Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-31
sHILoRs HERO's WATCH.
\ Letter from Hancock VI. john
stOn Regarding IL.

4 syndicate letter has been lately pub
lshed in a number Of the leading papers
throughout the country-amons them the
! Times. OF this city-whlch, while present.
ing touching description OF the late re-
union Of Federas and eN-Coniederates AT
shiloh. also stated that the watch Worl
! by Albert Sidney Johnston when he was
I killed fell into the possession OF a Federal
| soldier. and that he or some other soldier
| stnl has said trophy In MS possession
| but is anxious 20 deliver 10 over TO some
near relatio OF General Johnston, etc.
which has brought out the follow
| ing letter 20 the editor Of the Capital from
a son OF the illustrious deceased
"ilO9 DOWNEY AVENUE.
april y. 1895
Dear Truman,-General Johnston's eld-
est son. William Preston Johnston. has
our fathers watch. and has had IL ever
since Il was taken from his body. Gene
raj J0hnstonS body was in charge OF his
staff and near kinsmen from the moment
Of death until burial. lie was killed by
a struggling shot after the Federal troops
had been dislodged. and In iull retreat.
OR Yandell. his stan surgeon. now Of
Louisville. Ky. told me only few years
ago that he demonstrated at leaving my
members OF his stan 70 different parts Of
the field, and that he simply pointed 70
the wounded Federal and Confederate sol
diers and rode on. Had Yandell stayed
by his she he would not have died. as the
wound was a fiesh-wouni In the calf of
the leg The object OF the article
seems 10 be partly to swindle some friend
Of my fathers
Yours truly.
HANCOCK ". JOHNSTON"
IL was just as well that the Generals
son deemed II not inappropriate 70 cor
rect. as far As possible the mischief that
such a falsehood would create. as the
rising generation, naturally. would catch
on to any such romantic statement as
being the truth. All surviving officers
the soldiers OF shiloh and the war. how
ever, are fully aware that Albert sidney
Johnstons body fell into the anactionate
| hands and care Of his own STAFF and that
at the time Of his death the COnfederites
were occupying the ground held by the
Federals In the morning. At no time
during the Sundays april 6. 1907 nght
was il possible FOR General Johnston or
any other distinguished Confederate 10
have fallen into the hands OF Union
soldiers. No historian OF either side has
attempted 10 make the first days fight
at Shiloh anything but a national dis
aster. There are times when all We who
participated I'm that great drama which
closed thirty years ago should DO our
best 20 present truths so far as we know
them. and 10 frown upon al things that
can be proven to be preyarications There
is much 70 glorify from both standpo.nts.
and there was equal energy, courage, and
humanity upon both Hdes OF ne field
II is an undisputsd fact that Johnston's
life was lost by his humane efforts
to have all the wounded looked after. as
he had dispatched all his surgeons 20
look after the Federal and Confederate
wounded alike only d few moments pre-
vious TO receiving his fatal wound
The article In question was seemingly
written by sympathetic hand. and u
paid a tribute TO the soldiers Of both
armies But. SO far as that part OF II
concerning the alleged taking OF the
watch worn by General Johnston and
his falling into other hands than those
OF his own stan goes. IL Is simply an
untruthful and ridiculous invention OF the
writer. or else he has been imposed upon
by some person who has Interior motives
in view. Even II IL were true that early
after Shiloh a so-called watch OF Albert
Sidney Johnston's with initials -. S. j."
engraved on the case had been seen ana
claimed as a trophy. the inventor Of the
story simply told an untruth. IL was an
impossibility for such a thing 70 have
been true. Senator Isham G.. Harris ana
others, who were with the distinguished
Confederate when he was shot. and who
took hin In charge. took care or his
watch and other belongings. and de-
liyered them-particulerly the watch-to
his eldest son. William Preston Johnston.
who has always had them, and still has
them to-day. All sketches ana histories
OF Shiloh agree upon the facts as stated
above. We are sorry that so beautiful
an article should have been marred by
20 unfortunate a part sun. a number
OF papers throughout the country nave
already contradicted that part OF II con.
corning the finding OF the body and the