Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-12-15
PRIVATE TOM JOHNSON.



There were many good men in the ranks
Of the Tenth Georgia, many true and
faithful soldiers who could be depended
upon to do their full measure Of duty on
all sorts of occasions, in all sorts Of
emergencies, but there was one among
us, Thomas johnson, whose sincere devo-
ton to duy daring bravery and skillful-
ness in the use of his weapons seemed to
entitle him to special consideration. He
was large and portly, rudy. light-hearted,
jovial and endowed with q remarkable ca
pacity for promoting mirth, cheerfulneSs
and merriment among those with whom
he mingled and he enjoyed the sincere
friendship and esteem OF a very large
proportion of his acquaintances. He had
made quite a reputation, in his native
neighborhood, near Jonesboro, Ca, as an
expert marksman, by his aptitude at hit
ting the bulls eye, at shooting matches
and his readiness in bringing down game.
He had been to Kansas as a member of
the southern delegation that went out to
oppose the John Brown faction in that
memorable struggle for party supremacy
that characterized the early history of
that territory, and he was sometimes call
ed kansas Tom Johnson to distinguish
him from other Tom Johnsons in the same
neighborhood. When our civil war broke
out Tom enlisted IN our company. at
Jonesboro, Ca, and while we were drill
ing and making other preparations for our
departure to the war, Tom became involv-
ed in a dispute over some trivial matter
and was violently assaulted by three stall
wart rufians, who made a desperate eff
fort to punish him for bis indiscretion in
differing with them in opinion. BY means
of dexterous and well-ain1ed blows, with
his formidable fist, Tom very readily re-
pulsed them and inflicted the greater part
of the punishment upon them. Notwith-
standing his victory Tom Immediately left
our company and Joined another that was
being formed in the neighbor1ng town Of
Fayetteville but owing to the fact that
the Jonesboro and Fayetteville companies
both Joined the Tenth Georgia regiment
we still kept Tom Johnson with US. After
entering into actual service Toms fear
lessness and skill won for him great fame
and his services were in almost constant
demand for dincult and dangerous UNI
dertakings. and his natural love of adven-
ture found abundant qualification in the
performance of duties from which others
less venturesome than himself would
have instinctively shrunk. His faith IN
the ultimate triumph of our cause was
steadfast and unvavering and he would
never under any circumstances admit the
possibility OF our defeat
While on the retreat from the peninsula
to Richmond, as we were passing through
an old field, somebody discovered the
form Of Yankee soldier, In the top Of a
distant tree, apparently watching the
movements of our army and Tom John
sons attention was called to him. Tom
thought he could kill him, but others con-
tended that he was entirely too far off to
be In any danger from even Toms gun.
After parleying for 8 few minutes, Tom
observed that II was a question that adj
initted OF proof and stopping on the road
side, he said: Now, you just watch and
see how he behaves when 1 shoot" and
adjusting his sun sights to the longest
possible range. he raised his gun to his
shoulder, took aim, fred and the Yankee
dropped from the tree OF course IL was
impossible for us to obtain any particulars
OF the mans injuries, but there was no
doubt that he had fallen from the tree.
At the battle OF sharpsburg, Maryland,
Tom WA severely wounded by a ball
that entered his body Ia front just below
the breastbons, paassd almost centrally
through his body, among ths vital or
gans and came out near the spinal coll
uInn. He was carried home in October,
1852. and remained with his family about
two months, when although still suffer-
ing considerably from his wound, he re-
turned TO his command against the ear
nest rsnonstrances % HIS family, friends