William Johnston Jr.

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William Hartshorne Johnston Jr.
William Hartshorne Johnston Jr. (US Army major general).jpg
From 1919's The War of the Nations: Portfolio in Rotogravure Etchings
Born(1861-10-19)October 19, 1861
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 19, 1933(1933-02-19) (aged 71)
Nice, France, U.S.
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1883-1925
RankMajor General
UnitU.S. Army Infantry Branch
Commands held1st Battalion of Philippine Scouts
180th Infantry Brigade, 90th Division
91st Division
1st Brigade, American Forces in Germany
Fourth Coast Artillery District
3rd Infantry Division
Battles/warsSpanish–American War
Philippine–American War
World War I
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Alma materWashington University in St. Louis

William Hartshorne Johnston Jr. (October 19, 1861 - February 19, 1933) was an American military officer who served with distinction in the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and World War I. He attained the rank of major general, and was most notable for his World War I command of the 91st Division.

Early life[]

William Hartshorne Johnston Jr. was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, a son of Mary (Neele) Johnston and Colonel William Hartshorne Johnston, a U.S. Army paymaster.[1] He was raised and educated at various Army posts and in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended Washington University in St. Louis from 1876 to 1879.[1][2] While living in St. Louis, Johnston also worked as a salesman for the Scudders-Gale Grocer Company.[3]

Military career[]

Militia service[]

Johnston enlisted in the Missouri Militia in 1878, and rose to sergeant in the Lafayette Guard of St. Louis before moving to Prescott, Arizona in 1881.[1] While in Arizona, he obtained a commission as a first lieutenant in the territorial militia's Prescott Rifles company, and he served until 1883.[4] From November 1881 to October 1883, he was an Army paymaster's clerk.[5]

In February 1883, Johnston was a resident of New York City when he competed for a Congressional appointment to the United States Military Academy.[6] He was selected by a panel that made recommendation to Representative Roswell P. Flower, but was subsequently declared ineligible because he did not meet the one-year state residency requirement.[7] In July 1883, he was appointed a second lieutenant in the United States Army directly from civil life, subject to completion of an examination by a board of officers.[8] When Johnston took the competitive examination, he placed first of 96 candidates.[9] His commission in the 16th Infantry Regiment was confirmed in October.[10]

Spanish–American War and Philippine–American War[]

In 1887, Johnston graduated with honors from the Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[1]

While assigned to the faculty of first Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois[11] and later Saint Louis University,[12] Johnston attended law school at Washington University in St. Louis.[13] He was a student beginning in 1894, graduated in 1897, and received his LL.B. degree.[13] Johnston was awarded the honor of Prize Essayist of his senior class.[13]

During the Spanish–American War, Johnston served with the 46th U.S. Volunteer Infantry as a major.[10] Following the conflict, Johnston was mustered out of the volunteer service and was appointed military governor of Isabela Province in the Philippine island of Luzon, post which he held from 1901 to 1902.

During the Philippine–American War, Johnston commanded the 1st Battalion of Philippine Scouts from 1904-1906 during the campaign against the Pulajanes, for which he was awarded the Silver Star.[14] He returned to the U.S. in 1907 to attend the Army War College until 1908.[10]

First World War[]

Johnston in action during World War I.

William Johnston participated as a member of the General Staff at the Army War College from 1914 to 1917. Following the U.S. entry into the First World War, Johnston, now a brigadier general, "organized, trained and took to France the 180th (Texas) Infantry Brigade (AEF)"[10] Arriving in August 1918, the 180th was stationed in the Toul Sector as part of the 90th Division, 1st U.S. Army Corps,[14] under the command of King Albert I of Belgium.[10] Johnston would spend little time with the 180th in France, however, as he was soon assigned to command the 91st Division. Under Johnston's command, the 91st Division would take part in the St. Mihiel offensive, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, for which he was awarded both the Distinguished Service Cross[15] and a Distinguished Service Medal,[15] and the Ypres-Lys campaign, once more under overall command of King Albert.[14] For his leadership in the war, Johnston would be awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the French Legion of Honor (Commander) and Croix de Guerre with Palm, the Belgian Order of Leopold I (Commander) and the Victory Medal.[14]

Inter-war years[]

Following the end of the First World War, Johnston and the 91st Division were demobilized. Johnston returned briefly to the Army War College's General Staff before deploying once more to Germany in 1920 as part of the American forces occupying Germany. Over the next three years, Johnston would play key roles in the occupying force, as Chief of Staff of American Forces in Germany until 1921, commanding officer of the 1st Brigade until 1922 and as general liaison officer to the French Army of the Rhine until 1923.[14]

Johnston returned to the U.S. in 1923 to command the Fourth Coast Artillery District at Fort McPherson, Georgia. The following year, he commanded the 3rd Infantry Division until his retirement in 1925.[10]

Family[]

In June 1888, Johnston married Lucille Barat Wilkinson (1869-1917), a great-granddaughter of Major General James Wilkinson.[2][16][a] In 1923, Johnston married Isabelle Gros in Paris, France.[10]

With his first wife, Johnston was the father of a daughter, Genevieve.[2] Genevieve Johnston lived in St. Louis, and became a nun at Villa Duchesne Convent of the Sacred Heart in St. Louis.[2]

Retirement and death[]

In retirement, Johnston resided in Nice, France.[10] He died in Nice on February 19, 1933, after he suffered a heart attack while attending a Red Cross ball.[17] A memorial service was held in the chapel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.[18] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and the honorary pallbearers included generals Stephen O. Fuqua, Harry L. Gilchrist, Samuel Hof, Lytle Brown, John W. Gulick, Oscar Westover.[18]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Lucille Wilkinson's ancestry was James Wilkinson (1757-1825) (great-grandfather), Walter Wilkinson (1791-1837) (grandfather), Joseph Pratte Wilkinson (1822-1891) (father).

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1921). Who's Who in America. XI. Chicago, IL: A. M. Marquis & Co. p. 1524 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Gen. W. J. Johnston, Retired, Dies At 71". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO. February 20, 1933. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "St. Louis General is Decorated for Bravery Action". St. Louis Star. St. Louis, MO. January 25, 1919. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Local Intelligence: Prescott Rifles". The Miner. Prescott, AZ. May 12, 1882. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ U.S. Congress (1940). 76th U.S. Congress, Miscellaneous Documents: Increase of Pensions to Sundry Widows. 1. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 80 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "A Congressman's Cadet". New York Herald. New York, NY. February 25, 1883. p. 8 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  7. ^ "Congressman Flower's Cadet". New York Herald. New York, NY. March 1, 1883. p. 5 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  8. ^ "Army Lieutenants From Civil Life". Freeborn County Standard. Albert Lea, MN. July 5, 1883. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Maj.-Gen. Johnston Receives D.S.C." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO. January 25, 1919. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-5719-7088-6 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "The Interstate Drill". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. St. Louis, MO. June 23, 1895. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "First-Lieut. William H. Johnston Jr". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, IL. August 31, 1895. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c Washington University: A Catalogue of the Officers and Students in the Law School. St. Louis, MO: C. R. Barns. 1897. pp. 13 (1895), 10 (1896), 8 (1897) – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Who Was Who in American History - The Military (Chicago, IL: Marquis Who's Who, Inc., 1975) pp. 293
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "William Johnston - Recipient - Military Times Hall Of Valor". valor.militarytimes.com.
  16. ^ "Descendants of Madame Chouteau". Genealogy in St. Louis. St. Louis, MO: Dave Lossos. December 30, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Gen. W. H. Johnston Dies In Nice At 71". St. Louis Star and Times. St. Louis, MO. February 20, 1933. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Gen. Johnston Buried". The Sunday Star. Washington, DC. March 26, 1933. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[]

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