...Flag design is based on a small torn section of the regimental battle flag which is on display in the Confederate Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana. May 19, 1865. When the 18th 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.)

Thomas M. McNeely

4th Sgt., Co. C.

McNeely, Thomas M., Pvt.4th Sergt. Co. C., 18th La. Inf. On Roll dated New Orleans, La., Sept. 16, 1861, of Natchitoches Rebels from Natchitoches Parish. En. Oct. 5, 1861, Camp Moore, La. Present on all Rolls to Aug., 1862. Apptd. 4th Sergt., July 1, 1862. Roll Jan. and Feb., 1863, Absent on 25 day furlough commencing Feb. 26, 1863. Rolls May, 1863, to Aug., 1863, Present. Also borne on Rolls of Co. H, Cons. 18th Regt. and Yellow Jacket Battn. La. Inf. as McNeely, T. M. Roll Jan. and Feb. 1864, Present.

Thomas Matison McNeely was born 21 February 1837 on his fathers plantation in Kisatchie, Louisiana, son of Thomas Sr. and Susannah (Grubb) McNeely. His parents were wealthy planters and his father died in 1838 and Susannah died in 1854. Thomas married in the
summer of 1853 to Jane Carnahan, daughter of a prominent Central Louisiana family and with the assets left him by his father and mother, settled down at age 17 to start a very successful home and farm.

Then, when the struggle of the war between the states erupted, he enlisted in the 18th. Louisiana Infantry. After the hostilities, he came home and started to rebuild his plantation which had suffered greatly from ravages of war and the reconstruction problems later. Sometime about 1869, he had planted a successful crop when a neighbors hogs continued to enter his fields, destroying his crops and he solved that problem by shooting the hogs. When the neighbor approached Thomas' home with a gun, Thomas was siting in a rocking chair on the porch and raised his gun and in order to protect himself and family and killed the man. Thomas and Jane had three children by this time, Marcia Susannah, William James and Mitchell Matison McNeely.

A trial was being held in Alexandria over this incident and Thomas with the aid of Masons and probably the law officers was allowed to escape. He returned to his home three weeks later and tried to get Jane to leave with him but she refused and the sheriff told him that he would have to leave. This also happened about one year later and Thomas was told by the sheriff that he couldn't help him any more so he left for good and was not heard from again until family members found in the Louisiana Archives, where he had applied for a pension for his war experience but it was denied because he was living out of state. At that time, he was living in Susanville, Lassen County, California.

From a record of his voting registration in Lassen County, it was learned that prior to entering California he had resided in Arizona.
A check of the 1880 census revealed that he was living in the Valley Verde region of Yavipai County with his wife Florida and 7 month old son James. Further research revealed that he had married in Washington County, Arkansas to Florida Beavers in 1879.

Sometime about 1886, Thomas and Florida were apparently having domestic problems and Thomas was told by some family members that it would probably best if he laid low for a while. He entered California about that time and was found in Farmersville in that state in 1890 and we know from his voter registration that he arrived in Susanville about 1895.

About one month after filing for the Louisiana pension in 1913, Thomas passed away and is buried in the Susanville Cemetery.