2-1-21 Shiloh

Status
Not open for further replies.

Trivia Master

The Keeper of Knowledge
Forum Host
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
What other governor was on the battlefield at Shiloh and in what capacity?

@gjpratt

Edit - The wording of this question leads me to believe that there must have been more than one governor on the battlefield, and the questioner intended to name one of them and ask players to name another one. However, no governor is named, so I will accept answers that name any governor who was on the battlefield, as long as the answer also specifies the capacity in which he was there.

hoosier
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Confusing question, other than who?

Isham Harris (Tennessee) served at Shiloh as a volunteer aide to Gen A.S. Johnston
George W. Johnson (Kentucky) served at Shiloh as a volunteer aide to Gen. Breckenridge
Future Governor James D Porter (Tennessee) served at Shiloh as Assistant Adjutant to Gen. Cheatham
Future Governor William B Bate (Tennessee) led the 2nd Tennessee at Shiloh
 
I believe that would be the governor of Tennessee as he volunteered as an aide-de-camp to General Albert Sidney Johnston and came upon him as he slumped over his horse after his wounding on April 6th. He along with some staff members, moved the general to a quiet spot where they tried to render aid. However according to some sources - Isham Green Harris (1818-1897), left the office of governor on March 12, 1862 - although it appears: “In the meantime President Lincoln had appointed Andrew Johnson Military Governor of Tennessee, on March 3, 1862, and he took possession of the Executive Offices in the Capitol at Nashville.” perhaps this is somewhat murky as Harris did win re-election in 1861 to serve a two year term.
https://www.nga.org/governor/isham-green-harris/
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/chron/civilwarnotes/harris.html
https://www.facebook.com/ShilohNMP/posts/tennessee-governors-at-shilohone-current-tennessee-governor-isham-harris-and-two/1428491690574146/
 
Answer: Governor George Washington Johnson of Kentucky

Governor Johnson served as a volunteer aide to General Breckinridge and Colonel Robert P. Trabue.[4] After his horse was killed out from under him, Johnson fought on foot with Company E of the Fourth Kentucky Infantry Regiment, and insisted on being sworn in as a private.[4] He declared "I will take a good night's rest and be ready for the fight tomorrow."[1]
The next day, Governor Johnson was seriously wounded in the right thigh and abdomen.
 
Hmmm ..... since Kentucky governor George Washington Johnson was KIA during the battle, this would leave Isham G. Harris, Governor of Tennessee as the "other governor". He volunteered as an aide-de-camp on the staffs of Albert S. Johnston, Braxton Bragg, John B. Hood, Joseph E. Johnston, and P. G. T. Beauregard at various times during the battle.

Source: Tennessee Encyclopedia https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/isham-green-harris/
 
1. Isham Green Harris. Governor of Tenneessee. Harris joined the staff of General Albert Sidney Johnston. At the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, Harris found Johnston slumping in his saddle and asked if he was wounded, to which Johnston replied "Yes, and I fear seriously." Harris and other staff officers moved the general to a small ravine and attempted to render aid, but Johnston died within a few minutes. Harris and the others secretly moved his body to Shiloh Church so as not to dampen the morale of Confederate troops.

2. George Washington Johnson. Conf Governor of Kentucky During the battle of Shiloh, Governor Johnson served as a volunteer aide to General Breckinridge and Colonel Robert P. Trabue. After his horse was killed out from under him, Johnson fought on foot with Company E of the Fourth Kentucky Infantry Regiment, and insisted on being sworn in as a private.
 
Hm, it seems there is something missing in this question. What is meant by "the other" governor?

So let see, there are three governors linked with the Shiloh battlefield:

  • George W. Johnson, Confederate Governor of Kentucky, served as volunteer aide to General Breckinridge and Colonel Trabue, was killed at Shiloh
  • Isham G. Harris, Confederate Governor of Tennessee, served as one of Albert Sidney Johnson's staff officers
  • Louis P. Harvey, Governor of Wisconsin, died on his way to help wounded Wisconsin troops after the Battle of Shiloh. He died in an accident when he fell into the Tennessee River and drowned.
So we have one or another Confederate governor and one or another governor who did not survive the aftermath of the Battle of Shiloh.

As the question asks specifically for one who had been present on the battlefield, I will rule Harvey out.
Leaves I. G. Harris, the staff officer to Gen. A.S. Johnson and G.W. Johnson, the volunteer aide to Gen. Breckinridge and Col. Trabue
There is no way of knowing, though, which of them would have been "the other" governor in the sense of the question.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top