A Unionist Texan

During the American Civil War, some in every state stayed loyal to the United States. The US raised state regiments loyal to the Union in every state, including Texas, from those residing behind the secessionist line. Francis Asbury Vaughan was one, rising to the rank of captain in the First Texas Cavalry (US).

Texan in Blue: Captain Francis Asbury Vaughan of the First Texas Cavalry, USA, by Richard B. McCaslin and J. Wayne Stewart, is a new biography of the man.

Asbury Vaughan (he preferred his middle name) was an outlier. Fewer Texans wore the colors of the Union in the Civil War than those of every other Confederate state. Asbury left his Prairie Lea home, traveling to New Orleans to join the Union Army. He served three years, starting as a private and ending as a company commander with the rank of captain.

This book follows his Union Army career, his life before the war, and his post-Civil War career in Texas through the rest of his life. When he returned home, he took up life where he left off. He became a businessman in Seguin, Texas, then a delegate to the 1868 Texas Constitutional Convention, and remained active in the Texas Republican Party for the rest of his life. He favored black suffrage and helped establish Guadalupe College, the state’s first black college.

Most remarkable was that he did this without engendering animosity from his neighbors for his service in the Union Army or as a prominent Republican. His business partnerships were formed with former Confederate officers, and Asbury was elected to local office on multiple occasions. All this while he remained unapologetic about his prior service and political positions.

The authors explore his background, showing why, despite belonging to a slave-owning family, he chose to remain true to the US. He apparently did not oppose slavery. Asbury even used slave labor before the war. He simply felt a greater loyalty to the US than to his state, enough to risk everything and leave his family behind to join the colors.

The authors also examine the reasons Union service and Republican affiliation failed to raise the ire of his neighbors as they had with other ex-Union soldiers in Texas. Part of it was Asbury’s personality.

Texan in Blue is a fascinating book. Asbury Vaughan never achieved greatness, but his accomplishments were significant. This book opens a window on a frequently neglected part of Texas history.

“Texan in Blue: Captain Francis Asbury Vaughan of the First Texas Cavalry, USA,” by Richard B. McCaslin and J. Wayne Stewart, Texas State Historical Association, 2025, 181 pages, $28.75 (Paperback)

This review was written by Mark Lardas, who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com.