Presented by Dr. Richard McCaslin, Director of Publications, TSHA
Dinner: 6 PM, Menu: Beef and/or Pork Brisket, Charro Beans, New Potato Salad, and assorted Desserts. $20 per person, RSVP by responding to this email or by calling or texting Jim Rosenthal at 817-307-9263
Program: 7 PM
Location: UNT Health Science Center, MET Building, 1000 Montgomery, Fort Worth 76109, Room 109-111
Francis Asbury Vaughan had 21 brothers and cousins who served in the Confederate military. Since he was born in Tennessee and raised mostly in Mississippi and Texas within a family that was fully engaged in the slavery- driven market economy of the antebellum South, that is not remarkable. What is surprising was that on July 4, 1862, Vaughan left Guadalupe County, Texas, with about a dozen comrades and rode to Mexico, whence he made his way to New Orleans and joined the First Texas Cavalry, USA. Within weeks he was an officer, and he later served on the staff of Edmund J. Davis, commander of the regiment. After the Civil War, Vaughan became a staunch Republican, outliving Davis, and a successful businessman. A forthcoming book by Richard B. McCaslin and J. Wayne Stewart, a descendant of Vaughan, builds upon the unique memoir penned by this Texas Unionist to provide useful insights on him, the First Texas, and Republicans in postbellum Texas.
Richard B. McCaslin, the Director of Publications for the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), is the retired TSHA Professor of Texas History at the University of North Texas and the author or editor of nineteen books. Eight of these won awards, while his biography of Robert E. Lee was nominated for a Pulitzer. He is currently working on two co-authored works focused on the Civil War—a biography of a Texas Unionist and an analysis of the wartime Texas cotton trade–as well as a biography of Pompeo Coppini. a prolific sculptor whose public works in Texas include the Alamo Cenotaph. A Fellow of the TSHA and Admiral in the Texas Navy, McCaslin has commendations from the Civil War Round Tables in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Shreveport for his academic work.
Dr. McCaslin (Rick) is one of our most popular speakers. The reason is simple. He always tells a great story. This talk should be one of his best. Don’t miss it!