Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/494

JOHNSTON, John, pioneer, b. near Giant's Causeway, Ireland, in 1763; d. in Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., in 1834. He emigrated to the United States in 1789, and, after many adven- tures in the northwest and Canada, settled about 1794 in Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., where he was a frontier merchant for more than forty years, and established a small centre of civilization in the midst of the savages. His wife, an Indian woman, was noted for her hospitality and upright charac- ter, and is described by Gen. Lewis Cass as " the friend and benefactor of the Americans." The eldest daughter of this marriage was sent to Eu- rope to be educated, and afterward married Henry R. Schoolcraft, the historian of the Indians. In the war of 1812 Johnston lost his property through the ravages of the American soldiers, but, revisit- ing Ireland, he sold his estate, returned to Sault Sainte Marie, and re-established his business. He did much to preserve Indian traditions.

JOHNSTON, John, educator, b. in Bristol, Me., 23 Aug., 1806 ; d. in Clifton, Staten Island, N. Y., 2 Dec, 1879. He was graduated at Bowdoin in 1832, and began to teach in Oneida conference seminary, Cazenovia, N. Y., becoming its principal in 1835. During the latter year he was elected lecturer on natural science and assistant professor of mathematics in Wesleyan university. He was made full professor of natural sciences in 1837, and continued in the occupancy of that chair until 1873, when he was made professor emeritus. In 1850 he received the degree of LL. D. from McKen- dree college, and he was a member of the Philadel- phia academy of sciences, and the American asso- ciation for the advancement of science. Besides scientific papers contributed to the "American Journal of Science " and other periodicals, he pub- lished " A Manual of Chemistry " (Middletown, 1840 ; 6th ed., 1856) ; "A Manual of Natural Phi- losophy " (Philadelphia, 1846 ; revised ed., 1851) ; " Primer of Natural Philosophy " (1858) ; and " A History of the Towns of Bristol and Bremen in the State of Maine " (Albany. 1873).

JOHNSTON, John Taylor, capitalist, b. in New York city, 8 April, 1820. He was graduated at the University of the city of New York in 1839, admitted to the bar in 1843, and in 1848 became president of the Central railroad of New Jersey, which office he still (1887) holds. His valuable collection of paintings was sold at auction in New York city, in December, 1876. Mr. Johnston is president of the council of the University of the city of New York, and of the Metropolitan museum of art in that city.

JOHNSTON, Peter, jurist, b. in Osborne's Landing, Ya., 6 Jan., 1763 ; d. near Abingdon, Washington co., Va., 8 Dec, 1841. His father, Peter Johnston, came to this country from Scotland in 1727 and settled on James river, Va. Subsequently he removed to Prince Edward county, and gave to the trustees of Hampden Sidney college the land on which that institution was afterward erected. The son was sent to college to prepare for the church, but, preferring to enlist in the Revolutionary army, he joined Lee's legion at the age of sixteen, without the knowledge of his father. He led the forlorn hope at the storming of Fort Watson, and was publicly thanked, in the presence of the army, for his conduct. After the war he studied law, and resided near the town of Farmville, Va. He represented Prince Edward county in the general assembly of Virginia, and was speaker of that body at the time of the passage of the resolutions of 1798-9. In 1809 he removed to Washington county, Va., having been elected judge of a new judicial circuit, and resided there till Iris death. He married Mary Wood, a niece of Patrick Henry. — His son, Joseph Eggleston, soldier, b. in Longwood, near Farmville, Va., 3 Feb., 1807; d. in Washington, D. C, 21 March, 1891, was graduated at the U. S. military academy in 1829, and was commissioned 2d lieutenant in the 4th artillery. He served in garrison at Fort Columbus, N. Y., in 1830-'l, at Fort Monroe, Va., in 1831-'2, was in the Black Hawk expedition in 1832, in gar- rison at Charleston, S. C, in 1832-'3, at Fort Monroe in 1833-'4, at Fort Mad- ison, N. C, in 1834, and on topographi- cal duty in 1834-'5. He was made 1st lieutenant, 4th artil- lery, 31 July, 1836, aide-de-camp to Gen. Winfield Scott in the Seminole war in 1836-'8, and resigned on 31 May, 1837. He was a civil engineer

in 1837-8, and was

appointed 1st lieutenant in the corps of topographical engineers, 7 July, 1838, and brevetted captain for gallantry in the war with the Florida Indians. On one occasion, having been sent under the escort of a party of infantry and sailors to make a survey or reconnoissance of a region around a lake, and having crossed the lake in boats, the party fell into an ambuscade, and nearly all its officers were killed or disabled at the first fire. The men were thrown into confusion, but Lieut. Johnston took command, subdued what was fast becoming a panic, and conducted the retreat for seven miles. A ball struck him above the forehead, and ranged backward, grazing the skull the whole distance. The troops repelled the enemy, and carried off their wounded in safety to the boats. The uniform worn by Lieut. Johnston on this occasion was long preserved by a friend as a curiosity, being perforated by six bullets. He was in charge of the Black river improvement, New York, in 1838-'9, of the Sault Ste. Marie in 1840, the boundary between Texas and the United States in 1841, the harbors on Lake Erie in 1841, and the topographical bureau at Washington in 1841-2. He served in the Florida war of 1842-'3, and as acting assistant adjutant-general in 1842-3, on the survey of the boundary between the United States and the British provinces in 1843-4, on the coast survey in 1.844-'6, and became captain in the corps of topographical engineers, 21 Sept., 1846. In the war with Mexico he participated in the siege of Vera Cruz and the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and the assault on the city of Mexico, and was brevetted major, lieutenant-colonel, and colonel, 12 April, 1847, for gallant and meritorious conduct on reconnoitring duty at Cerro Gordo. He was severely wounded at Cerro Gordo, and again at Chapultepec, 13 Sept., 1847, where he led a detachment of the storming party, and Gen. Scott reported that he was the first to plant a regimental color on the ramparts of the fortress. He was mustered out as lieutenant-colonel of volunteers, 28 Aug., 1848, but was reinstated by act of congress with his original rank as captain of topographical engineers, to date from 21 Sept., 1846. He served as chief of topographical engineers of the Department of Texas in