Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1866-06-02
Col M. n. Johnson.

ny Of the Republic aud State Of Texas Ito /
was omphalleally public spirited man, |
and all measures for the development OF
the natural resources Of our great State,
found In him an advocate and an ardcat
supporter,
but IL was in the relations Of private life
that Col. Johnson was most beloved ana
admired by those who knew him long aud
intimately; possessed Of kind heart, aud
generous disposition, those who sought his
assistance IN distress, were never turned
away unaided. As husband and father he
was afrectiopate and kind, whilst hundreds
Of his old neighbors are living witnesses to
the fact Of his kindness and generosity ~
ncighbor.
The part taken by Col. johnson in the
recent civil war, Is fresh in the memory Of
the people of Texas. Deeply impressed
from oyhood, with the correctness OF the
doctrines Of Andrew Jackson, as announced
! in the days Of South Carolina notification,
he opposed the secession of Texas, asserting
| that the Constitution of the United States
gave no authority to any State to withdraw
| from the Federal Union He believed mat
| If the people of the South must go to war
! in order to secure their rights, they should
| frht in, and not out OF the Union. Inc
great mass of the people thought different
| ", Texas seeded, war ensued ana Col
| johnson, like thousands Of patriotic Union
men, gave his influence and services In aid
| OF his section.
In the recent State Convention, Col.
johnson was an active, working member
using all his influence to restore Texas to
.1al al ,.si
government, and TO allay the party strife
that n four years civil war had engen9er'a'
The death Of such man rs Col. johnson
would, at any time, be felt as great. loss
to society, and at this crisis in the plitical
affairs of the country, his death is real
loss to the whole State.
We conclude this notice of our deceased
friend, by copying an extract from an edi-
torial written by the late Judge Latimer,
and published in the Dallas Herald on the
23d day of February, 1857:
"Col. johnson is n native of South Caro-
lima, having been born in Spartanburg Dis
trict, in that State in the year 1910. lie is
conse 4uently now AZ years old. When 10
q. years of age, his father removed TO Frank
lin county Georgia, region then border
ing on the Cherokee nation. At II years
bama, and settled in Jackson, now Marsh
all county, where the subject of this notice
continued to reside, if We mistake not, un-
til his removal to Texas. In 1882 when
but % years old, Col. Johnson was elected
to the lower branch of the State Legislature,
a position to which he was seUen times sue
cessively returned by his constituents. lie
was q member of that body when he de-
| ND rntrN n n a.
at tho seat of government to close his SER
vices in the Legislature, after his family
were e,, route for Texas. Col. Johnson took
an active part in the Legislature Of Ala
bama, and identified his name with many
of the wise and prominent measures en-
octcd during his long service in that body
Among other important measures he intro
duced the Joint resolutions, ipstructing the
Senators from that State to vote for la"
giving presumption privileges to settlers on
the public domain, measure which has
since become fayorite policy Of the gov
eminent.
He immigrated to the Republic of Texas
in 1910 with his family, and settled in
Shelby county. In 1874 he was elected tc
represent Shelby County in the Congress Of
the Republic, and served with distinction
in the winter session of IA and As, and in
the extra session of the following summer.
In that body he introduced the original bill
which became law, and was Che founda-
ton of the presumption policy Of the Re-
public and State. Mr.. Kaufman simultan-
eously introduced similar or the same
bill in the Senate, of which he was lead
ing member. These two may therefore be
Justly considered us the fathers of that
policy in Texas, the beniicent provisions
of which have peopled our frontier, and
settled our wilderness with The hardy brave
and honest pioneer.
In 1876 Col. Johnson was elected to the
Senatorial branch of the Texas Congress,
to fill the vacancy occasiOned by the reslg.
nation of the lamented Kaufman, who had
been appointed Minister to Washington.
The district was composed of the counties
of Sabine, Shelby, Pamela and Harrison
His competitor was the Hon. Isaac Van
Zandi. one of the most eloquent and gifted
of the early statesmen of the Republic, Col
johnson was successful, beating Van Handt
in every county in the district. This Con-
cress never assembled having been obvi'
ated by annexation to the mother country
When the Mexican war broke out Col. }
was one of the first to rally to the country
standard Early in 1916 he raised Il compa-
nv of volunteers, was elected Captain and
Joined Col Wood S regiment, and proceeded
to the seat of war. lie was at the battle OF
Monterey, and performed efficient and dis
tinguished service in the glorious opera
tions before that place--was selected by
Gen. Henderson when called on by General
Taylor for two picked companies TO protect
the engineers in the recon uoisance, as one
of the companies, and performed that SER
vice in q most handsome and satisfactory
manner. In command of his own and an
other campany of Texas Rangers was en-
trusted with the conduct of dispatches from
Gen. Taylor TO Gen. Worth, whose divisions
were operating on opposite sides of the city,
and made his way to Worth's division at
night under heavy cannonade from the
enemy-marching all night. Whilst with
Worth he was dispatched with suitable
command TO take the Arista Mills, about 8
miles from the city, where detachment of
the enemy was posted. lie performed this
service in few hours. capturing q large
quantity ofiour and other supplies. He
returned TO Worth's position in time to par
ticipate in tho storming Of the Bishop s
Palace ION Tuesday,, which he did in gal
LIANT manner. The following night he was
again entrusted with conduct of dispatches
from Gen. Worth to Gen. Taylor, announ-
cling the capture of the Bishops Palace,
and the successful operations of his divis-
ion. lie again encountered heavy can.
uonnade from the enemy, and arrived at
Taylors division late at night, having been
three or four days actively engaged with
out rest or sleep. He was ordered by Gen.
| TAYLOR TO rest bis men and horses, but OBJ
tanned permission to join his regiment in
the active operations before the town. He
was in the celebrated charge in which the
Texas and Mississippi volunteers stormed,
and took position from which Generals
Quitman and Twiggs had been successfully
repulsed. In the operations of this day