Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/496

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JOHNSTON
JOHNSTONE

the terms of the agreement between Grant and Lee. After the war Gen. Johnston was president of a railroad in Arkansas, president of the Na- tional express company in Virginia, agent for the London, Liverpool, and Globe insurance company, and for the New York life insurance company in Savannah, Ga. In 1877 he was elected to repre- sent the Richmond district of Virginia in con- gress, and later was commissioner of railroads of the United States, appointed by President Cleveland. The difference of opinion as to the strategy and policy of the war between Mr. Davis and Gen. Johnston exhibited itself at an early date, and from it may be deduced many of the disasters that befell the Confederate arms and the final fall of the Confederate states. Mr. Davis was con- vinced that the whole territory of the seceded states ought to be protected from invasion by the National forces. Hence the sea-coast was fortified and garrisoned as far as possible, and lines along the frontier were held. Gen. Johnston, on the other hand, was fixed in the opinion, and persistent in urging it, that there should be no defence of positions or of lines; that if any part of the coun- try was given up to invasion by withdrawal of troops provided for its defence, so as to re-enforce armies in the field, the destruction or repulse of the invading army would recover the terri- tory so abandoned. Early in the war Gen. John- ston advised the concentration of his Army of the Shenandoah with Beauregard's Army of the Poto- mac, for the purpose of fighting McDowell. This was attempted when it was too late, and only part of Johnston's army was engaged in the first battle of Bull Run. When McClellan transferred his operations to the peninsula, Johnston insisted on abandoning Yorktown so as to draw McClellan further into the interior, re-enforcing the Confed- erates with the troops from the sea-coast of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, thus giving him an equality, if not a preponderance, of force over McClellan ; but Mr. Davis refused to do this, although it was partly done after Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines. When Grant's army was scattered from Mississippi to Memphis, Johnston argued that Gen. Bragg should be re-en- forced from South Carolina, Georgia, and Mobile, and fall upon Grant and beat him in detachments. And he opposed Bragg's march into Kentucky as leading to no decisive result. Gen. Johnston was wounded in the Indian war in Florida, in the Mexican war, and in the civil war — ten times in all. Early in life he married Lydia McLane, daughter of Louis McLane (q. v.). She died in 1886 with- out issue. He published a " Narrative of Military Operations directed during the Late War between the States " (New York, 1874). — Peter's grandson, John Warfleld, senator, b. in Abingdon, Va., 9 Sept., 1818 ; d. in Richmond, 27 Feb., 1889, was edu- cated at the College of South Carolina, and studied law at the University of Virginia. In 1839 he be- came judge of the 10th judicial district of Virginia. He was state senator in 1847-'8, and president of the Northwestern bank at Jeffersonville in 1850-'9. He was elected in 1870 to the U. S. senate as a Conservative, and by re-elections served till 1883.


JOHNSTON, Richard Malcolm, author, b. in Hancock county, Ga., 8 March, 1822. He was graduated at Mercer university, Ga., in 1841, and, after teaching a year, was admitted to the bar of the northern circuit of the state, declining a judge- ship in 1857 to accept the chair of literature in the University of Georgia, where he remained till the beginning of the civil war. Retiring to his coun- try home near Sparta, Ga., he then opened a board- ing-school for boys, which in 1867 he removed to Baltimore county', Md., where he still (1887) resides, His first stories, a series of character sketches of the rural districts of Georgia, written after the war, were published under the title of " Dukesborough Tales" in the old "Southern Magazine," ami af- terward collected in book-form (New York, 1883). His other writings, besides constant contributions to magazines, are " A History of English Litera- ture," in conjunction with William Hand Brown (Baltimore, 1879) ; " Biography of Alexander H. Stephens " (Philadelphia, 1883): "Old Mark Lnng- ston" (1884); and "Two Gray Tourists" (1885); and a collection of his stories (1887).


JOHNSTON, Samuel, inventor, b. in Shelby, Orleans co.. N. Y., 9 Feb., 1835. His father was'a farmer and a weaver of fine linens ; his mother was also a weaver. At the age of twenty he invented a corn- and bean-planter and a bean-harvester. The most successful machines now in use in this line are built in many respects like those first made by him. In 1856 he applied his first self- rake to the Ketchum reaper ; its success attracted wide atten- tion, and its manufacture was begun in Buffalo, N. Y.. in 1858. In 1864 Mr. Johnston established a factory at Syracuse, N. Y., and in 1868 bought one at Brockport, N. Y., and organized the John- ston harvester company. In 1875 he resigned from active interest in the company, and since that time his business has been confined to invent- ing. The Johnston self-rake caused a revolution in the harvesting of grain throughout the world. In 1879 ninety-five per cent, of all the reapers made used the inventions of Mr. Johnston. He has just completed (1887) a new self-rake binder.


JOHNSTON, William Freame, governor of Pennsylvania, b. in Greensburg, Westmoreland co., Pa., 29 Nov., 1808 ; d. in Pittsburg, Pa., 25 Oct., 1872. He was admitted to the bar in 1829, and, removing to Armstrong county, became district attorney. He also represented his county several terms in the legislature, and originated the bill to issue relief-notes. In 1847 he was elected state senator and president of that body. On the resig- nation of Francis R. Shunk in July following, he became governor of Pennsylvania, and in October, 1849, was elected for the full term. As an anti- slavery Whig, he took strong grounds against the fugitive-slave law. On retiring from office in 1852, he became president of the Alleghany Valley rail- road. During the civil war he took an active part in organizing troops, as chairman of the executive committee of public safety, superintended the con- struction of the defences at Pittsburg, and, in con- nection with John Harper, became financially re- sponsible for a large amount of ammunition that was sent to West Virginia. He was appointed col- lector of the port of Philadelphia by President Johnson, but was not confirmed.


JOHNSTONE, George, British diplomatist, b. in Dumfries, Scotland ; d. 8. Jan., 1787. He was the third son of Sir James Johnstone, bart., of Westerhall, Dumfriesshire, entered the navy, was made master and commander in 1760, post-captain in 1762, and in 1763 became governor of West Florida. After his return to England he represented Cockermouth and Appleby in parliament. In 1778 he was a commissioner sent with Lord Carlisle to the United States to treat with congress. In 1779 he made a violent attack on Lord Howe for his conduct of the American war. He gained much public notice by his zeal in the affairs of the East India company, and by his violent attacks on Lord Clive. He was the author of " Thoughts on Our Acquisitions in the East" (1777).