Looking for a good read? Here is a recommendation. I have an unusual approach to reviewing books. I review books I feel merit a review. Each review is an opportunity to recommend a book. If I do not think a book is worth reading, I find another book to review. You do not have to agree with everything every author has written (I do not), but the fiction I review is entertaining (and often thought-provoking) and the non-fiction contain ideas worth reading.
Book Review
A Unionist Texan
Reviewed by Mark Lardas
February 22, 2026
“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)
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 in those states. 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 joined the colors of the United States 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 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, became 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 he did this without raising the animosity of his neighbors for his service in the Union Army or being a prominent Republican. His business partnerships were formed with former Confederate officers and Asbury was elected to local office on multiple occasions. All 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, pre-war. He simply felt a greater loyalty to the US than 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 it did 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.
Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City. His website is marklardas.com.