George
Washington Johnson was born May 27th 1811 near Georgetown, Scott,
Kentucky the son of William and Betsey (Payne) Johnson. His father died shortly after his birth and
he was raised by his stepfather John Allen.
Johnson was sent to Transylvania University where he graduated in 1833
with three degrees. He practiced law in
Georgetown, before deciding he liked farming better. He owned two plantations one near Georgetown
and one in Arkansas. In 1838 Johnson was
elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives. He headed the Committee of Sixty in August 1845
that seized the printing press belonging to abolitionist Cassius M Clay.
As the
Confederate States of America were forming, Johnson advocated for Kentucky to
join the Confederacy, he thought the two sides would be evenly matched and that
a trade agreement could be negotiated.
When the Union took control of Kentucky Johnson fled with other Southern
sympathizers, traveling to Tennessee he volunteered as an aid to Confederate
General Simon B Buckner. On November 18th
1861 at Russellville, Kentucky 116 men representing 68 Kentucky counties met to
establish a Confederate government. They
unanimously chose Johnson to be the Governor of the new Confederate state. Kentucky was admitted on December 10th
1861. When Confederate General Albert
Sydney Johnston withdrew from Bowling Green, Kentucky in February 1862, Johnson
moved the government to Tennessee.
When General
Johnston attacked the Union army at Shiloh, Tennessee Johnson served as an aide
to General Breckinridge. He had his
horse shot out from under him, and then insisted on being sworn in as a Private
in Company E of the 4th Kentucky Infantry.
In the fight the next day Johnson was wounded in the abdomen and right
thigh, he was left on the battlefield overnight. The next day Union General Alexander M McCook
recognized him and had Johnson taken aboard a Union hospital ship where despite
medical care he died April 8th 1862.
Members of
the Union army had Johnson’s body shipped to Georgetown, Kentucky for burial,
in the Georgetown Cemetery.
2 comments:
Great blog. Most people remember Tennessee Governor Isham Harris, but few realize that there was another governor at Shiloh.
It's a reminder that not everyone in any state was on the same page. There were many different view, and men to lead people within these views.
Post a Comment