Johnston (Joseph E.) Papers, 1841-1877

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Summary

Title:
Joseph E. Johnston papers
Dates:
1841-1877
Creators:
Johnston, Joseph E. (Joseph Eggleston), 1807-1891
Abstract:
Papers belonging to American Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston.
Extent:
8.75 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Joseph E. Johnston papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection includes letters, communications, reports, and other records generated and accumulated by General Joseph Johnston's headquarters during the American Civil War, with some private letters written and received by Johnston. Correspondents include Confederate General Braxton Bragg, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Confederate General John Bell Hood, Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and Confederate States Senator from Texas, Louis Trezevant Wigfall.

Biographical / historical:

Joseph Eggleston Johnston (1807-1891), American Civil War Confederate General, was born in Virginia in 1807. He attended West Point and graduated in 1829. In March 1837 he resigned from the American Army to study civil engineering. He was a civilian topographic engineer during the Second Seminole War, from 1835 to 1842, after which he rejoined the Army. He served under Lieutenant General Winfield Scott and Brigadier General David E. Twiggs during the Mexican American War. After the war, he returned to serve as an engineer. In the 1850s, American Secretary of War Jefferson Davis appointed him Lieutenant colonel in the 1st U.S. Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 1860 he was appointed the Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army. When Virginia seceded from the United States, he resigned his commission and joined the Confederate Army. In May 1861, he assumed the command of the Confederate forces at Harpers Ferry and organized the Army of the Shenandoah. In Spring 1862, he commanded the Confederate forces defending the Yorktown Peninsula. In November 1862, he was assigned to the command of the Department of the West, and in December 1863, the Army of the Tennessee. After General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, Johnston surrendered to Major General William T. Sherman on April 26. After the war, Johnston represented Richmond, Virginia, in the House of Representatives, and was federal commissioner of railroads. Johnston married Lydia McLane in 1845; she was the daughter of American lawyer, politician, and president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Louis McLane. They had no children. He died of pneumonia in Washington, D.C., in March 1891.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Stan V. Henkels and Son, 1925.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff in 1930. In October 2025, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Brooke M. Black
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-01-14 12:04:36 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Joseph E. Johnston papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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