[Much of my site will be useless to you if you've got the images turned off!]
mail:
Bill Thayer

[Link to a series of help pages]
Help
[Link to the next level up]
Up
[Link to my homepage]
Home

This site is not affiliated with the US Military Academy.

[decorative delimiter]
USMA
Home

 [decorative delimiter] Class of 1879

Vol. III
p315
2782

(Born Pa.)

John A. Johnston

(Ap'd Pa.)

23

Probably born Pittsburgh, PA.​a

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1875, to June 13, 1879, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Second Lieut., 8th Cavalry, June 13, 1879.

Served: on frontier duty at Ft. Clark, Tex., and Scouting, Sep. 30, 1879 to Mar. 31, 1880, — San Felipe, Tex. (on Scout and Escort duty, to Mar., 1881, at Camp Del Rio, Tex.), to Apr. 3, 1881, — Ft. Clark, Tex., and Scouting, to July 7, 1881, — with Captain Indicates a West Point graduate, Class of 1865: a link to his biographical entry in Cullum's Register.Livermore's Expedition in Texas, to Dec., 1882, — Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. (leave of absence, July 1 to Sep. 1, 1883, June 17 to July 17, and Nov. 26 to Dec. 26, 1884), to July 1, 1885, — Ft. Brown, Tex., to Nov. 19, 1885, — and Ft. Ringgold,

(First Lieut., 8th Cavalry, Jan. 20, 1886)

Tex. (on sick leave, to Jan. 8, 1887, and leave of absence, to Jan. 28, 1887), to Apr. 4, 1887; on detached service as Range Officer at San  p316 Antonio, Tex., to June 5, 1887; on leave of absence, to Aug. 27, 1877; and at the Military Academy as Assistant Professor of History, Geography, Ethics, and Law, Aug. 28, 1887, to Aug. 28, 1888, — and as Assistant Instructor of Infantry Tactics, Aug. 28, 1888, to –––––.

Vol. IV
p311
[Supplement, Vol. IV: 1890‑1900]

Military History. — Served: At U. S. M. A. to Aug. 29, 1891. — With regiment at Fort Meade, S. D., Sept. 20, 1891 (Regimental Quartermaster, Oct. 1 to Dec. 6, 1891) to Jan. 24, 1893; on duty in Washington, D. C., in connection with the ceremony of inaugurating President Cleveland, Feb. 10 to March 16, 1893; on duty at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., March 24, 1893 to Sept. 28, 1894; on recruiting service at Detroit, Mich.,

(Captain of Cavalry, 8th Cavalry, Jan. 3, 1895)

to March 12, 1895; garrison duty at Fort Meade, S. D., to Dec. 2, 1896; on leave to Jan. 29, 1897; at Washington, D. C., on duty in connection with the ceremony of inaugurating President McKinley, to March 12, 1897, and on duty in New York City in connection with the dedication of General Grant's tomb, to May 5, 1897. — On leave to Sept. 3, 1897. With regiment at Fort Meade, S. D., to April 18, 1898;

(Lieut.‑Colonel and Asst. Adjutant-General, U. S. Volunteers, May 9, 1898 — Declined)

(Major, Staff — Asst. Adjutant-General, May 19, 1898)

at Washington, D. C., on duty in office of the Adjutant-General, in charge of the organization and the muster in and out of the volunteer forces raised during the war with Spain, and of the volunteers raised for the Philippines, April 21, 1898 to ––––

Vol. V
p289
[Supplement, Vol. V: 1900‑1910]

Military History. — In charge of reorganizing of the General Recruiting Service for a regular army of 100,000 men, and in charge of the following divisions of the Adjutant-General's Office respectively, viz.: The Rolls, Enlisted, Recruiting and Miscellaneous.

(Lieut.‑Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General, Feb. 21, 1901)

— Organized President McKinley's Inaugural Parade, March 4, 1901; accompanied the Adjutant-General of the Army to and inspected commands in the Philippine Islands, returning with him via China and Japan, in 1901; accompanied, as the guests of the Emperor of Germany, Generals Corbin, Young and Wood, to and prepared the report of the War Maneuvers of 1902.

(Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Jan. 7, 1903)

(Resigned, Jan. 15, 1903)

Civil History. — Trustee Estate J. J. Vandergrift, deceased;​b organized the parade in dedication of Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis, Mo., April 30, 1903; organized, as Chief of Staff, President Roosevelt's Inaugural Parade, March 4, 1905, and that of President Taft, March 4, 1909; Chairman International Advisory Council, Y. M. C. A., for the West Indies; appointed Commissioner of the District of Columbia for three years, by President Taft, Jan. 18, 1910.

Vol. VI
p269
[Supplement, Vol. VI: 1910‑1920]

(John Alexander Johnston, Born Feb. 22, 1858.)

Military History. —

Lieut.‑Colonel, Assistant Adjutant-General, Feb. 21, 1901.

Brigadier-General, U. S. A., Jan. 7, 1903.

Resigned, Jan. 15, 1903.

Commissioned

Brigadier-General, National Army, Aug. 5, 1917.

At Boston, Mass., commanding Northeast Department, Sept. 1, 1917, to May 23, 1918 (during this time built first American tank, "America"; inaugurated Employees Plant Protection Systems in industries and on all Railroads in New England); at Camp Cody, Deming, N. M., commanding 68th Brigade, 34th Division, June 1 to July 4, 1918; commanding 34th Division, July 4 to Nov. 18, 1918, when, having become a part of A. E. F. in France, it was skeletonized to provide replacements; at Advance Center of Information, Nov. 20 to Dec. 2, 1918; at Camp Dix, N. J., commanding 153rd Depot Brigade, January to Feb. 5, 1919.

Honorably Mustered Out, Feb. 5, 1919.

 p270  Civil History. — Commissioner of District of Columbia, 1910, to June 30, 1913, when he resigned; trustee of estate of J. Jay Vandergrift of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Director and Chairman of Audit Committee, Washington Loan and Trust Co., D. C.; Director Columbian National Life Insurance Company of Boston; Director American Investment Securities Co., Maine.

Address: 2111 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, D. C.

Vol. VII
p159
[Supplement, Vol. VII: 1920‑1930]

Military History: —

Brigadier-General, U. S. A., Jan. 7, 1903.

Resigned, Jan. 15, 1903.

Awarded

Distinguished Service Medal.

"For exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous services as department commander, Northeastern Department, between Sept. 1, 1917, and May 23, 1918. He handled many difficult problems arising in that department with rare judgment, tact, and great skill. Later, as commanding general of the 34th Division, which he took overseas, his marked efficiency, unusual initiative, and military attainments of a high order were important factors in the excellent standard of training attained by the division."

Civil History: — Commissioner of District of Columbia, 1910, to June 30, 1913, when he resigned; trustee of estate of J. Jay Vandergrift of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Director and Chairman of Audit Committee, Washington Loan and Trust Co., D. C.; Director Columbian National Life Insurance Company of Boston; Director American Investment Securities Co., Maine; Federal Commission, vice General Nelson A. Miles, deceased, of The Perry's Victory Memorial Commission; First Vice Chairman and Director of Roll Call and Public Information of District of Columbia Chapter, American Red Cross.

Address: The Jefferson Apartments, 700‑1204 16th St., N. W., Washington, D. C.

Vol. VIII
p57
[Supplement, Vol. VIII: 1930‑1940]

Military History: —

Brig.‑Gen., Ret., Jan. 7, 1903.

Resigned, Jan. 15, 1903.

Died, Jan. 5, 1940, at Washington, D. C.: Aged 81.

Portrait and obituary at West Point Association of Graduates.º

Buried, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.


Thayer's Notes:

a I find no reliable source for Gen. Johnston's birthplace, but multiple sources online, of apparently different published origins, give it as "Allegheny, Pa." There is no town by that name, but Pittsburgh is the county seat of Allegheny County.

[decorative delimiter]

b John Jay Vandergrift, the pioneering oil baron, was Gen. Johnston's father-in‑law.


[Valid HTML 4.01.]

Page updated: 17 Jul 24

Accessibility