Albert Sidney Johnston: Soldier of Three Republics

Preface

PREFACE Shiloh was hallowed ground to me in my childhood. Born and bred in West Tennessee, only an hour's drive from the famed Civil War battlefield , I visited there on countless occasions. I went there on familyoutings , on school excursions, to religious revival meetings. Shiloh's historic sites-the Hornets' Nest, the Sunken Road, the Peach Orchard, the Bloody Pond-were forever branded into my memory. So were Shiloh's historic figures-Johnston and Beauregard, Grant and Sherman. I listened to the saga ofvalor at Shiloh; I looked upon the spot where Albert Sidney Johnston fell at the head of the Confederate army; I pondered the effectofhis death upon the outcome ofthe battle. His presence seemed to abide at Shiloh. Decades later I went to Tulane University in New Orleans to teach history. In the university library, I discovered, were Johnston's private papers. I felt compelled to write the story ofhis life. I promptlyset about to do so, and my biographyofJohnston was first published in 1964. Though his service as a Confederate general claimed the mostsignificantand dramaticpartofhis career, itwas extremelybrief; hewas killed in the first great battle of the war. Hence the bulk of the biography deals, ofnecessity, with his life before the Civil War. His life before the war was exceptionally varied and colorful; no other active Civil War general on either side experienced such a career. A high-ranking graduate ofthe United States Military Academy, he served with distinction in the United StatesArmy, the army and governmentofthe Republic ofTexas, and finallythe armyofthe Confederate States ofAmerica. He was indeed a soldier of three republics. I believe my examination of his pre-Civil War life gives unusual depth to an understanding and appreciation ofhis characteristics as both a man and a soldier. In his Confederate position he commanded the vast western department , which stretched from the Appalachians on the east to, and including , Indian Territory (now the state of Oklahoma) on the west. He was at the time the most prestigious field officer in either army. In this command, he made decisions both sound and unsound; ultimately he lost his life in attempting to defend the region, and the Confederates lost the great campaign waged for that purpose. XlV Preface His decisions and actions gave rise to two ofthe most persistent controversies growing out of the Civil War: Would he have won the critical battle of Shiloh if he had not been killed in the course of it? Would he have become a great general ifhe had survived the battle? Any answer to either question must be conjectural. Students of the war have debated them ever since the battle of Shiloh; they still reverberate loudly in the great continuing forum on the war. My biography represents some eleven years of extensive research and intensive reflection on Johnston's career. In addition to presenting the salient details ofhis life, the book addresses the profound controversies that he left behind him. I hope the readerwill derive both pleasure and profitfrom this work. I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to the many persons and institutions whose assistance has made it possible for me to write this book. I especially wish to thank William R. Hogan, chairman ofthe Department ofHistory, Tulane University, for callingto my attention the presence ofAlbert Sidney Johnston's private papers in the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University; Connie G. Griffith, head of the Manuscripts Division of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, for service "above and beyond the call of duty" in placing these papers at my convenience; and DorothyJ. Whittemore and Betty A. Mailhes of the Reference Department , Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, for their diligence in procuring for my use many of the books, articles, and maps required for the writing ofthis work. I am indebted to the following persons who have read all or portions of the manuscript and have made invaluable suggestions for improving it: BellI. Wiley, William C. Binkley, William R. Hogan, Ellen Whitney, Norman F. Furniss, Otis A. Singletary, GradyMcWhiney, Hugh F. Rankin, Edison B. Allen, and Allie Lee Roland. I wish to express my appreciation to the staff members of the following libraries and repositories who have assisted in providing me with information for this book: the Archives, University ofTexas Library; the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina Library; the Duke University Library; the University ofUtah Library; the Manuscripts Division, Brigham Young University Library; the Collection of Western Americana, Yale University Library; the Bancroft Library, University of California; the United States...