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Adam Johnson (colonel)
Encyclopedia
Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson (February 6, 1834 – October 20, 1922) was an antebellum Western frontiersman and later an officer in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
.
Permanently blinded during a skirmish in 1864, Johnson in 1887 founded the town of Marble Falls, Texas
, which became known as "the blind man's town."
, a son of Thomas J. and Juliet (Rankin) Johnson. Educated in the local schools, he went to work at age 12 in a drugstore for the next eight years. In 1854 he moved to Hamilton Valley in Burnet County, Texas
, and worked as a surveyor on the West Texas
frontier. He was a noted Indian fighter and provided supplies and animals for the Butterfield Overland Mail
stations. On January 1, 1861, he married Josephine Eastland of Austin, with whom he had nine children.
, when the Confederate commander decided to surrender his post to the Union
besiegers. He later received a promotion to colonel
in recognition for his exploits as commander of his Partisan Rangers, a regiment that often operated deep within Federal lines in Kentucky. Johnson's men harassed Union supply lines and isolated garrisons. In July 1862, in his Newburgh Raid
, he captured the town of Newburgh, Indiana
, despite a sizable Union militia
presence, with only twelve men and two joints of stovepipe mounted on the running gear of an abandoned wagon to simulate a cannon
. His capture of the first Northern city to fall to the Confederates was reported even in Europe, and Johnson's men thereafter called him "Stovepipe" for his ingenuity.
In 1863, Johnson assumed command of a brigade
in the cavalry division
of Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan
. He participated in Morgan's Raid
, and, following the Confederate disaster at the Battle of Buffington Island
, Johnson led nearly 350 men across the rain-swollen Ohio River
to safety. The remainder of Morgan's division was trapped on the Ohio side of the river and eventually had to surrender.
Johnson was appointed brigadier general on September 6, 1864 to rank from June 1, 1864; this appointment was not confirmed by the Confederate Congress
. On August 21, 1864, he was blinded by an accidental shot from one of his own men during an attack at Grubb's Crossroads near Princeton, Kentucky
. He was subsequently captured by the Federals and imprisoned for much of the rest of the war in Fort Warren
.
.
Johnson died in Burnet, Texas
, and is interred at the Texas State Cemetery
in Austin, Texas
. He rests beside Josephine and near his grandson, Judge George Christian, Sr., and a great-grandson, former White House Press Secretary
George Christian
, Jr.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Permanently blinded during a skirmish in 1864, Johnson in 1887 founded the town of Marble Falls, Texas
Marble Falls, Texas
Marble Falls is a city in Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,959 at the 2000 census.Marble Falls is about northwest of Austin and north of San Antonio...
, which became known as "the blind man's town."
Early life
Johnson was born in Henderson, KentuckyHenderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...
, a son of Thomas J. and Juliet (Rankin) Johnson. Educated in the local schools, he went to work at age 12 in a drugstore for the next eight years. In 1854 he moved to Hamilton Valley in Burnet County, Texas
Burnet County, Texas
Burnet County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 34,147. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate was 44,488. Its county seat is Burnet. Burnet is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas...
, and worked as a surveyor on the West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
frontier. He was a noted Indian fighter and provided supplies and animals for the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
stations. On January 1, 1861, he married Josephine Eastland of Austin, with whom he had nine children.
Civil War
When the Civil War began and his native Kentucky struggled to maintain its neutrality, Johnson returned home and joined Nathan B. Forrest's cavalry battalion as a scout. He escaped capture with Forrest after the Fort DonelsonBattle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
, when the Confederate commander decided to surrender his post to the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
besiegers. He later received a promotion to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in recognition for his exploits as commander of his Partisan Rangers, a regiment that often operated deep within Federal lines in Kentucky. Johnson's men harassed Union supply lines and isolated garrisons. In July 1862, in his Newburgh Raid
Newburgh Raid
The Newburgh Raid was an incident that occurred during the American Civil War. In it, Confederate colonel Adam Rankin Johnson captured the town of Newburgh, Indiana on July 18, 1862, using a force of only 35 men, mostly partisans he had recruited from nearby Henderson, Kentucky.Prior to the raid,...
, he captured the town of Newburgh, Indiana
Newburgh, Indiana
Newburgh is a town in Ohio Township, Warrick County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,325 at the 2010 census, which also recorded a population of 342,815 for the entire Evansville metropolitan area.-Geography:...
, despite a sizable Union militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
presence, with only twelve men and two joints of stovepipe mounted on the running gear of an abandoned wagon to simulate a cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
. His capture of the first Northern city to fall to the Confederates was reported even in Europe, and Johnson's men thereafter called him "Stovepipe" for his ingenuity.
In 1863, Johnson assumed command of a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
in the cavalry division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
. He participated in Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11–July 26, 1863, and is named for the commander of the Confederates, Brig. Gen...
, and, following the Confederate disaster at the Battle of Buffington Island
Battle of Buffington Island
The Battle of Buffington Island, also known as the St. Georges Creek Skirmish, was an American Civil War engagement in Meigs County, Ohio, and Jackson County, West Virginia, on July 19, 1863, during Morgan's Raid. The largest battle in Ohio during the war, Buffington Island contributed to the...
, Johnson led nearly 350 men across the rain-swollen Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
to safety. The remainder of Morgan's division was trapped on the Ohio side of the river and eventually had to surrender.
Johnson was appointed brigadier general on September 6, 1864 to rank from June 1, 1864; this appointment was not confirmed by the Confederate Congress
Congress of the Confederate States
The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865...
. On August 21, 1864, he was blinded by an accidental shot from one of his own men during an attack at Grubb's Crossroads near Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton is a city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,329 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County.-History:...
. He was subsequently captured by the Federals and imprisoned for much of the rest of the war in Fort Warren
Fort Warren (Massachusetts)
Fort Warren is a historic fort on the Georges Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. The fort is pentagonal, made with stone and granite, and was constructed from 1833–1861, completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War...
.
Postbellum
Johnson returned to Texas after being exchanged and paroled in 1865. Despite being sightless, he founded a town, established a company, and worked to harness the water power of the Colorado RiverColorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
.
Johnson died in Burnet, Texas
Burnet, Texas
Burnet is a city in and the county seat of Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,735 at the 2000 census.Both the city and the county were named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas. He also served as Vice President during the...
, and is interred at the Texas State Cemetery
Texas State Cemetery
The Texas State Cemetery is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, it was expanded into a Confederate cemetery during the Civil War...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. He rests beside Josephine and near his grandson, Judge George Christian, Sr., and a great-grandson, former White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
George Christian
George Christian
George Eastland Christian was a U.S. journalist and White House press secretary from 1966 to 1969.-Career:Christian was born in Austin, Texas...
, Jr.