By John T. Marck

One of the Confederacy's more renown and competent generals, Johnston was born in Farmville, Virginia on February 3, 1807. Following his graduation from West Point in 1825, where he placed thirteenth in a class of forty-six, he was appointed a 2^nd lieutenant in the 43th Artillery. Spending eight years fighting Indians on the frontier, he resigned to become a civil engineer.

In this position as engineer, he joined John Wesley, a geologist on an expedition to Florida. On January 15, 1838, he and Wesley were attacked by Indians. Johnston, wounded in the attack, and in spite of his injury, successfully led his group in a resourceful retreat. For this, Johnston was commissioned a 1^st lieutenant in the Topographical Engineers. Johnston then was promoted to captain in 1846, while serving with notability in Mexico under General Winfield Scott.

After the war with Mexico, Johnston returned to the Topographical Engineers in 1855 as a lieutenant colonel in the 1^st Cavalry, then was promoted to quartermaster general and brigadier general on June 28, 1860.

When Virginia seceded from the Union, Johnston resigned from the U.S. Army on April 22, 1861, and joined the Virginia troops as a major general. A short time later on May 14, 1861, Johnston was given a commission in the Confederate army as a brigadier general. Johnston's first assignment was at Harpers Ferry where upon learning that a greater Union force was en route, quickly and quietly removed his troops from the area. He then by railroad car and on foot, took his troops to the Battle of First Bull Run to reinforce General P.G.T. Beauregard. Originally assigned to attack from the right flank, he swiftly shifted directions, reinforcing the failing Confederate left. Upon doing so in such a timely manner saved the Confederate troops and drove back the Union. His actions this day turned what would have been a loss for the Confederacy into a victory. As a result, Johnston was promoted to full general on August 31, retroactive from July 4.

His promotion to full general created hard feelings between him and Jefferson Davis, as his date of promotion placed him fourth in seniority after Samuel Cooper, Albert Sidney Johnston and Robert E. Lee. Since he had been a senior brigadier general in the U.S. Army, he assumed and expected to retain this position and seniority in the Confederacy.

Johnston was an accomplished professional, excelling in the areas of planning, gathering information, and executing defensive actions. Johnston proved himself well during the Peninsula Campaign, and again at Williamsburg. On May 31, 1862, at the Battle of Seven Pines against General George McClellan he did not fare as well, mostly as a result of the officers under his command failing to efficiently convey his orders or failing to oversee them. Wounded twice in this battle, Johnston was forced to leave the army for several months while recovering.

That November 1862 he returned to duty and was placed in charge of the Department of the West. In this command his orders were to stop Union General Ulysses S. Grant's advance toward Mississippi. However, Johnston had problems because his command responsibilities were unclear combined with orders issued by Jefferson Davis that were conflicting. With Grant on the way, Johnston advised Confederate General John C. Pemberton to leave Vicksburg, rather than take the risk of losing his army to Grant. But, because Jefferson Davis ordered him to stay and hold the city, he ignored Johnston's advice. As a result of not having the manpower to successfully hold off Grant, Pemberton was forced to surrender his troops and the garrison at Vicksburg on July 4, 1862.

Because of another failure by Braxton Bragg, Johnston was assigned to take command of the Army of Tennessee in May 1863. It was Johnston's orders to reorganize this army and move them on the offensive. Although he got them into fighting shape, he did not immediately take the offensive action that orders believed he would. Because he was outnumbered by the mighty Union army, his plan was to wait until he was attacked, thereby the Union would expand its strength, then counterattack, believing that the enemy would then be weakened.