Richard Woodhouse Johnson (February 27, 1827April 21, 1897) was an officer in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Life

Personal life

Richard Woodhouse Johnson was born on February 27, 1827, in Smithland, to James Johnson (1785–1837) and Louisa Harmon Johnson (1790–1837). Johnson married Rachael Elizabeth Steele (1826–1891). Their sons were Alfred Bainbridge Johnson (1853–1897) and Richard Woodhouse Johnson (1855–1929).

Early career

Johnson graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1849 and appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the 6th U.S. Infantry. Johnson's early career was uneventful during tours on the Canadian and Mexican borders. Johnson secured a branch transfer to the 2nd Cavalry in 1855, where he saw action in expeditions against Comanche and Washita warriors. Johnson was at the Cavalry School at Carlisle Barracks at the outbreak of the Civil War. The War Department appointed Johnson lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment and soon after was promoted to brigadier general,

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army (United ...

. As a cavalry commander he took part in the western campaigns of 1861 and 1862. On August 21, 1862, he was defeated and captured by

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. In April 1862, he raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment, fought at Shiloh, and then launched a costly raid in Kentucky, which encouraged Br ...

, whom he had been sent to drive out of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

In the Army of the Cumberland

Johnson was exchanged in December 1862 and took command of a division in the Army of the Cumberland. Johnson led his division at the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Ci ...

. Johnson continued in division command during the middle Tennessee campaign of 1863. At the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

, his division was attached to Maj. Gen. Alexander M. McCook's XX Corps. On the second day of the battle, Johnston's division fell in with Maj. Gen.

George Henry Thomas George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. Thomas served in the Mexican–American War, and despite be ...

on the Union left. During the Battle of Chattanooga, Johnson's division was one of the several that charged up Missionary Ridge. Johnson remained in division command attached to the XIV Corps (Union Army) commanded by MG John M. Palmer, of the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creatio ...

during the Atlanta campaign of 1864. Johnson's division performed creditably at all of the major engagements of the campaign until he was severely wounded at the

Battle of New Hope Church The Battle of New Hope Church (May 25–26, 1864) was a clash between the Union Army under Major General William T. Sherman and the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by General Joseph E. Johnston during the Atlanta Campaign of the American ...

on May 28, 1864.

Later service

Johnson briefly served as Chief of Cavalry for the

Military Division of the Mississippi The Military Division of the Mississippi was an administrative division of the United States Army during the American Civil War that controlled all military operations in the Western Theater from 1863 until the end of the war. History The Divisio ...

before stepping down to command a division in General James H. Wilson's cavalry corps – where he fought at the

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...

. Johnson received a total of five brevet promotions for his battlefield performance, culminating with a major general's brevet in the Regular Army. Johnson was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 15, 1866. Johnson served as the Provost-Marshal and acting Judge Advocate of the Military Division of the Tennessee 1865-66 and had brief stints in the Department of the Tennessee and the Department of the Cumberland. Johnson retired from active service on 12 October 1867 as "Major-General (changed to Brig.-General, By Law of March 3, 1875) for disability from wounds received in battle." After his retirement, Johnson served as the Professor of Military Science at the Missouri State University from July 1868 to January 1869 and published military treatises and articles. He published ''A Soldier's Reminiscences in Peace and War'' (1866) and a ''Memoir of Major General George H. Thomas'' (1881). On December 6, 1865, Johnson was elected as a Veteran Companion of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

(MOLLUS), a military society of officers who had served in the Union armed forces during the Civil War. He was assigned MOLLUS insignia number 99. Johnson ran for Governor of Minnesota in

1881 Events January * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The Chilean army ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, but lost to Republican Lucius Frederick Hubbard; he received about 35% of the vote. Johnson died on April 21, 1897, in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, and is buried there in Oakland Cemetery.

Footnotes

References

* Cozzens, Peter, ''No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River'', University of Illinois Press, 1990, . * Cozzens, Peter, ''The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga'', Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1994, . * Cozzens, Peter, ''This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga'', University of Illinois Press, 1992, .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Richard W. American military writers United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers People of Kentucky in the American Civil War 1827 births 1897 deaths People from Livingston County, Kentucky Union army generals