General Albert Sidney Johnston (b. 1803, d. 1862)

[Mike13z50]

General Albert Sidney Johnston (b. 1803, d. 1862) Johnston, was born in Washington, Kentucky and was appointed to West Point by his half-brother. He graduated 8th in the Class of 1822, won mathematical honors and was corps adjutant as a first-classman. Interestingly, for such a high graduate, his commission was as a brevetted second lieutenant in the 2nd Infantry. He served as adjutant during the Black Hawk War in same regiment with Captain Abraham Lincoln. Johnston resigned his commission in 1834 because of his wife’s terminal illness. Following her death in 1835, he moved to Texas and enlisted as a private in the Texan army. Rapid promotion followed, he was appointed adjutant-general in August 1836, and as senior brigadier-general, two years after enlisting as a private, he assumed command of the Texan army on Jan. 31, 1837. His rapid rise aroused the jealousy of Felix Huston, who challenged him to a duel, in which Johnston was seriously wounded. In 1838 he became Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas. His vigor in combating the Cherokees caused him to fall out of favor with President Sam Houston, and Johnston resigned on March 1, 1840 and left Texas. After taking as bride his ex-wife’s cousin, he returned to Texas and settled down on his plantation China Grove. On the outbreak of the Mexican War Johnston placed in command of the1st Texas Rifle Volunteers with the rank of colonel, he served as inspector general during the Monterey Campaign. After the war he was appointed by President Zachary Taylor as paymaster serving the Texas frontier. By 1856 he was in command of the Department of Texas, and after quashing the Mormons, assumed command of the Department of the Pacific in 1860. Some sources say that Winfield Scott offered Johnston command of the Union Army, but he declined and travel overland to Richmond, where he was appointed full general and placed in command of the Western Department. Violating the declared neutrality of Kentucky, Johnston seized Bowling Green; a series of fiasco’s followed. Troops under his command quickly lost Mill Spring on Jan. 19, Fort Henry on Feb. 6, Fort Donelson on Feb. 16, and Nashville on Feb. 25. Following the string catastrophes President Jefferson Davis refused to fire Johnston, famously saying "If Sidney Johnston is not a general, I have none." In an effort to regain the initiative (as well as his reputation) Johnston called troops from all over the west to launch a counter-attack at Pittsburg Landing. New Orleans, which was left undefended, was captured on April 28th. Advised by his second-in-command to call off the attack, Johnston famously said, “I would attack them if they were a million.” After initial success against surprised Union troops, the attack began to bog down; Johnston was urging a brigade to charge when struck in the leg by a ball. Thinking the wound minor, Johnston sent his doctor away, and bled out in his boot. Johnston was the highest ranking casualty of the war, and the only American four-star general ever to be killed in action. It is sometimes said that the hopes for an independent south died with him. Johnston is buried in the Texas State Cemetery at Austin, Texas.

[Mike13z50]

ORIGINAL: Mike13z50

"I do not question the personal courage of General [Albert Sidney] Johnston, or his ability. But he did not win the distinction predicted for him by many of his friends. He did prove that as a general he was over-estimated." U.S. Grant, Memoirs(p.214)

[Gil R.]

Thanks!

The Grant quote doesn't really work as flavor text, but I'll work it into the bio (which was probably your intent).

[Gil R.]

Here's Johnston. About time I got him in there.


Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston (b. 1803, d. 1862). In a forty-year military career, Johnston would serve the United States, Republic of Texas, and Confederate States of America. He was born on February 2, 1803 in Washington, Kentucky, and began his career with an appointment to West Point, graduating 8th in the Class of 1826. First seeing combat as adjutant to army commander Gen. Henry Atkinson during the Black Hawk War of 1832, Johnston soon had to resign his commission to care for his dying wife. Following her death in 1835, he moved to Texas and fought as a private for its independence. Rapid promotion followed: Johnston was appointed adjutant general in August 1836, and then as senior brigadier general he assumed command of the Army of the Republic of Texas on January 31, 1837. This aroused the jealousy of Brig. Gen. Felix Huston, who challenged Johnston to a duel over command of the army, and wounded him after he refused to fire. Johnston became Texas’s Secretary of War in 1838, but his vigor in combating the Cherokees caused him to fall out of favor with Pres. Sam Houston, leading to his resignation and departure in 1840. After marrying his late wife’s cousin, he returned to Texas and settled down on his plantation, China Grove. Enlisting for the Mexican War, Johnston was appointed Colonel of the 1st Texas Rifle Volunteers, and later served on a divisional staff during the Monterrey Campaign. After the war he was paymaster for the Texas frontier, until in 1855 he rejoined the army and was given command of the newly created 2nd Cavalry Regiment, which defended Texas from incursions by the Comanches. This was followed by assignments in Utah Territory (to suppress rebellious Mormons) and, beginning in November 1860, the Pacific Department. When Texas seceded on February 1, 1861, Johnston’s loyalty to his adoptive state led him to resign. He at first intended to stay out of the fight, but changed his mind and traveled overland to Richmond, arriving in September and being appointed the second-ranking full general by Pres. Jefferson Davis, a West Point friend. Given command of Department No. 2, which oversaw much of the western theater, Johnston established his headquarters in Bowling Green, Kentucky. His command was soon afflicted by a series of fiascos: forces under him in quick succession lost the Battle of Mill Springs on January 19, Fort Henry on February 6, and Fort Donelson on February 16; and then, with two armies converging on Nashville, Johnston was forced to abandon the state capital without a fight a week later. Despite these catastrophes Davis refused to fire Johnston, famously saying, “If Sidney Johnston is not a general, I have none.” In an effort to regain the initiative (and his reputation), Johnston called troops from all over the west to launch a counterattack on April 6 at Pittsburg Landing, a point on the Tennessee River, in what would become the Battle of Shiloh. Advised by Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, his second-in-command, to call off the attack, Johnston famously said, “I would attack them if they were a million.” After achieving the element of surprise and initial success against Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s forces, the attack began to bog down. But things were to get worse. That afternoon, while urging a brigade to charge, Johnston was struck behind the right knee by a ball that nicked an artery, causing what he had thought to be a minor wound to be a fatal one, as his boot quickly filled with blood. In his absence, the Confederate effort faltered, and the next day Grant, having been reinforced, defeated Beauregard. Johnston was the highest-ranking casualty of the war on either side, and the only American four-star general ever to be killed in action. It is often said that the hopes for an independent South died with him. Johnston is buried in the Texas State Cemetery at Austin, Texas. (Bio by Michael Jennings)