Edward Johnson (general): Difference between revisions

After the outbreak of the Civil War, Johnson resigned his [[United States Army]] commission and received the rank of [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] in the 12th Georgia Infantry on July 2, 1861. The 12th Georgia fought in Gen. [[Robert E. Lee]]'s first campaign in western Virginia, at the battles of [[Battle of Rich Mountain|Rich Mountain]], [[Battle of Cheat Mountain|Cheat Mountain]], and [[Battle of Greenbrier River|Greenbrier River]]. He was promoted to [[Brigadier General (CSA)|brigadier general]] on December 13, 1861, and received his nickname while commanding six infantry regiments in a battle on [[Battle of Camp Alleghany|Allegheny Mountain]]. (This brigade-sized force was given the grandiose name "Army of the Northwest".)

In the winter of 1861–62, Johnson's army cooperated with [[Major General (CSA)|Maj. Gen.]] [[Stonewall Jackson|Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson]] in the early stages of [[Jackson's Valley Campaign]]. In April 1862, to protect against a Union invasion of the upper Shenandoah Valley, his Army of the Northwest constructed a series of breastworks and trenches atop Shenandoah Mountain which they named [[Fort Edward Johnson]]. At the [[Battle of McDowell]], Johnson was severely wounded with a bullet to the ankle, which took a long time to heal. He returned to [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] for his convalescence and remained there for nearly a year, active in the social scene. Although Johnson was a heavy-set, rough-looking, rude character who was still a bachelor at age 47, he had the reputation of a ladies' man. Due to a wound he received in Mexico, he was afflicted with an eye that winked uncontrollably, causing many women to believe he was flirting with them. He caused enough attention that he rated mentions in the famous diary of [[Mary Chesnut]].