Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-04-17
GENERAL JOE JOHNSTON.
His Peculiar Powers of Observation
and Other characteristics,

The nomination of General Joseph E.
Johnston to be Commissioner of Rail.
roads, writes a correspondent of the ST,
Louis Republican, is not only a fitting
tribute to the exalted merit of a great and
good man, but conspicuous example OF
the ability OF our President to select and
i put the right man in the right place. -
Ills long life spent in the public service is
on record, and few men can better afford to
commit their history to the judgment of
mankind.
Here are few anecdotes illustrative of
his peculiar powers of observation and
other characteristics of mind which have
not appeared in print:
Alter assuming command of the Army
OF the tennessee, at Dalton, grand re-
view was ordered, and General Johnston
superbly mounted on a magnificent thor
oughbred bay, came sweeping down our
line, followed by the usual cavalcade of
generals and staff officers. He would
halt a moment in front of the colors of
each regiment, face to the line and raise
his cap with martial grace never ex-
celled. In passing our regiment his
quick eye caught the gallant bearing of
our boy colonel, John E. Murray, then
about Il years of age, who had been a
caoet at West Point for two wears. and
was notably distinguished for what the
boys called "gallus salute" After the
parade General Johnston sought our brig
adler, Govan, and inquired the name of
his young colonel of the grand martial
salute" and after hearing of his grand
achievements as the boy hero of the brig
AIDE, he invited him to his headquarters
and entertained him for a week. The
colonel used to say that che picked up
more solid chunks of wisdom that week
than he had ever done in his life before. -
The brilliant career of this gallant bow
closed with the campaign in the last bat |
tie around Atlanta, where he foremost
lighting fell'' with bullet hole through |
his commission of brigadier-general in |
his breast pocket. During this Georgia |
campaign he would often inspect the |
hastily reconstructed line of rihe-pits, and |
In riding down the line at full speed he !
would sometimes halt suddenly and |
beckon an officer of his staff, and with a
few rapid motions of his hand order an
angle reversed or the line advanced or
retired in conformity with the contour of
the ground in front; and on one of these
occasions the writer, who was lounging
on the ground with his comrades some
thirty PAGES in the rear, made a wager
that he could attract the generals atten-
ton by a salute. Upon arising and
facing toward the general as he rushed
by, looking in the opposite direction, the
writer modestly raised his ''coonskin."
When the generals white hat shot up
in the air in graceful recognition, the
boys all remarked that the cold man
could see as well in the rear as in front"
In passing through Jackson, Missis-
sippi, to take command of the army, a
large crowd of citizens and furloughed
soldiers insisted on his presenting him
self on the platform of the car and making
them a speech. He said: eff all the
men see before me were in
line at the front there wonld be no occa-
sion for the retreat of the army
When he was relieved of command at
Atlanta his soldiers literally shed tears
Of hopeless sorrow, and when General
Hoods plan of swinging around to Gen
eral Sherman's rear was fully detailed to
him by staff officer and his opinion
asked as to the wisdom of the plan, he
replied with sadness in the prophetic
words, ''Too brilliant"
In social conversation with his staff,
one of them asked him how many times
he had been wounded eight times"
The staff remarked that he was the most
general in this respect that
he had ever known.
mo, sir" said he, 'the most fortunate:
for 1t was only by the mercy of God was
not killed upon either occasion"