TAURING the angry political strife which pre-ceded the contest of arms, General AlbertSidney Johnston remained silent, stern, and sor-rowful. He determined to stand at his post inSan Francisco , performing his full duty as anofficer of the United States , until events shouldrequire a decision as to his course. WhenTexas — his adopted State — passed the ordi-nance of secession from the Union, the alterna-tive was presented, and, on the day he heard thenews, he resigned his commission in the army.He kept the fact concealed, however, lest itmight stir up disaffection among the turbulentpopulation of the Pacific Coast. He said, “ I shall do my duty to the last,and, when absolved, shall take my course.” All honest and competent wit-nesses now accord that he carried out this purpose in letter and spirit.General Sumner, who relieved him, reported that he found him “ carryingout the orders of the Government.”
Mr. Lincoln’s Administration treated General Johnston with a distrustwhich wounded his pride to the quick, but afterward made such amends as itcould, by sending him a major-general’s commission. He was also assuredthrough confidential sources that he would receive the highest command inthe Federal Army. But he declined to take part against his own people, andretired to Los Angeles with the intention of farming. There he was sub-jected to an irritating surveillance; while at the same time there came
ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON AT THE AGE OF 35.FROM A MINIATURE BY THOMAS CAMPBELL , PAINTED INLOUISVILLE, KY. , IN 1838 OR 1839.
,1 For extended treatment of this subject, see“The Lite of General Albert Sidney Johnston, ”by William Preston Johnston (D. Appleton & Co.),upon which Colonel Johnston has drawn freely inthe preparation of this paper. —Editors.
& General Johnston was of New England de-scent, though both he and his mother were ofpioneer stock and natives of Kentucky . Hisfather was the village physician. He was bornFebruary 3d, 1803, in Mason County, Kentucky .He was “ a handsome, proud, manly, earnest, andself-reliant boy, ” “ grave and thoughtful.” Hisearly education was desultory, but was continuedat Transylvania and at West Point, where heevinced superior talents for mathematics, and wasgraduated in 1820. He was a lieutenant of the6th Infantry, from 1827 to 1834, when he re-signed. His only active service during this periodwas the Black Hawk war, in which he won consid-erable distinction. In 1829 he married Miss Hen-rietta Preston, who died in 1835. In 1836 hejoined the army of the young republic of Texas,
and rapidly rose to the chief command. In 1839he was Secretary of War , and expelled the intrud-ing United States Indians, after two battles on theRiver Neches. He served one campaign in Mexico under General Taylor, and was recommended bythat commander as a brigadier-general for his con-duct at Monterey , but was allowed no commandby the Administration. In 1843 he married MissEliza Griffin, and retired to a plantation in BrazoriaCounty, Texas , where he spent three years in se-clusion and straitened circumstances. In 1849 hewas appointed a paymaster by President Taylor,and served in Texas until 1855, when he wasmade colonel of the 2d Cavalry by PresidentPierce. In 1857 he conducted the remarkableexpedition to Utah, in which he saved the UnitedStates army there from a frightful disaster by hisprudence and executive ability. He remained incommand in Utah until the summer of 1860, whichhe passed with his family in Kentucky . In Decem-ber of that year he was assigned to the commandof the Pacific Coast.—W. P. J.
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