Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-06-17
Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee.
4 Sketch Of HIS Life and Services.

4 Sketch Of HIS Life and Services.
r Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, was
! born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dec
> 20, 1908. When he was four years ole
:. he lost his iather, who died from effects
of exertions to save friend from drown.
ing. At the age OF ten he was appren.
ticed to tailor in his native city, with
whom he served seven years. His
educational advantages, and he never
attended school day in his life. -
While learning his trade, however, he
resolved to make an effort to, educate
himself. His anxiety to be able to read
was particularly excited by an incident
which is worthy OF mention. A gentle
man of Raleigh was in thehabit OF going
into the tailor's shop and reading while
the apprentice and journeymen were at
work. He was an excellent reader, and
his favOrite book was a volume of
speeches, principally of British states
men. Johnson became interested, and
his first ambition was to equal him as a
reader and become familiar with those
speeches. He took up the alphabet
without an instructor but by applying
to the jOurneymen with whom he work.
ed he obtained little assistance. E
Having acquired knowledge of the
letters, he applied for the loan of the
book which he had so often heard read.
The owner made him a present of it,
and gave him some instruction on the
use OF letters in the formation of words.
! Thus his first exercises in spelling were
in that book. BY perseverance he soon
4 learned to read, and the hours which he
devoted to his education were at night,
after he was through his daily labor up
on the shop board. He now applied
himselfto books from two to three hours
levery night, after working from ten to
twelve hours at his trade.
Having completed his apprenticeship
in the autumn of 1924, he went to Lau-
ed as ajourneyman nearly two years.
y While there heNbecame engaged to be
married, but the match was broken off
by the violent opposition of the girls
mother and friends, the ground of objec-
ton being Mr.. Johnson s youth and want
OF pecuniary means. In May, 1927, he
returned to Raleigh, where he procured
Tourney work, and remained until Sep
, tember. He then set out to seek his for
tune in the West, carrying with him his
mother, who was dependent on him fol
support. He stopped at Greenville
, Tenn, and commenced work as a jour
; neyman. He remained there about Il
months, married, and soon afterward
went still further westward; but failing
, to find suitable place to settle, he re-
turned to Greenville and commenced
business.
Up to this time his education was linn.
tied to reading, as he had never had an
opportunity of learning to write or eli
pher; but under the instructions of his
wife he learned these and other branch.
es. The only time, however, he could
devote to them was in the dead of night
The first office he ever held was that OF
alderman of the village, to which he was
, elected in 1928. He was reelected to the
same position in 1929, and again in 1880
, In that year he was chosen mayor which
, position he held for three years.
In 1885 he was elected to the legisla.
ture. In the session of that year he took
. decided ground against scheme of in
, ternal improvements, which he contend
ed would not only prove a failure, but
entail upon the State a burdensome
debt. Themeasure was popular, how.
ever, and at the next election (1S37) he
. was defeated. He became a candidate
again in 1889. BY this time many of the
evils he had predicted from the internal
|, improvement policy which he had op-
. posed four years previous We're fully
demonstrated, and he was elected by a
large majority.
In 1S40 he served as presidential elec-
tor for the State at large on the Demo
cratic ticket. He canvassed large
portion of the State, meeting upon the
stump several of the leading Wing ora
tors. In 1S41 he was elected to the State
Senate. In lS43 he was elected to Con-
gress, where. by successive elections, he
served until 1858. During this period of
service he was conspicuous and active in
advocating, respectively, the bill for re-
funding the fine upon Gen. Jackson at
New Orleans in 1916, the warm measure
of Mr.. Folks administration, and a
homestead bill.
In 1858 he was elected Governor of
Tennessee, after an exciting canvass, in
which he was opposed by Gustavus A..
Henry. He was reelected in 1855, after
another active contest, his competitor
being Meredith P. Gentry. At the expi-
ration of his second period as Governor,
in 1857, he was elected U. S. Senator for
a full term, ending March 8, 1868.
Ever since the outbreak of the rebel
lion, Gov. Johnson has been the stern
and uncompromising enemy ofthe slave
Oligarchists. AS Senator of the United
States, as public speaker in behalf of
the Union, and for these many months
past as military Governor of his own
State, he has vigilantly and efficiently
wrought in our holy cause, and scored
his name high among the earnest work
ers Oh behalf of the imperilled Republic.
SIZE OF THE REBEL ToRPEDoEs.-
Through the courtesy Of E. Peshine
Smith, Esq, of this city, we were shown
a letter from his son, lieutenant in the
boat fleet on James river. A part Of his
perilous duty is fishing up torpedoes
placed in the river by the rebels. The
size of these Internal machines is start
ling. The one which blew up the Com
mOdore Jones was stated by a rebel
prisoner to have contained seventeen
4 hundred pounds of powder. They aver
age from four hundred to six hundred
pounds. One was discovered and sue
cessfully emptied of nineteen hundred
and fifty Q950) pounds of powder, much
to the modification and disgustof Com.
Davidson, now at the head of the rebel
marine corps, who happened to be pres
ent on board his flag of truce boat from
Richmond.-Rochester, N. VI Demo-
crat
EEsp Staunton is the most important
western station of the Virginia Central
railroad, and almost from the beginning
of the war has been an objective point
constantly attempted and neverreached.
1t is but sixty miles from Lynchburg,
and thirty-fve from Charlottesville. It's
present seizure makes it clear that Gen.
Hunter is to meet the advance of Gen.
Crooke, who moves from West Virginia
up the Tennessee railroad, at Lynch
burg, and the success of the battle on
Sunday is sufficient to show thatno force
remains in Central Virginia to oppose
this movement. Lee has had to call in
the main force heretofore detailed for the
protection of these vital points-one
other evidence of the terrible stress put
upon him by the operations of Gen.