{⋆★⋆} MG Johnson, Bushrod Rust

Bushrod Rust Johnson​

Born: October 7, 1817

Birthplace: Belmont County, Ohio

Father: Noah Johnson – 1844

Mother: Rachel Spencer French

Wife: Mary E. Hatch 1825 – 1858

(Buried: Nashville City Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee)​

Children:

Charles Johnson​

Education:

1840: Graduated from West Point Military Academy (23rd in class)​

Occupation before War:

1840 – 1844: 2nd Lt. United States Army, 3rd Infantry Regiment​

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1840 – 1842: Served in the Seminole War in Florida​

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1843: Garrison Duty at Fort Stansbury, Florida​

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1843 – 1844: Garrison Duty Jefferson Barracks, Missouri​

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1844 – 1847: 1st Lt. United States Army 3rd Infantry Regiment​

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1844 – 1845: Frontier Duty at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas​

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1845: Frontier Duty at Fort Jesup, Louisiana​

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1845 – 1846: Served in Military Occupation of Texas​

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1846 – 1847: Served in the Mexican War​

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1847: Commissary Duty at Vera Cruz, Mexico​

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1847: Resigned from United States Army on October 22, 1847​

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1848 – 1849: Professor of Natural Philosophy, Western Military Institute​

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1851 – 1855: Superintendent of Western Military Institute​

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1854 – 1861: Colonel in the Tennessee State Militia​

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1855 – 1861: Superintendent of Military College, University of Nashville​

Civil War Career:

1861: Colonel of Engineers in the Tennessee State Militia​

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1861 – 1862: Colonel of Confederate States Army, Engineers​

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Approved the locations of Fort Donelson, and Fort Henry​

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1862 – 1864: Brigadier General of Confederate Army, Infantry​

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1862: Served Briefly as Commander of Fort Donelson​

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1862: Wounded during the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee​

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1862: Brigade Commander during the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky​

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1862 – 1863: Brigade Commander during the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee​

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1863: Brigade Commander during the Tullahoma Campaign, Tennessee​

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1863: Brigade Commander during the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia​

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1863: Brigade Commander during the Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee​

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1864 – 1865: Major General of Confederate Army, Infantry​

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1864: Division Commander during the Battle of the Crater, Virginia​

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1864 – 1865: Division Commander during the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia​

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1865: Witnessed his division shattered to pieces Battle of Saylors Creek​

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1865: Paroled at Appomattox, Virginia without a command​

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Occupation after War:

1865 – 1875: Professor of Engineering Western Military Institute​

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1875 – 1880: Farmer in Brighton, Illinois​

Died: September 12, 1880

Place of Death: Brighton, Illinois

Cause of Death: Heart Failure and Stroke

Age at time of Death: 63 years old

Burial Place: Nashville City Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee

 

[Pollaco]

It is stated he "briefly" served as commander of Fort Donelson, from what I've read it was something like from Feb. 7th to Feb. 9th 1862. That's pretty brief.

 

[Pollaco]

After Chickamauga he led Buckner's division to aid Longstreet in the Knoxville Campaign.

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday Major General Bushrod R. Johnson! Salutes remembering General Johnson on his birthday.

 

[Norman Dasinger Jr]

He had a tough life before and after the CW. Sept 20, 1863 was a good for him.

 

[Luke Freet]

Bushrod Johnson escaped from Fort Donelson during the Surrender, as Grant and Lew Wallace focused on taking the Fort itself for bragging rights, Johnson escaped through the flank of the fortifications and made his way to Corinth, where he took command of a brigade in Polk's Corps, Army of Mississippi. After being wounded at the battle, he returned to command a new brigade of Tennesseans at Perryville (under his commander at Donelson, Buckner), Murfreesboro (under Patrick Cleburne), and Hoover Gap (under A. P. Stewart). When the Chickamauga campaign kicked off, Bragg formed a provisional division under Johnson's command, consisting of his understrength brigade, John Gregg's Tennessee and Texas Brigade, and McNair's Arkansas and Tarheel Brigade; and was assigned to Longstreet's Corps as the vanguard. They were heavily engaged at Chickamauga, taking Reed's Bridge from Minty on the 18th, fighting heavily in Vinard Field on the 19th, and being the tip of Longstreet's spear on the 20th.

Despite his excellent performance at Chickamauga, he was not promoted to Major General. He did become the defacto commander of Buckner's Reorganized Division under Longstreet, the bulk of which went with him to East Tennessee and eventually Virginia. Here, Johnson took part in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, and for his actions there, he was promoted to Major General on May 21st, commanding a division consisting of Elliot's South Carolina Brigade (the Tramp Brigade), Gracie's Alabama Brigade, Ransom's Tarheel Brigade, and Wise's Virginia Brigade. He was involved throughout the Petersburg Campaign, but performed poorly in Lee's eyes, and was removed from command April 6th, 1865.

 

[Pollaco]

He was a widower at the start of the war and left a disabled son with relatives. This son was led to believe that his father was fighting for the Union.

 

[Pollaco]

It was "engineer"Johnson who approved the locations of Fort Donelson and Fort Henry. Fort Henry was in low,swampy ground that was prone to flooding. Two other members of the Confederate survey team objected to Fort Henry's location, but Johnson being a general overruled them.

 

[Pollaco]

His wounding at Shiloh was on the 2nd day of that battle by a concussion from an artillery shell.

 

[John Wolf Smith]

I have read that he was involved in the Underground Railroad but I find information about it so I think this is not true.

 

[Luke Freet]

I have read that he was involved in the Underground Railroad but I find information about it so I think this is not true.

Wikipedia claims he helped his uncle. Wouldn't surprise me; dude comes from a Quaker family; that was one of the first anti-slavery movements in America (though of course it often wasn't a primary focus as with later movements).

 

[John Wolf Smith]

Wikipedia claims he helped his uncle. Wouldn't surprise me; dude comes from a Quaker family; that was one of the first anti-slavery movements in America (though of course it often wasn't a primary focus as with later movements).

I believe that he would be involved but there is just one source and I may buy to see the information.

 

[Norman Dasinger Jr]

Why did the underground RR end in Canada and not Vermont or Ohio or another state? Just asking

 

[Sheltowee]

Why did the underground RR end in Canada and not Vermont or Ohio or another state? Just asking

I'm thinking the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850 both permitted for escaped slaves to be returned. So, technically- a slave really needed to escape the US…..not just the South. Sound right?

 

[Norman Dasinger Jr]

yes - that does

 

[Pollaco]

It was "engineer"Johnson who approved the locations of Fort Donelson and Fort Henry. Fort Henry was in low,swampy ground that was prone to flooding. Two other members of the Confederate survey team objected to Fort Henry's location, but Johnson being a general overruled them.

The two other members of "the survey team" were Adna Anderson, a civil engineer and Major William Foster of the Tennessee 1st Infantry. The two objected but were outranked by General Johnson.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Johnson had extensive combat experience as both a Brigade and Division commander during the war. His bravery could not be questioned in battles like Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River and Chickamauga. The pinnacle of his Civil War career occurred when he led (under direction) a provisional Division that spearheaded the Confederate assault across the Brotherton Field at Chickamauga.

Like the following passage describing Johnson's leadership qualities taken from 'Yankee Quaker, Confederate General' by Charles Cummings, reproduced in condensed form in Kenneth Noe's 'Perryville' at page 219:

…"Johnson's Confederate service thus far had been passable in most respects but hardly exemplary. Generally able if introverted, personally courageous in battle, Johnson unfortunately also could be diffident, irresolute, and downright unlucky under fire, unwilling to act without the approval of superiors. On those occasions, his eagerness to win praise and advancement and to escape the stigma of his past led him to go along witjh his superiors even when he privately disagreed with their decisions."…

Think Johnson's overall command performance during the the war could be assessed as mediocre/average, at best.

 

[Pollaco]

He was very briefly the commander of Fort Donelson from Feb.7-9,1862 until a senior General (Pillow) showed up. He missed being commander of that Fort when it as was surrendered several days later.And from what I understand Johnson escaped capture at Fort Donelson by merely walking out through the Union lines.One biography calls the lines "porous"and I assume means thin.

 

[farrargirl]

He was very briefly the commander of Fort Donelson from Feb.7-9,1862 until a senior General (Pillow) showed up. He missed being commander of that Fort when it as was surrendered several days later.And from what I understand Johnson escaped capture at Fort Donelson by merely walking out through the Union lines.One biography calls the lines "porous"and I assume means thin.

Am studying the Fort Donelson debacle, and read this from JSTOR:

Cummings, Charles M. "Forgotten Man at Fort Donelson: Bushrod Rust Johnson." Tennessee Historical Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 4, 1968, pp. 380–97. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42623043. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.
He escaped because they forgot he was there! An intriguing read!

NOTE:
JSTOR is free and you can log in with a Google gmail.com address. You can read up to 100 articles each month.

They have numerous State Historical Quarterly issues. Great resource!

 

[Nathan Towne]

Bushrod Johnson escaped from Fort Donelson during the Surrender, as Grant and Lew Wallace focused on taking the Fort itself for bragging rights, Johnson escaped through the flank of the fortifications and made his way to Corinth, where he took command of a brigade in Polk's Corps, Army of Mississippi. After being wounded at the battle, he returned to command a new brigade of Tennesseans at Perryville (under his commander at Donelson, Buckner), Murfreesboro (under Patrick Cleburne), and Hoover Gap (under A. P. Stewart). When the Chickamauga campaign kicked off, Bragg formed a provisional division under Johnson's command, consisting of his understrength brigade, John Gregg's Tennessee and Texas Brigade, and McNair's Arkansas and Tarheel Brigade; and was assigned to Longstreet's Corps as the vanguard. They were heavily engaged at Chickamauga, taking Reed's Bridge from Minty on the 18th, fighting heavily in Vinard Field on the 19th, and being the tip of Longstreet's spear on the 20th.

Despite his excellent performance at Chickamauga, he was not promoted to Major General. He did become the defacto commander of Buckner's Reorganized Division under Longstreet, the bulk of which went with him to East Tennessee and eventually Virginia. Here, Johnson took part in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, and for his actions there, he was promoted to Major General on May 21st, commanding a division consisting of Elliot's South Carolina Brigade (the Tramp Brigade), Gracie's Alabama Brigade, Ransom's Tarheel Brigade, and Wise's Virginia Brigade. He was involved throughout the Petersburg Campaign, but performed poorly in Lee's eyes, and was removed from command April 6th, 1865.

Hey @Luke Freet,

I saw years ago that there is a biography on Johnston, but I haven't gotten a copy.

Yankee Quaker--Confederate General: The Curious Career of Bushrod Rust Johnson: Cummings, Charles M.: 9780962603433: Amazon.com: Books

Yankee Quaker--Confederate General: The Curious Career of Bushrod Rust Johnson [Cummings, Charles M.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Yankee Quaker--Confederate General: The Curious Career of Bushrod Rust Johnson

www.amazon.com

I hope that you have enjoyed the Walker biography.