The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-01-23

military school, both achieved distinc-
ton as Indian fighters, both attained
high ranks in both the United States
army and the Confederate army, yet
one rose to the heights as a military
leader only to be cheated of his re-
ward by death, while the other lived
to see his fame as a soldier end in
something of an anti-climax. The two
were Albert Sidney Johnston and
Joseph Eggleston Johnston.
Albert Sidney Johnston was born
on February 3, 1903, in Washington,
KY, the son of Connecticut country
physician and was graduated from the
United States Military academy, eighth
in his class, in 1926. He was assigned
to the Second infantry and served as
chief Of staff to Gen. Henry Atkinson
In the Black Hawk war in 1882. Re
signing from the army in 1884, he
was a farmer for a short time near
st. Louis, then in 1886 joined the
Texas patriots in their struggle for
freedom.
Although entering the Texan army
as private he rapidly rose through
all the grades to the command of the
army and in 1888 President Mirabeau
Lamar of the Lone Star republic made
him secretary of war. The next year
he led campaign against hostile In
dams and in two brilliant battles de-
feated them and drove them out Of
Texas. Next we find him a planter in
Texas but at the outbreak of the Mex
lean war he was in the field again as
colonel of the First Texas rifles. This
regiment soon disbanded but Johns
ton continued in the service and was
inspector general of Buffers division
at the battle of Monterey. Although
Gen. Zachary Taylor called him "the
best soldier he ever commanded" and
his superiors recommended him for an
appointment as brigadier-general, he
was passed over (for political reasons)
and again retired to his farm.
There he lived in poverty and neg
lect until President Taylor in 1S49
suddenly appointed him a paymaster
in the United States army and six
Xears later President Pierce appointed
him colonel of new regiment, the
Second cavalry (now the famous
Fighting Fifth"): Almost without ex-
ception Johnston's officers in this regi-
ment were marked for future fame
within the next decade as generals in
the Union and Confederate armies.
The lieutenant-colonel was Robert E.
Lee, and among the junior officers one
finds such names as George ii. Thorn
as, Earl Van Dorm, William ]. Hardee,
Kirby Smith, John B. Hood, Hugh
Lee, w. II. Emory, George Stoneman,
John Sedgewick, A. ]. Smith and
Eugene A. Carr.
Gen. Winfield Scott called Johns
toms appointment "a godsend to the
army and the country" and his opin-
ion was soon justified when the new
colonel in 1857 was placed in COM
mand of the expedition to restore or
der among the Mormons in Utah, who
were in open revolt against the gov
eminent. BY forced march of 900
miles IN ~ Gays, ne reached MS little
army of LOO men, to find them lost
amid the snow-filled defiles of the
Rockies, with the temperature at 16
below zero, their supplies cut off by
the hostile Mormons and their starv-
ing teams their only food. By an ex-
traordinary display Of energy and wis.,
dom Johnston led the army safely in
to winter quarters and by using equal
ly commendable diplomacy he put an
end to the rebellion without a drop
of blood being shed. For this exploit
he was brevetted brigadier-
and short time later placed in COM
mand of the department of the Pa
cific.
Loyal to the army and the nation,
the coming of the Civil war brought
the deepest distress to Johnston. But
when Texas seeded he resigned his
commission-but he regarded his COM
mand as such a sacred trust that he
concealed his resignation until he
could be relieved-and went at once
to Richmond where in September,