the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He served on active duty for 26 years in the fields of tactical and strategic communications and foreign intelligence, with tours of duty in Italy, Korea, Panama, Hawaii, and all over the mainland United States. Colonel Gordon is a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he commanded a Signal battalion. Along the way, he studied several Slavic languages and earned a master's degree in Soviet Area Studies from the University of Kansas. He and his wife Julia reside in Fairfax Station, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Study of the Peter Principle, March 30, 2009

By 

Eric Weiss (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Confederate General: John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry (Hardcover)

I have read a lot of Civil War Histories, but The Last Confederate General provides a different perspective. First, it is well researched and well written. (OK, that is not a different perspective.) Second, it looks at a leader who never made it into our history books until Larry Gordon decided to write about Brigadier General John Vaughn. Most Civil War histories ignore Vaughn and concentrate on Grant, Lee, Jackson, McClellan and the others we all know. The role of the second level leaders like Vaughn is easy to overlook these days, but back in the 1860s with poor intelligence and poor communications, the ability of all officers to lead their troops was probably more important than today. While the top leaders in war or business are important, having competent second level leaders is necessary. I wish Gordan had explored that more.

Some have said that Vaughn was basically an incompetent, but Gordon shows him to be a better--but flawed leader than that simple assessment. Vaughn was a great example of someone who was elected colonel by the volunteers that he recruited. He led them well and was promoted over his head to the rank of brigadier general. Vaughn had no training as an officer, but he made the best of what he knew. He never learned how to command a brigade effectively...how to get ammunition, food, transportation, strategy, tactics, and those other details that can win the battle. Gordon tells the story of the various battles that Vaughn was with and makes them very interesting.

The Last Confederate General brings out the atmosphere in a border state. There was no law and order. Union and Confederate supporters tried to burn down each others homes. Civilians were physically attacked for their political beliefs. Vaughn's family was arrested by the Union and sent to prison for their/his support of the Confederacy. I wish Gordon had explored the conditions back home more.

Another interesting question that Gordon could have explored more is how generals learn their craft. Vaughn never went to West Point. Maybe if he had like Lee and many of the other successful leaders on both sides, he would have been able to succeed, but for many of us learning by doing makes it difficult to expand on the lessons that we should have learned. Of course many incompetent generals in the Civil War went to West Point (and more recently).

So Vaughn was an example of the Peter Principle: someone who was good as a colonel, and was promoted over his head.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Confederate General, March 29, 2009

By 

Roy (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Confederate General: John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry (Hardcover)

I've just finished reading Mr. Gordon's book "The Last Confederate General" and found it to be very well written. Mr. Gordon covers General Vaughn's prewar life in East Tennessee to his service during the Mexican War. During the Civil War, the reader follows Vaughn as he recruits troops for his regiment, later to be designated the 3rd TN Infantry. During the Battle of First Manassas, Vaughn and his regiment distinguished themselves very well, and from that point, we follow Vaughn as he is promoted to brigadier general, and commands a brigade in Mississippi during the Vicksburg Campaign.

After the Vicksburg surrender, and when Vaughn and his brigade is paroled, he mounts his brigade and serves in East Tennessee fighting lawless bushwhackers, and Federal troops in the area. Late in the war, part of Vaughn's brigade serves in Virginia and later returns to East Tennessee. After the fall of Richmond, and Lee's surrender, General Vaughn escorts Jefferson Davis as he attempts to flee Federal authorities.

After the war, Vaughn settles in Thomaston, Georgia where he eventually remarries after the death of his first wife. He briefly returns to East Tennessee to serve in the state legislature, but prior to his death returns to Thomaston. In my opinion, this is a very well written book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Confederate General: John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry, By Anthony F. Gaudiano, March 21, 2009

By 

Anthony F. Gaudiano (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Confederate General: John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry (Hardcover)

I have just finished reading "The Last Confederate General" by Larry Gordon. Before writing this review, I looked for reviews that others had written about Gordon's work. The only review that I found was by Charles B. Sabin. I will not go into the intricate depths of the book, as did Sabin, for I do not possess his eloquence, or his apparent knowledge of military history. I suggest that you read his review for a thoroughly factual appraisal of Gordon's work from a military historian's point of view.

Larry Gordon's opus is as thrilling to me, a military historian "want-to-be", as the many Shaara' works that I have read. But Gordon's tome is totally factual, not laced with smatterings of what I perceive to be author's prerogative, as are much of the Shaara books. While most of my interest in military history has involved World War II and also the battles for Texas Independence, I have also read a great deal about the War Between the States. However, my interest in the War Between the States had previously only followed the major battles, and the notable Generals that fought them. Having early in my military career visited Gettysburg and Antietam (later in life to Appomattox and Manassas); my interests were based around the battles fought in these geographic areas. Until Gordon's book, I gave little thought to East Tennessee, and do not recall previously reading about John Crawford Vaughn.

One of the things that the book's jacket describes about Larry Gordon is that "he has long been a park volunteer at Manassas National Battlefield." I have been on a tour of Manassas Battlefield with Gordon as my guide. His narration of the battles at Manassas (First and Second) gives you the feeling that you are there at the time of the conflicts. You can readily visualize CSA Brigadier General Bernard Bee rallying his troops by pointing toward General Thomas J. Jackson, and saying, "There stands Jackson like a stonewall!" My interaction with Gordon, and his in-depth knowledge of the Manassas battles piqued my interest to purchase and read "The Last Confederate General: John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry". I was not disappointed.

Kudos to Larry Gordon for writing a very well researched and finely presented piece of military history. I especially appreciated the interweaving of Vaughn's personal life with his military prowess ... or lack thereof.