Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson (February 6, 1834 – October 20, 1922) was an
antebellum
Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to:
United States history
* Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States
** Antebellum Georgia
** Antebellum South Carolina
** Antebellum Virginia
* Antebellum ...
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
frontiersman
A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts ...
and later an officer in the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. Johnson obtained notoriety leading the
Newburgh Raid
The Newburgh Raid was a successful raid by Confederate partisans on Newburgh, Indiana, on July 18, 1862, making it the first town in a northern state to be captured during the American Civil War. Confederate colonel Adam Rankin Johnson led the ...
using a force of only about 35 men. Johnson and his men confiscated supplies and ammunition without a shot being fired by tricking Newburgh's defenders into thinking the town was surrounded by cannons. In reality, the so-called cannons were an assemblage of a stove pipe, a charred log, and wagon wheels, forever giving the Confederate commander the nickname of Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson. Permanently blinded during a skirmish in 1864, Johnson in 1887 founded the town of
Marble Falls, Texas
Marble Falls is a city in Burnet County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city population was 7,033.
Lake Marble Falls is part of the Highland Lakes on the Colorado River, the largest chain of lakes in Texas.
Hi ...
, which became known as "the blind man's town."
Early life
Johnson was born in
Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a home rule-class city along the Ohio River and is the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,757 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area, locally known as t ...
, 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 ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,130. Its county seat is Burnet. The county was founded in 1852 and later organized in 1854. It is named ...
, and worked as a surveyor on the
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio.
No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...
frontier. He was a noted Indian fighter and provided supplies and animals for the
Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...
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, fighting with him at his first engagement at the
Battle of Sacramento. He escaped capture with Forrest after
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...
, when the Confederate commanders decided to surrender their post to the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
besiegers. He later received a promotion to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
in recognition of his exploits with his 10th Kentucky Partisan Rangers, a regiment he raised that often operated deep behind Federal lines in Kentucky. Johnson's men harassed Union supply lines and attacked isolated garrisons. In July 1862, in his
Newburgh Raid
The Newburgh Raid was a successful raid by Confederate partisans on Newburgh, Indiana, on July 18, 1862, making it the first town in a northern state to be captured during the American Civil War. Confederate colonel Adam Rankin Johnson led the ...
, Johnson captured the town of
Newburgh, Indiana, bluffing its sizable Union
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
force into surrendering with only twelve of his men and a stovepipe mounted and a burnt black log on the running gears of an abandoned wagon to form a
Quaker cannon. His capture of the first Northern city to fall to the Confederates made the news even in Europe, and Johnson's men thereafter nicknamed him "Stovepipe".
In 1863, Johnson assumed command of a
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
B ...
in the cavalry
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
of
Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was an American soldier who served as a Confederate general in the American Civil War of 1861–1865.
In April 1862, Morgan raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (CSA) and fought in ...
. He reluctantly participated in
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a diversionary incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Union states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11 to July 26, 1863, and is named for the command ...
, though he was only supposed to raid on the Kentucky side of the river. Following the Confederate disaster at the
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 d ...
, Johnson led nearly 350 of his 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 forced to surrender.
Johnson was appointed
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
on September 6, 1864, to rank from June 1, 1864, though his appointment was never confirmed by the
Confederate Congress
The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...
.
[Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .] On August 21, 1864, he was blinded by an accidental shot from one of his own men during a skirmish at Grubb's Crossroads, near
Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton is a home rule-class city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,329 during the 2010 U.S. Census. Princeton is home to several notable attractions such as Adsmore Museum, ...
. Left behind because of his injuries, he was captured by the Federals and was a prisoner for much of the remainder of the war in
Fort Warren. He was exchanged near the war's end, and despite his blindness attempted to return to active duty. However, the final surrender put a stop to that.
Postbellum
Adam R. Johnson returned to Texas after being exchanged and paroled in 1865. Although blind, he founded a town, established a company, and worked to harness the water power of the
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
. One of his sons was
Rankin Johnson Sr., a former Major League pitcher for the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
and
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
.
He died in
Burnet, Texas
Burnet ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,436 at the 2020 census.
Both the city and the county were named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first (provisional) president of the Re ...
in 1922 at the age of 88, and is interred at the
Texas State Cemetery
The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and vice-president of the Republic of ...
in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. He rests beside his wife Josephine and near his grandson, Judge George Christian Sr., and a great-grandson, former
White House Press Secretary George Christian Jr.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Acting Confederate)
Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of generals and exercised command as generals but who ...
References
Further reading
* Johnson, Adam Rankin, and William J. Davis
''The Partisan Rangers of the Confederate States Army'' Louisville, Ky.: G. G. Fetter Company, 1904.
External links
*
Raid History ''Newburgh Museum Foundation''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Adam R.
1834 births
1922 deaths
People from Henderson, Kentucky
People from Burnet County, Texas
Confederate States Army brigadier generals
People of Kentucky in the American Civil War
American Civil War prisoners of war
American city founders
Burials at Texas State Cemetery
People from Marble Falls, Texas
Military personnel from Texas