Albert Sidney Johnston Facts
Albert Sidney Johnston Facts
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| Interesting Albert Sidney Johnston Facts: |
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| Johnston was born on February 2, 1803 in Kentucky. However, he considered Texas to be his home. |
| He graduated from the United States Military Academy in West Point in 1826. His classmate was the future president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. |
| Johnston joined the Texas Army as a private in 1836 and served in the Texas War of Independence against Mexico. He was eventually promoted to senior brigadier general. |
| He survived a duel for the position as senior brigadier general on February 7, 1837. He did not fire on Felix Huston, who assumed command after wounding Johnston in the pelvis. |
| Johnston was made a regimental commander during the Black Hawk War in 1832. |
| On December 2, 1838, Johnston was made the Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas. |
| He served under Colonel Zachary Taylor for the Texas Army during the Mexican-American War. When Taylor became president of the United States, he promoted Johnston to major. |
| Johnston was made a full general in the Confederate Army on May 31, 1861. He was appointed by his friend and former West Point classmate, Jefferson Davis. |
| In 1855, President Franklin Pierce promoted Johnston to colonel and put him in command of the newly formed 2nd Cavalry of the U.S. Army. |
| Johnston was commander of the U.S. Army Department of the Pacific in California when the Civil War broke out. He was against secession, but resigned his commission when Texas seceded from the Union. |
| During the Civil War, Johnston was put in charge of the Western Department, with orders to protect the region between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains. |
| Johnston was criticized when the Union Army had successful western campaigns in 1862. However, he was responsible for a very large area and lacked the men and resources needed to control the region. |
| He ordered an attack of Major General Ulysses S. Grant's army at Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee on April 6, 1862. Called the Battle of Shiloh, Johnston had caught Grant by surprise. |
| During the Battle of Shiloh, Johnston was shot in the back of the knee, most likely by friendly fire. He thought little of the wound and continued to direct his men on the battlefield. |
| Johnston did not realize that the bullet had nicked an artery and it was not long before he began to feel faint. He noticed that his boot was full of blood and it was not long before Johnston was dead, having bled to death from the wound. |
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