Gordon Johnston (May 25, 1874 – March 8, 1934) was an American soldier,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

recipient and football player and coach. He played at the tackle position for

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and served as the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

football team in 1896. He served as an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

, the Philippine–American War and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and received the

for his actions during the Philippine–American War.

Biography

Gordon Johnston was the son of Confederate

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Robert Daniel Johnston, and was born in "the old home" near

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. After graduating from Birmingham High School, Johnston enrolled at

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. While attending the university, Johnston played college football as a tackle for two years in 1894 and 1895. Football historian Parke H. Davis described Johnston as a "high spirited, fleetfooted, dashing" football player at Princeton. Johnston became a member of The

Tiger Inn Tiger Inn (or "T.I." as it is colloquially known) is one of the eleven active eating clubs at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Tiger Inn was founded in 1890 and is one of the "Big Four" eating clubs at Princeton (the others are T ...

. He graduated from Princeton in 1896 and became the head football coach of the

football team in 1896. In 1896, he also worked in the insurance business as a member of the Johnston & Badham firm in North Carolina.A history of Princeton '96 to the time of the decennial reunion of the class, p. 206 From 1897 to 1898, he was associated with the Buck Johnston Abstract Co. in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. In 1898, Johnston enlisted in the

to fight in the

, serving in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

with the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, better known as the

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and di ...

. After a brief return to civilian life, he was offered a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army in 1899 on the recommendation of

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. Johnston was posted to the Philippines where he served with the 43rd Infantry Regiment in the Philippine–American War. On February 1, 1900 Johnston's actions as the leader of a small detachment of scouts was to earn him the nation's second highest award for bravery, the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. The citation states: ''"... Lieutenant Johnston displayed remarkable gallantry and leadership in charging a greatly superior force of entrenched insurgents in the face of cannon and rifle fire, driving the enemy from their position and capturing the town of

Palo Palo may refer to: Places * Palo, Argentina, a village in Argentina * Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain * Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located wit ...

."'' Johnston returned to the United States, where he was the honor graduate in 1903 from the U.S. Army's infantry and cavalry school. In 1904, he was married to Anna Julia Johnson in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Johnston returned to the Philippines as a first lieutenant in the Signal Corps with the

6th Infantry Regiment The 6th Infantry Regiment ("Regulars") was formed 11 January 1812. Zachary Taylor, later the twelfth President of the United States, was a commander of the unit. The motto, "Regulars, By God!" derives from the Battle of Chippawa, in which Brit ...

. On March 7, 1906, Johnston distinguished himself under heavy fire in the

First Battle of Bud Dajo The First Battle of Bud Dajo, also known as the Moro Crater Massacre, was a counterinsurgency action fought by the United States Army against Moros in March 1906, during the Moro Rebellion in the southwestern Philippines. Whether the occupants o ...

, where he was severely wounded. For his actions in this battle, Johnson received the

. Johnston went on to lead a distinguished career in the Army. Johnston was to win the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for his work as the chief of staff for the 82nd Infantry Division during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of

. Johnston died in a polo accident at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

on March 8, 1934. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

, in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

. Camp Gordon Johnston in

Carrabelle, Florida Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County along Florida's Panhandle, United States. The population was 2,778 as of the 2010 census. Carrabelle is located east of Apalachicola at the mouth of the Carrabelle River on the Gulf of Mexico. Geography C ...

was named in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Citation:

Voluntarily took part in and was dangerously wounded during an assault on the enemy's works.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Gordon 1874 births 1934 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football tackles North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches Princeton Tigers football players American military personnel of the Philippine–American War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Philippine–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama Polo deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army personnel of World War I Deaths by horse-riding accident in the United States Sports deaths in Texas

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links