The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-01-17
Life Of Gen. Jos. E. Johnston.

When General Joseph E. Johnston
was asked by the editor of the Great
Commanders Series whom he would |
choose should write his biography,
he selected Mr.. Robert M. Hughes,
his nephew. Shortly afterwards he
died, and Mr.. Hughes was thus de-
prived of the invaluable aid to be de-
rived from personal reference of
disputed or doubtful points in Gen.
Johnston's life. But he had at his
command all of General Johnston's
private papers, and long and init
mate acquaintance to draw upon for
all the private events of his career,
and the result of his labors is a fitting
endorsement of General Johnston's
choice.
The life of Gen. Joseph E. John
ston is rich theme for biographer.
His military career has excited the
attention and rewarded the study of
some of the greatest students of mil
itary science of the age. But aside
from this the lesson of his pure pri-
vate life, and the events of career
which, stormy as it was throughout
most of its days, was crowned at last
with the peaceful fruits of ripe
and henored old age, offer no less
interesting theme. To the people of
the South this work will be peculiarly
interesting.
Joseph E. Johnston was descended
from family in which military gen.
Jus seems seems to have been hered-
itary trait. The family first came
, into prominence on the Scottish Dor
der, where the chiefs of the Johnston
+ clan enjoyed more than passing ce.
, lebrity as daring warriors and skillful
q leaders. Early in the eighteenth cen
fury son of the family emigrated to
, America, and settled in Prince Ed
f ward county, Virginia. From this
county, while in attendance upor
+ Hampton Sidney college, Peter John
n ston, the oldest son of the Peter
Johnston who had left Scotland t.
6 make his home in the new world, raj
away to the Revolutionary war il
o company with friend, and joined thu
4 command of Light Horse Harry Lee
whose firm friend he soon became
y It was thus that the firm friendship
~ between the two families begun
which was afterwards to be 80 stron,
a bond between the two more distin
! guished sons of distinguished fathers
e The story of the early life of Josepl
E. Johnston, and the almost intuitiv
bent of his genius fbr military affairs
his career at West Point, and subse
quently in the Indian and Mexical
4 wars, is fully told. But it is tn
= achievements Of his ripper years in
greater drama that have attracted th
attention of the world. 1t is a stor
with which most of US are familiar
There is not room here to enter int
IL the details of this great strategis
T. Neither can any final Judgment ye
:, be passed on that unfortunate mis-
understanding which existed betwee
him and the Confederate Executive
I'd a misunderstanding which cost tn
a. Southern cause so dearly. M
r Hughes has studiously avoided an
III acrimonious criticism of this QUAR-,
~ which followed Johnston 80 relen
lis lessly throughout the war, and o
es more than one occasion dashed tt
cup of victory from his very lip
l.. when he was on the verge of reapin
:. the fruits of long and arduous labor
- Mr.. Hughes presents his eviden'
. fairly and frankly, and draws his d
-. auctions with convincing logic. B,
there is much to be said on bot
sides, and the champions OF the Co
cs federate President have never yielde
nd the point. That his action in reno