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Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston (February 3, 1807 - March 21, 1891) was a Confederate general. He preceded Robert E. Lee as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, was wounded during the Virginia Peninsula Campaign of 1862, and eventually became commander of the Army of Tennessee despite his feuds with Jefferson Davis.
Johnston met his ultimate defeat during the Atlanta Campaign of William Sherman. After the War, Johnston engaged in various business ventures, and served a term in the United States House of Representatives from 1879-1881.
Joseph Johnston in "Must and Shall"[]
Joseph Johnston was among several Southern leaders specifically singled out for execution in a speech by the new US President Hannibal Hamlin on July 21, 1864.[1] This was carried out after the end of the Great Rebellion the following year.
Joseph Johnston in The Guns of the South[]
Joseph Johnston was an early and enthusiastic advocate of the AK-47 provided by the Rivington Men.[2] His was one of the first Confederate armies re-armed with the new automatic rifles as both Union and Confederate commanders prepared to leave winter quarters and move into the 1864 campaign.
Johnston's praise of the AK-47 was met with a mixed reception from President Jefferson Davis. The two men did not get along, and Robert E. Lee was careful not to intrude on their quarrel, aware both men were touchy and proud and would only feel antagonized if he interceded. However, Lee did make sure to add his praise to the AK-47 to back Johnston's, and Davis was soon convinced of the new rifle's immense strategic and tactical value.
With his troops fully re-armed AK-47s and ammunition, Johnston was able to hold off U.S. General William T. Sherman's advance at Rocky Face Ridge and again at Resaca, bringing Sherman's March to the Sea to a halt at high cost to the Union forces.[3] Johnston was lauded for his victories against Sherman, who never again resumed the attack and soon withdrew northward after the armistice, humiliated and defeated.
Johnston was one of the few people who knew that the Rivington Men were in fact time-travelers from 2014.[4] They had his memoirs, written in the original history, among their research materials.[5]
See also[]
- Joseph the Gamecock, a fictional character heavily based on Johnston, who serves as a POV in The War Between the Provinces.
References[]
- ↑ See, e.g., Counting Up, Counting Down, pg. 58.
- ↑ The Guns of the South, pg. 56.
- ↑ Ibid., pg. 423.
- ↑ Ibid. pg. 484.
- ↑ Ibid., pg. 461.
| Military offices (OTL) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Magruder |
Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia 1861-1862 |
Succeeded by Robert E. Lee |
| Political offices (OTL) | ||
| Preceded by Gilbert Carlton Walker |
U.S. Representative from the 3rd District of Virginia 1879-1881 |
Succeeded by George D. Wise |
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