Victor Vifquain

Jean-Baptiste Victor Vifquain (May 20, 1836 – January 7, 1904) was a Belgian-born veteran of the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing a Confederate flag during the Battle of Fort Blakeley. Following the Civil War, Vifquain was appointed as US consul to Colombia and was inducted into the Order of the Double Dragon for rendering aid to Chinese citizens.

Early life Vifquain was born as Jean-Baptiste Victor Devuyst in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium on May 20, 1836; his parents were not married at the time of his birth, and he was legally recognized by his father in 1845. His father, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Vifquain, was an engineer and served under Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. Vifquain received military training at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, and served in the Belgian Army for a year. In 1857, he moved to the United States and settled in Saline County, Nebraska.

Civil War Upon the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Vifquain joined the Fifty-third New York Infantry so he would not have to wait for a Nebraska unit to be created. The infantry unit was disbanded before it could become involved in the fighting. Following the disbandment, Vifquain and three colleagues snuck into Richmond in an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Later life

Near the end of the Civil War, Vifquain yet again attempted to capture Davis. He successfully captured a train believed to be carrying Davis near Selma, Alabama. Davis was not actually a passenger, but Vifquain was able to secure three-thousand heads of cattle and two-thousand horses from the train. Vifquain ultimately achieved a rank of brevet brigadier general by the time he was mustered out of service in October 1865.