John C. Vaughn

Who was John C. Vaughn?

John C. Vaughn was a Confederate cavalry officer from East Tennessee. He served in the Mexican-American War, prospected in the California Gold Rush, and participated in American Civil War battles including First Manassas, Vicksburg, Piedmont, and Saltville.

Vaughn raised Tennessee's first Confederate regiment and was with Jefferson Davis in the final days of the Civil War.

His family was imprisoned by Union forces, and it was several years after the Civil War before he could safely return to Tennessee. Yet, he eventually was elected to the general assembly of his native Tennessee.