Flags & Images throughout my family history: the Vautrots, McFaddins, Prather, and Witherspoon.

French national flag


Louisiana state flag


Cajun/Acadian flag of Southwest Louisiana



Confederate flags flown throughout Civil War





Records of the Vautrots arise around the time of the First Crusade (1095 A.D.) They are from the ALSACE & LORRAINE region of France. Francois Vautrot migrated to America, and eventually settled down in South Louisiana as a French/Cajun farmer in the late 1830's. He did not fight in the Civil War, as he was not an American citizen at that time...he was a French citizen. This did not, however, prevent the victorious U.S. Union troops under General Nathaniel Banks from raiding his farm, stealing his crops, seizing all of his cotton, and several dozen head of livestock from him in October 1863. In 1865, due to disgust from the death, destruction, and devastation from the Civil War that was inflicted onto his home, property and much of the region, he left America and sought a new life among the Confederate veterans that were establishing a colony in Brazil. He later returned to America in 1871, raised a family, and I am a descendant of him. I have much more detailed information about him in the post below that is entitled "Vautrot Family History."

CONFEDERATE ANCESTORS:

I am descendant of 2 Confederate veterans:

• Thomas James McFaddin: Company A of the 20^th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry.
  Enlisted on March 1, 1862.
  His unit disbanded around the end of 1864 or surrendered w/ General Edmund Kirby Smith in Marshall, Texas on May 26, 1865.
• Thomas Z. Prather: 15^th Georgia Volunteer Infantry. Delhi Rangers.
  Enlisted July 13, 1861. Surrendered at Appomattox, VA, April 09, 1865.

**Their names can be found online: National Park Service as well as ConfederateVets.com.

My paternal grandmother, Dorothy Vautrot (maiden name Matthews), was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) and The United Daughters of the Confederacy (U.D.C., Alfred Mouton Chapter #1515). She tied our genealogy to a relative ("Colonel" Thomas McFaddin) that was a patriot who battled British soldiers during the American Revolution (1775-1783 A.D.). Captain John McFaddin, his son, was in the War of 1812; his father was "Colonel" Thomas McFaddin, a Revolutionary War soldier, and listed in the volume of "Marion Men." He is called "Colonel," but in fact, the highest rank he ever held was that of Lieutenant; but at one time, he was the adjutant for Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox." General Francis Marion fought more battles in South Carolina than were fought in any other of the colonies.

The son of Captain John McFaddin was John Gamble McFaddin (born in 1805 in Salem, South Carolina; died in 1861 in Arkansas). He married Martha Mills English (born in 1811; died in 1878), and they had a total of twelve children. Most of them died young; the family moved to Hempstead County, Arkansas, where there is a large cemetery plot erected in their name.

Interestingly, John Gamble McFaddin's son, Thomas James McFaddin (born in Sumter, South Carolina 6-4-1830; died 6-17-1870), fought for the Confederate Army initially with the 3rd Consolidated Regiment of Arkansas Volunteers and later in the 20th Arkansas infantry. Prior to his voluntary enlistment in the Confederate Army, he married Mary S. Bradley (born 11-14-1832; died 3-8-1852). Under South Carolina law at that time, he inherited all of the slaves and other property of his wife and child; and he had a considerable number of slaves of his own. All of the McFaddins were Presbyterians, and did not believe that they should sell their slaves; and Thomas James McFaddin came to Arkansas to get land so he could have a place for all of his slaves. He arrived in Arkansas in 1857, settled near Washington, Arkansas in Hempstead County. His parents later came, too: John Gamble McFaddin and Martha Mills English McFaddin. He remarried--Alice Teresa Duffie, a Roman Catholic lady; they married on 1/31/1858 in the vestibule of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, LA. Thomas J. McFaddin and Alice Teresa Duffie had 5 children (3 daughters and 2 sons). They had a son, Manton Charles McFaddin (11/29/1858-10/11/1892), who moved to Lafayette, LA and married Alma N. Prather (1869-1941) on 9/18/1889; this couple had one daughter named Ellen Marie McFaddin. Her paternal grandfather was the Confederate soldier Thomas James McFaddin; on Ellen's maternal side are the Prathers; Thomas Z. Prather is another Confederate soldier that I am related to. I have more about him in a section below. Anyway, Ellen McFaddin's father (Manton Charles McFaddin) died, and her mother, now a widow, married a Montgomery. Little Ellen was only 8 years-old when her mother remarried. After Ellen McFaddin (now raised by Montgomery) grew-up, she married Otis Matthews (so, she called herself Ellen McFaddin Matthews). Ellen McFaddin Matthews was my paternal grandmother's mother (my great-grandmother). Ellen and Otis had several children: most died at young ages (Anna Lee from the Influenza pandemic of 1918, Otis J.R. from crib death, M.O. from cirrhosis), but I spent a lot of my young adulthood with my grandmother, Dorothy Matthews, and great-uncle, Robert Matthews; one of their sisters (Alma Matthews) married Roland Bourque (who died from tuberculosis), whose son is my cousin, "Uncle Matt."

Back to my Confederate great-great-great grandfather's Civil War experience: Thomas J. McFaddin was captured at the Battle of Corinth (1862) and again after the siege of Vicksburg (1863); and lived for many months in a Yankee prison there in Vicksburg. The prisoners lived on rats. He had been injured in the defense of Vicksburg: a cannon caisson was about to fall from a parapet, and in keeping it from falling, he received some internal injury that ultimately resulted in his death a few years later. Eye witnesses remember that the day he was exchanged by the Yankees, he "looked like a walking skeleton; and that he was literally starved almost to death." He reached his home in Arkansas via a mule. His faithful slaves had set-up a road block at the gate before his farm, in order to protect the white woman and children from the scalawags and marauders; and when Thomas J. McFaddin reached the gate to his home, he looked so terribly forlorn and weak, that his slaves did not recognize him. When he told them who he was, they insisted that the "Yankees had done killed Marse Thomas." His wife came down and recognized him; and she and his mother (Martha Mills English McFaddin, then the widow of John Gamble McFaddin) nursed him back to health. He went to fight again beneath the Confederate "Stars and Bars" at other battles that followed! Of note, that he was so loved by his slaves is shown by the fact that when they were freed, they took the McFaddin surname, and even to this day, there are many black McFaddEns in Hempstead County; but they all spell their name "McFaddEn" to differentiate it from the white people.

THOMAS Z. PRATHER, Confederate States of America

My paternal grandmother, Dorothy Matthews Vautrot, also discovered our relative Thomas Z. Prather (b. 08/08/1847; d. 09/07/1909…died age 62 yrs old) who was a Confederate soldier under General Robert E. Lee, and who was wounded at the battles of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in July 1863 (age 15) and at Chickamauga, Georgia in September 1863 (age16).

Thomas Z. Prather was a Private, enlisted on July 13, 1861 under Captain D.B. Cade. He joined the 15th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment; Company A, New Delhi Rangers from Wilkes County, GA; he signed documents when he joined that stated that he would “tender his services for the Confederate States for the period of 3 years or the war.” For the March-April 1862 Company Muster Roll, he was noted to be absent at Richmond, Virginia since April 12, 1862. Document shows that he was located/admitted to General Hospital No. 18 (formerly Greaner’s Hospital in Richmond, VA) on April 13, 1862 for Typhoid Fever; he was transferred to Lynchburg, VA on May 5, 1862.

He was initially under General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia; 1st Army Corps (16,000 men); beneath Lee was Lieutenant General James Longstreet's Division (8,000 men), beneath Longstreet was Major General John Bell Hood's Brigade (2,000 men), and beneath Hood was Colonel Benning and Toomb's brigade (of 2,000 men, among which was Prather). This brigade also fought at the Second Battle of Manassas (a.k.a. "Bull Run") in Aug 1862, where the 15th Georgia cracked the Union left wing.

They then fought at the Battle of Antietam, Maryland (a.k.a. "Sharpsburg") in Sept. 1862.

They were also present at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia in December 1862.

His brigade successfully breached the Union line at the Battle of Gettysburg; assisted by the First Texas Regiment, they stormed into the Devil's Den and captured men and artillery. “There was actually a competition between the color bearers of the 15th GA and the 1st TX in the assault up Houck's Ridge at Gettysburg. The color bearer of the 1st Texas, George Branard, and the color bearer of the 15th GA, Thomas Z. Prather, both competed to plant their colors on top of Houck's Ridge. George Branard was eventually wounded by an exploding shell and rendered blind. Thomas Z. Prather lived through Gettysburg, but was later wounded at Chickamauga, but fought on to later surrendered at Appomattox.” After the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg on July 3rd, 1863, Longstreet detached from General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia and went to fight in the Trans-Mississippi region at the Battles of Chickamauga and Knoxville. Prather went with him! He re-enlisted for a 6 month period from August 1, 1863-February 29, 1864.

Thomas Z. Prather served with Benning's Brigade, Hood's Division, Longstreet's Corp, under General Braxton Bragg at the Battle of Chickamauga (Georgia) on Sept 19 and 20th, 1863: the Army of Tennessee. He was wounded at Chickamauga, GA on September 19th, 1863 (this is documented/referenced in books and online: Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861-1865. Volume II. By Lillian Henderson. 1960).

Document shows that on May 12, 1864 he was paid $44.00 for a period of 4 months service from Sept 1, 1863- Dec 31, 1863. He was paid $11/per month, which is about 37 cents per day. On that day, May 12, 1864 he was paid and furloughed.

Document states that he was located at “General Hospital, Howard’s Grove, Richmond, Virginia”, admitted on May 27, 1864. For the Company Muster Roll for July-August 1864, he was listed as “present and sick”. His unit successfully held the defenses of Richmond against the massive Union assault on September 29th, 1864, where the 15th Georgia is credited with capturing 433 Union prisoners.

He surrendered at Appomattox, VA on April 9th, 1865 as part of the Army of Northern Virginia when General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army to Lieutenant General U.S. Grant, commanding armies of the United States.

Regimental Flag of the 20th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry






















State flag for all Arkansas Volunteer Infantry units









Battle of Gettysburg Pennsylvania.
Triangular Field / Devils Den - July 2nd 1863.
The 1st Texas and 15th Georgia Infantry Regiments.
This scene depicts an interesting duel between the color bearers
of the First Texas and the fifteenth Georgia regiments during the assault on the Devils Den. Each man is determined to plant their respective State flags further up Hauck's Ridge until the bearer of the Texas colors, George Branard, is wounded by an exploding shell and rendered blind. The flag shown in this painting is the second issue Lone Star Flag that was issued to the 1st Texas after both their original colors were lost during the brutal fight at Antietam's Corn Field. The flag is accurately shown edged in black crepe in memory to those who were lost in that fight, less than one year earlier.




Thomas Z. Prather served with Benning's Brigade, Hood's Division, Longstreet's Corp, under General Braxton Bragg at the Battle of Chickamauga on Sept 19 and 20th, 1863: the Army of Tennessee. He was wounded at Chickamauga, GA on September 19th, 1863. His unit successfully held the defenses of Richmond against the massive Union assault on September 29th, 1864, where the 15th Georgia is credited with capturing 433 Union prisoners. He surrendered at Appomattox, VA on April 9th, 1865. Of note, in 1862, there were 441 men in his unit; at the time of their surrender in 1865, there were 226. 50% casualties.



I also have a great-great grandfather that was a steamboat captain in the US Navy during the Civil War; his surname was Matthews. So, I had forefathers who fought on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line...for both Union and Confederate Armies.





The most fascinating piece of information regarding my family history is that we are descendants of Dr. John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794), who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, as a representative of New Jersey. He was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration. He was born in Gifford, Haddingtonshire, Scotland, attended the Haddington Grammar School, and obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh in 1739. He went on to divinity school, afterwards becoming a Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) minister at Beith, Ayrshire, where he married and wrote three well-known works on theology. He was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity from the University of St Andrews, Fife. After emigrating to America, he became President of the Presbyterian College of New Jersey in Princeton, and he and his wife emigrated to New Jersey in 1768, at the age of 45, where he took up the position of 6th President of the college which was later to become Princeton University.

John Witherspoon, Doctorate of Divinity

Witherspoon served in Congress from June 1776 until November 1782 and became one of its most influential members and a workhorse or prodigious energy. He served on over 100 committees, most notably the powerful standing committees, the board of war and the committee on secret correspondence or foreign affairs. He spoke often in debate; helped draft the Articles of Confederation; helped organize the executive departments; played a major role in shaping foreign policy; and drew up the instructions for the peace commissioners.

Signing of the Declaration of Independence

In November, 1778, as British forces neared, he closed and evacuated the College of New Jersey. The buildings were nearly destroyed, and Witherspoon was responsible for its rebuilding after the war, which caused him great personal and financial difficulty. He also served twice in the New Jersey Legislature, and strongly supported the adoption of the United States Constitution during the New Jersey ratification debates.

A bronze statue at Princeton University by Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart is the twin of one outside The University of Paisley, Paisley, Scotland. Paisley honored Witherspoon's memory by naming a newly constructed street in the town center after him, in deference to his having lived in Paisley for a large proportion of his adult life. There is likewise a street named Witherspoon Street in Princeton Borough, New Jersey which runs through the Princeton University campus.



In essence, my forefathers in my family have made large contributions to this country since the late 1700's.