John C. Vaughn was appointed Brigadier General, CSA, 22 September 1862, and given command of a brigade made up of the 60th, 61st, and 62nd Tennessee Infantry Regiments. The brigade was ordered to Jackson, Mississippi in late November, 1862, and from there went to reinforce the defenders of Vicksburg, arriving there December 26, 1862.
During the battle of Chickasaw Bayou and Chickasaw Bluffs, the brigade held the left side of the line. On the second day, the 62nd was detached to help support the right of the line; the next day, the 60th was sent to reinforce the middle of the line, leaving the 61st to successfully defend the left(1).
Upon the fall of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863, the brigade was surrendered as part of Major General M. L. Smith's Division, and paroled a few days later.
After exchange, Gen. Vaughn was given command of a brigade of mounted infantry, operating in eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. Remnants of the 60th, 61st, and 62nd Infantry were assigned to this brigade, which was engaged in action in the Shenandoah Valley. The brigade ended the war serving as part of the escort during the flight of President Jefferson Davis from Richmond.