Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 27.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

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[296] modern history. As a consequence, at Yale he almost immediately took a leading position in his class in scholarship, and was especially prominent for his literary taste and excellence in composition, taking a Townsend prize for English composition; and among many candidates in the final competition, he was assigned the second place— Homer B. Sprague receiving the De Forest and Johnston the Clark prize for an essay on ‘Political Abstractionists,’ i. e., doctrinaires.

After graduation, he studied law, and received his diploma from the Law School of the University of Louisville, in March, 1853. On the 6th of July, 1853, he was married in New Haven to Rosa Elizabeth Duncan, daughter of John N. Duncan, of New Orleans. He then settled in Louisville in the practice of law, and, except for a short interval, during which he resided in New York, he continued there until the war.

Though not allowing himself to be diverted from his profession by engaging actively in politics, he was always a strong advocate of the principles espoused by the South, and he took an active interest in their maintenance during the period preceding actual hostilities. When the issue, however, culminated in war, he was among the first in his State to cast his fortunes with the South and to raise troops for the Confederate army. Having aided in recruiting and equipping several companies in the summer of 1861, he was appointed major of the 2d Kentucky regiment, but was soon transferred to the 1st Kentucky regiment as major. He was subsequently promoted to be its lieutenant-colonel. This regiment saw its only service in the Army of Northern Virginia, and participated in the early operations on the line of Fairfax Court House and the Accotink. Colonel Johnston's health having broken down from typhoid-pneumonia and camp fever, resulting from the exposure of the field, and his regiment having been disbanded during his illness, he accepted in May, 1862, the invitation of President Davis to become a member of his official family as aide-de-camp, with the rank of colonel. He continued to fill this position until the close of the war, his chief duties being those of an inspector-general and a confidential staff officer of Mr. Davis for communication with generals commanding in the field. He was present in the battles of Seven Pines, Cold Harbor, Sheridan's Raid, Drewry's Bluff, and in the lines at Petersburg, and many other important combats. He contributed essentially to the strength of the administration by the high qualifications he brought to his responsible trust and the general confidence reposed in him by his chief and by all who knew him. He adhered with unswerving