Albert Sidney Johnston
A Confederate general whose death at Shiloh in 1862 was a devastating and symbolic loss for the Southern cause.
1803–1862 (age 59)·Confederate States Army officer·Birthday: February 2
Biography
Albert Sidney Johnston's life was a relentless march across the American frontier and its battlefields. Born in Kentucky, he graduated from West Point and served with distinction in the Black Hawk War and the Mexican-American War. His career took a dramatic turn when he resigned his U.S. commission to lead the Texian Army, later returning to federal service in the Utah War. When the Civil War fractured the nation, his allegiance went to the Confederacy, where Jefferson Davis considered him the South's finest soldier. Given command of the vast Western Theater, Johnston struggled with scarce resources before launching a surprise attack at Shiloh in April 1862. The assault was initially successful, but a bullet severed an artery in his leg, and he bled to death in a ravine, his death marking a pivotal shift in the war's momentum and morale.
#1 When Albert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1803
Albert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1803Born
1808Started school
1816Became a teenager
1819Could drive
1821Could vote
1824Turned 21
1833Turned 30
1843Turned 40
1853Turned 50
1862Died at 59
President: Abraham Lincoln
Key Achievements
- Appointed as a full general in the Confederate States Army, one of only eight men to hold that rank.
- Commanded all Confederate forces in the Western Theater at the outbreak of the Civil War.
- Planned and launched the massive surprise attack that began the Battle of Shiloh.
- Previously served as a senior officer in the Republic of Texas army and as a brevet brigadier general in the U.S. Army.
Did You Know?
He was the highest-ranking officer on either side killed during the American Civil War.
Before Shiloh, he was criticized for retreating from Kentucky and Nashville, a strategy that preserved his army.
His body was initially buried in New Orleans and was not moved to its final resting place in Austin, Texas, until 1867.
A historical marker in Tennessee stands at the spot where he is believed to have died.
“The test of merit in my profession is the success of a man's whole life.”
