Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-10-11
4 oELERRArEp cHARAcTER.

a CELEBRATED CHARACTER.
Gen. Joseph e. johnson. the sole Sur
vivor OF the Confederate Leaders.
A very white haired and white
whiskercd gentleman sat in one Of the
Palace hotel chairs the other day, and
while be puffed away IcIsureiy at CT
gar gazcd in idle thougLdigniiied Curl
osity at the younger people passing
by Few of San Franciscos jCU7eSSe
d0rce, with hats a-cOcb and canes a-tp,
gave more than a passing glance at the
white-haired old gentleman. The lat
ter sat and eyed them ali, ana seemed
70. note their air Of Indifference with
an amused expression of his dark
cleaning eve, which lay hidden behind
an oycrhanging brow frosted with sill
yer. How many Of the glldcd youths
bent only on q meridian cocktail and
MONDAY luncncould have eyen guessed
at the aged mans identity, and if they
had known it. how few that would not
have stared at him! And well they
might.
The old man-trim. erect, scrupul-
ously neat, and with an air that some
/ how is not often seen in the present
/ generation--is one OF the few living
and well-prcseryed Of the mghtiest
performers in q nations tragedy, says
the San Francisco Examiner, Gems.
{ Grant and Lee are gone. Hancock
Ewell, Hooker, Hood, Jeb Stuart,
Pcmberton, and now, last and fore
most Of the recent survivors, Sheridan,
has been laid to rest at Arlington. The
two most distinguished Of the COM
manders Of the two great contending
armies, Sherman and Joseph f. John
ston arc yet living, and of the really
great ones on either side they are all
that is left. Sherman is in New Cork,
and it is old Gen. Johnston. who sur
rendered 10 sherman on that disor-
dered April morn in North Carolina in
1865, that now sits rocking his restful
frame in the court of the Palace.
Young people who see the old gem
eral hardly realize that he is the sole
survivor Of the distinguished confed-
crate leaders. lie is the last Of the
| officers Of that army who bore the full
rank of general. There were but three
of these-Lee, Johnston, and Thomas
j. Jackson (StonewalD, killed at
Charlottesville, The leaders more
clearly remembered by the generation
of to-day-men like Beauregard, Early,
Longstrect, Pemberton, Ewell, the
younger Lees and Hood-wcrc lieu
tenant generals. There were scores
Of major generals. Nearly all Of these
who attained distinction OF filed the
worlds eye in a greatdegree are dead
The only names now recalled, Of those
of the living, who were the subordi-
mates of the old gray-haired leader in
the rocking-chair are Longstrcet, Beau
regard, Early, Wade Hampton, and
Fitzhugh Lee. Providence has dealt
more mcrciful with the distinguished
survivors Of the rebellion than with
those who crushed it out Few, in
deed, Of the latter remain--none in
fact, but Sherman, Schoiield, Howard,
Slocum, and Terry.
Old General Johnston is not only
amiable, but very courtly. lie chats
very pleasantly Of what he has seen in
I California in later years and dis
I courses cloqucutly of the marvellous
changes He viii even talk Of the
growth Of the whole great west, and
| predict with something of a sad air
that if hecould only have forescen forty
years ago, when he was dragoon Of
| ticer what California was to be, he
would not now have to depend upon
his own resources.
One thing The old gentleman win not
talk about. Yet the subject of the war
and the armed hosts of the south be
brought up, aud the general draws
into his shell at once. After hint
thus received it were well that q per-
sisteut scarchcr for information had
hied him to o monastery, for the indig-
nant stare he will get from Gen. John
ston's eyes will be remembered all his
life.
One memory of the 'war he viii
speak Of one hero Of the union forces
he is ever ready to discuss-Gcn. Sher-
I man Let the name OF sherman be
mentioned and the chances are that the
Old mans eye viii soften and he will
say: "Wen, it's all over, but 'TccumP
and | were classmates.
And so it was. These two highest
I cst-rankcd combatants now living,
studied logurthns, made field notes Of
engineering dcfenscS. rode horses in
. cavalry tactics. went out 10 old Benny
Havcns famous place for pop and gin
GER beer together, and now. VIXEN both
have fought taeir fight and luo years
are gone, hose whose rare privilege il
is 20 sao the two together and witness
their antics often wonder if. after Pill,
there ever was g war. .Irarmp' and
Joe lnccJ sometimes IT'D New York
and WASHINGTON. When thcy do the