...Flag design is based on a small torn section of a regimental battle flag which is on display in the Confederate Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana. 19 May 1865, the regiment was disbanded at Mansfield, LA. Usually when a regiment was disbanded the flag was torn into ten pieces and a piece given to each of the ten company commanders. (Placement of Battle Inscriptions is specualtive and based on similar Confederate battle flags of the same period.)

Vidrine, Aurelie, Pvt. Co. K, 28th (Thomas') La. Inf. En. St. Landry, April 6, 1862. Present on all Rolls to Feb., 1863. Federal Rolls of Prisoners of War, Captured and paroled at Vicksburg, Miss., July 4, 1863. Roll of Prisoners of War, C. S. A., Paroled Washington, La., June 19, 1865. Res. St. Landry Par., La.

Aurelie was the son of Etienne Vidrine and Domelise Guillory. He was born February 18, 1843 near Ville Platte, Louisiana and died February 20, 1914. He was first married to Zoe Fusilier. They had 11 children of which 6 survived to be adults. His oldest son was Dr. Jules C. Vidrine. The little village of Vidrine was named after Dr. Vidrine who was a General Practitioner in this area. After Zoe died in 1891 he married Louisiana Singletary (my great-grandmother). They had 5 children of which my Grand Father was the oldest.

His military service is as follows: Private Aurelie Vidrine, Company K, 28th (Thomas') Louisiana Infantry Regiment. Enlisted in St. Landry Parish, April 6, 1862. Present on all rolls to Feb 1863. Federal rolls of prisoners of war, captured and paroled at Vicksburg, Mississippi, July 4, 1863. Roll of prisoners of war, C.S.A., paroled at Washington, Louisiana, June 19, 1865. Resident of St. Landry, Parish, Louisiana. "This information came from volume 3, page 930 of the book Confederate Soldiers of Louisiana."

A personal account of the Siege of Vicksburg: Aurelie Vidrine was 18 or 19 when he enlisted into Thomas's 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment. He told [Randy] my grandfather of incidents that occurred during the siege of Vicksburg. One is that soldiers took turns going to a stream to fill canteens. This was done under sniper fire and occasionally ended with the wounding or death of the soldier. He also told of an incident in a battle where he moved from one tree to another after a 14 year old boy took shelter behind the one he was behind. Afterwards looking back he saw a cannon ball strike the tree and kill the boy.

After the war he became a farmer and cattleman. I don't know how much land he owned but he was well off enough to sell one herd of cattle and pay for his son Jules C. Vidrine's medical education at the medical school in Louisville, Kentucky in 1895.

According to records, there is an application for Confederate Widow's benefits on file for a Lou Singletary, the second wife of Aurelie.

Aurelie Vidrine is laid to rest at the Old Ville Platte Cemetery -- located at Magnolia, Cotton and Railroad Streets in Ville Platte, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana. The burial site of Aurelie Vidrine is located about 25-ft. from the burial site of Emile Latour of the same company. Both men have CSA headstones marking their final resting place. Source, descendant Randy Vidrine.

Submitter's Personal Note: I hope this is of some interest. I think it is very unique that your great-grandfather [Paul A. Hebert, Pvt., Co. A.] and my great-grandfather served together and possibly knew each other throughout their lives and that you and I have been friends since high school. Its funny how these connections cross generations.

We at the 28th Thomas' Louisiana Infantry Regiment (Volunteers) are proud to send out this very special and grateful "THANK YOU" which is extended for the abovementioned biography No. 1, and excellent photograph of Pvt. Aurelie Vidrine supplied by John Randolphe (Randy) Vidrine.

Should you wish to contact John Randolphe (Randy) Vidrine and share information with regards to Aurelie Vidrine and/or other decendants of the 28th Thomas' Regiment Louisiana Infantry (Volunteers), he can be reached through the following e-mail address.