Personal record of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Infantry — Reading Notes

A Commander’s Dual Purpose

Vaughan’s preface reveals two intertwined aims: to preserve the “fair fame” of his comrades and to affirm postwar loyalty. He insists that the men who “wore the gray” accepted their parole “in sorrow but not in malice or hate,” and that they are now “faithful citizens of the United States.” This reconciliationist tone is paired with a clear pride in the regiment’s Confederate service. The narrative portion is brief—only a few pages—and focuses on the regiment’s organization in June 1861 as part of Cheatham’s Division. Vaughan describes the men as “the flower of the South,” fresh from “the best institutions,” but the rosters that follow undercut any romanticism with stark entries: “Killed at Shiloh,” “Missing at Missionary Ridge,” “Died in service.”

Rosters as the Core Record

The company rosters occupy the majority of the text and are the book’s most distinctive feature. Each company is listed alphabetically by surname, with brief annotations: rank at organization, promotions, wounds, and date or place of death. For example, Company E includes entries such as “Bull, D. C. Killed at Shiloh” and “Fuiks, Morris. Missing at Missionary Ridge; supposed to have been killed.” Some entries note postwar survival: “Dyer, B. L. … died since the war.” Vaughan also includes a section titled “Faithful Colored Servants,” though the excerpts do not reveal its contents. The rosters transform the book from a simple narrative into a genealogical resource, documenting individual soldiers across multiple theaters—Belmont, Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Atlanta, and Franklin.

Silences and Selectivity

The excerpts leave gaps that a reader should note. Vaughan’s narrative portion is not fully reproduced here; the rosters dominate the sample. The appendix mentions a “Famous Snowball Battle,” but no details are given. The book’s catalog subjects classify it under “United States – History – Civil War, 1861-1865 – Regimental histories” and “Confederate States of America. Army. Tennessee Infantry Regiment, 13th,” which accurately describe its content. However, the excerpts show that the work is less a continuous battle history than a compilation of names and fates. Vaughan’s voice appears mainly in the preface and dedication; the rosters are terse and administrative. Readers seeking a full campaign narrative will need to supplement this record with other sources.

This edition reproduces Vaughan’s original 1897 text, including the rosters that form its backbone. Readers interested in the 13th Tennessee’s movements should note that the narrative sections are sparse; the rosters, however, offer a detailed accounting of the regiment’s composition and losses. The appendix on the “Snowball Battle” hints at a lighter episode, but its content is not included in the excerpts. Approach the book as a memorial document rather than a tactical history, and use the rosters as a starting point for genealogical or unit-level research.

That regimental history stayed with me—not for the battle maps, but for the quiet way it listed every name, each one a person who once breathed. It made me think of another kind of record, where a correspondent’s voice carries the same weight of witness. Full Speed Ahead: Tales from the Log of a Correspondent with Our Navy — Text and Context feels like that—less about glory, more about presence.