JOHNSTON, JOSEPH EGGLESTON (1807-91). An eminent American soldier, prominent on the Confederate side during the Civil War. He was born in Prince Edward County, Va., February 3, 1807; graduated at West Point in 1829, being a class-mate of Robert E. Lee; was engaged for a time in garrison duty; took part in the Black Hawk War; and served in the Seminole War, for part of the time as aide to General Scott, until 1S37, when he resigned his commission and became a. civil engineer. reentered the army on July 7, 1838, as first lieutenant, of topograph ical engineers, and was brevetted captain on the same date for gallantry in the Seminole War. ln Septemoer, ]S46. he was promoted to be cap tain. In the 'Mexican War lie served with dis tinction throughout the Southern campaign; was appointed lieutenant-colonel of in April, IS-17; and was brevetted major and colonel, United States Army, for his conduct at Cerro Gordo, where he was severely wounded. At the head of the voltigeurs Colonel Johnston took part, in the storming of Chapultepec, and for gallantry was brevetted lieutenant-colonel. In 1853-55 he had charge of Western river improve ments. and in March. 1S55, was appointed lieu tenant-colonel First United States Cavalry, after which he was engaged in various duties in Utah, Kansas, and elsewhere. 1n June, 1860, he was appointed Quartermaster-General of the Army, with the rank of brigadier-general. On April 20, 1861, he resigned his commission, and was ap pointed one of the first five brigadier-generals in the Confederate service. These five were soon afterwards made full generals. Johnston with about 9000 men joined Beauregard at Manassas, and they defeated the Federal army under Gen eral McDowell at the first, battle of Bull Bun, July 21, 1861. In the early part of the campaign of 1862 Johnston had command of all the Con federate forces in Virginia, and as such was in charge of the early operations against McClellan in the Peninsular Campaign. At the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862. he was severely wound ed, and for several months was disabled for ser vice. On reporting for duty in November. he was assigned, notwithstanding the hostility of Presi dent Jefferson Davis. to the Military Department of Tennessee. In April, 1863, he reported him self still unfit for active service. Some weeks later, however, he made an attempt to relieve Vicksburg. then besieged by Grant. but was de feated at Jackson, on May 14th. After the defeat of Bragg Grant at, Chattanooga. No vember 1863, Johnston was put in com mand of all the forces of the Southwest. With 55,000 men he first occupied the fortified position of Dalton, Ga. General Sherman attacked him (May, 1864) with a superior force and com pelled him to fall back to Resaca; thence, after a severe battle, to .Allatoona Pass, to ]Tensaw Mountain, where Johnston beat back his assail ants. and across the Chattahoochee. General Sherman then threatened his line of communi cation with Atlanta. his base of supplies, and
a place of great military importance. John ston reached that city in July. 1864, and de termined to hold it to the last; but the authorities at Richmond were dissatisfied. and on July 17th ordered him to turn over his command to General Hood. Near the close of February. 1865, after Sherman had captured Atlanta and marched without opposition to Savannah and into South Carolina, Johnston, at the earnest request of General Lee. was assigned to the command of the remnant of the Army of the Tennessee and of all the troops in South Carolina, Georgia. and Florida, and was ordered to "concentrate all available forces and drive back Sherman." Lent his force being in ferio• to that of Shernran, he was several times defeated, and on April 26. 1865, having learned of Lee's surrender of the Army of Northern Vir ginia. and after consultation with President Davis and members of the Confederate Cabinet, he capitulated to Sherman at Durham's Station, N. C., upon terms similar to those agreed upon at Appomattox. The testimony of dohnston's principal opponents and of an able and im partial British military critic must be taken as a fair estimate as to his merits as a sol dier. General Grant said: "I have had nearly all the Southern generals in high command in front of me, and Joe Johnston gave me more anxiety than any of the others.'' Sherman said he was "equal in all the elements of generalship to Lee." Colonel Chesney wrote: "If men were to be judged of solely by the difficulties they overcame. independently of the direct results achieved, then General Johnston might fitly head the list of great American commanders: for on his side was neither the supreme military power wielded by Grant. nor the prestige which made Lee almost independent of those who nominally controlled him; much less the harmony of thought and action with his superior NO] lel' assisted Sh•r man from first to last. . . . In all these points. therefore, lie was at a striking disadvantage as regarded his opponent; yet with these against him, and with but one-half the number of the Federals, he contrived to hold them back. led though they were with such versatile skill and unwearied energy as the records of modern war can hardly match, for nearly two months and a half feat that should leave his name in the annals of defensive war at least as high as that of Fabius, or Turenne, or .Mo•ean." After the war Johnston resided for several years in the South. holding offices in railroad, express, and in surance companies. He was elected to Congress from the Richmond district of Virginia in 1876. and appointed United States Commissioner of Railroads in 1885. lie was a pall-hearer at the funorals of Grant and Sherman. He published a Nam-dire of Military Operations During the Late (1874). Consult Dughes, General Johnston (New York, 1893), in the "Great Com manders Series."