Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/129

 JOHNSON

JOHNSON

by the secretary of war to raise a regiment of mounted volunteers to consist of one thoasand men. Accordingly, he went to Kentucky and in a few weeks secured the full complement of volunteers. He was appointed colonel of the regiment and his brother James lieutenant- colonel. He joined Gen. William H. Harrison on the Britisli frontier, and took part in the engagement at Chatham, Ontario. October 4, and in the battle of the Tliames, Oct. 5, 1813. Col. Richard M. Johnson, with half his men, attacked the Indians under Tecumseh, while his brother, Col. James Johnson, with the re- mainder of the men, fell upon and routed the British regulars under General Proctor. It was during this obstinate but successful engagement that Colonel Johnson killed, in a hand-to-hand figiit, an Indian chief who formed the rallying point of the savages, and who was by some supposed to have been ciiief Tecumseh. Colo- nel Johnson was carried unconscious from the field, having received sevei"al severe bullet wounds. He resumed his seat in congress the following February and on his way to Washing- ton was greeted with public ovations, and congress passed a resolution authorizing a suitable testi- monial to be presented to him in recognition of his valuable services. In 1819, at the close of his term as representative in congress, he returned to Kentucky, where he was a representative in the state legislature until elected a member of the U.S. senate, firet as successor to John J. Crittenden, deceased, and then for a full term, serving 1819-29. He was again a representative in the 21st, 22d, 23d and 24th congresses, 1829-37. He was a candidate for Vice-President of the United States on the ticket with Martin Van Buren, and was chosen Vice-President by the senate, as the electoral college gave him 147 votes and Granger, Tyler and Smith together 147 votes. At the expiration of his term of office, March 4, 1841, he retired to his home in Scott county, Ky., and was a representative in the state legislature until his death. He was the autlior of the law abolishing imprisonment for debt in Kentucky, and while in congress he used his influence to secure pensions for the old soldiers of the Revolution and the invalids of the war of 1812. He die.l in Frankfort, Ky., Nov. 19, 1850.

JOHNSON, Richard W., soldier, was born near Smitliland, Livingston county, Ky., Feb. 7, 1827; son of Col. Robert Johnson and a brother of John Milton Johnson (q.v.). He was graduated from the U.S. ^lilitary academy in 1849 and was brevetted 2nd lieutenant ami assigned to the 6th infantry. He was transferred to the 1st infantry, June 10, 1850; to the 2d cavalry witiithe rank of 1st lieutenant, March 3, 1855, and was promoted captain, Dec. 1, 1856. He served on the Texas

frontier, 1855-61; was assigned to the 3d Ken- tucky cavalry with the rank of lieutenant-colonel of volunteers, Aug. 28, 1861; was promoted brig- adier-general of volunteers, Oct. 11, 1861, and assigned to General Buell's army, and partici- pated in the engagements at Sliiloh, Tenn.. and in the siege of Corinth, Miss. He commanded a division of the Army of the Ohio in the Tennes- see campaign; was taken prisoner at Gallatin, Aug. 21, 1862, and after his exchange in December,

1862, commanded the 12th division of the Army of the Cumberland and was in the engagements at Stone's River, Chickamauga, Missionarj- Ridge and all the .subsequent battles, including New Hope Church, Ga., where he was wounded. May 28, 1864. He commanded a division of cavalry in the battle of Nashville, Dec. 1.5-16, 1864. He was a member of the staff of Gen. George H. Thomas, serving as provost-marshal and judge-advocate until he was mustered out of the volunteer serv- ice, Jan. 15, 1866. He received brevets in the volunteer service as lieutenant-colonel, Sept. 20,

1863, for Chickamauga; colonel, Nov. 24, 1863, for Chattanooga; brigadier-general, March 13, 1865, for Nashville, Tenn.; major-general, March 13, 1865, for " gallant and meritorious services on the field during the war, and major-general of volunteers for gallant and meritorious services in the battles before Nashville."' He resigned from the regular army with the rank of'major. Oct. 12, 1867, and was retired with the rank of brigadier-general, March 3, 1875. He was military professor in the University of Missouri, 1808-69 and in the University of Minnesota, 1869- 70. lie was the unsuccessful candidate of the Democratic party for governor of ^linnesota in 1881. He is the author of: ^4. Memoir of Gen. George H. TJwmas (ISSl): Monual for Coifs Breech- Loading Carbine and Xai-y Revolver; A Soldier's Eeminiscences (1886). He died in St. Paul, Minn., April 21. 1897.

JOHNSON, Robert Underwood, editor, was born on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 1853; son of Judge Nimrod H. and Catherine Coj'le (Underwood) Johnson and grandson of Dr. Nathan Johnson and of John Underwood. He passed his boyhood in Indiana; was prepared for college in the public schools and the collegiate institute of Centreville, Ind., and was graduated from Earlham college, Richmond, Ind., in 1871. He immediately engaged as a clerk in the west- ern agency of the Scribner educational books at Chicago and in 1873 became connected with the editorial staff of Scrihtier's Monthly. In 1881, the j'ear the name of that periodical was changed to the Century Magazine, he was made associate editor. He was married in 1876 to Katharine McMahon, of Washington, D.C. He was joint- editor with Clarence Clough Buel of the " Cen-