Johnston, Joseph E.
Johnston, Joseph E. (1807–1891), Confederate army general.Born near Farmville, Virginia, Johnston attended Abingdon Academy and graduated from West Point in 1829. He fought in the Seminole and Mexican Wars, was often breveted for gallantry, and became quartermaster general (with staff rank of brigadier general) of the U.S. Army in June 1860.
Johnston joined the Confederacy as a brigadier in May and became a full general in August 1861. He stood fourth in general's rank, and that led to a caustic breach with PresidentJefferson Davis that affected Johnston's, and the Confederacy's, career.
First assigned to the Shenandoah Valley, he eluded a Union force and marched his troops to aid Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard at First Manassas. In 1862, Johnston, in command of the army, moved his force...
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