Frank W. Johnson
Francis White Johnson | |
---|---|
Aguascalientes, Mexico | |
Buried | |
Allegiance | Republic of Texas |
Service/ | Texian Army |
Other work | Constable Delegate Surveyor Author |
Francis White "Frank" Johnson (October 3, 1799 – April 8, 1884) was a leader of the
During the early part of the Texas Revolution, Johnson served as the adjutant and inspector general of the Texian Army. During the final assault of the
Johnson and his men were surprised at the Battle of San Patricio on February 27, 1836. Most of his men were killed, but Johnson escaped. During the next three decades, Johnson alternately lived in Texas or traveled the United States. He settled permanently near Austin, Texas, in 1871 and spent the rest of his life researching Texas history. In 1914, thirty years after Johnson's death, historian Eugene C. Barker edited Johnson's manuscripts into a book, A History of Texas and Texans.
Early years
Francis White Johnson was born October 3, 1799, near Leesburg, Virginia. In 1812, he moved with his parents Henson and Jane Johnson to Tennessee. Although Johnson was trained as a surveyor, he turned down a job that would have sent him to what is now Alabama. Instead, he lived in various places in Illinois and Missouri, supporting himself by teaching, serving as constable, or working in a lead mine. He also briefly ran a grocery store and then a lumber mill.[1]
Establishment in Texas
Johnson contracted
By 1832, Johnson had become the surveyor-general of Austin's colony, and briefly served as
Bradburn had dispatched a messenger to
Shortly after the conflict was resolved, Johnson was elected to the
Texas Revolution
As relations soured between Texas colonists and the Mexican government, Johnson began to advocate for war. In the summer of 1835, Mexican general
Siege of Bexar
When the
As the siege progressed, many of the Texians left the army to return to their homes. On December 4, Burleson called a meeting of the troops and suggested that they withdraw to
Milam formed the men into two divisions, which would simultaneously attack the empty houses on the outskirts of Bexar. Milam led one division, and Johnson, now a colonel, was appointed commander of the second. Johnson's division numbered 177 men divided into 7 companies. They were guided by Deaf Smith and John W. Smith.[16]
Early on the morning of December 5, Colonel James C. Neill created a distraction by ordering the artillery to fire on the walls of the Alamo Mission.[16] As the artillery boomed, the two attack columns sneaked towards Bexar. Johnson led his men along the San Antonio River, and they quickly charged the Veramendi house. Milam's men took the de la Garza house across the street. Mexican soldiers opened fire, forcing Johnson and his men to take cover behind buildings. Milam's men provided covering fire, allowing Johnson and his men to safely enter the Veramendi house.[17] For the rest of the day, Johnson and his men worked to fortify the Veramendi home, digging trenches and creating earthworks around the yard.[18]
For the next several days, fighting house to house, the Texians gradually closed in on the fortified Mexican positions in Bexar's main plazas. On the afternoon of December 7, Milam came to the Veramendi house to consult with Johnson. As they spoke, a Mexican sharpshooter killed Milam; the sharpshooter was quickly killed by Texian fire. Johnson oversaw Milam's burial in one of the newly dug trenches.[19]
With Milam's death, Johnson assumed command of the battle. He assigned Robert C. Morris to oversee Milam's column of men.
Army command
With Cos's departure, there was no longer an organized garrison of Mexican troops in Texas,[23] and many of the Texians believed that the war was over. Johnson described the battle as "the period put to our present war".[24] Burleson resigned his leadership of the army on December 15 and returned to his home. Many of the men did likewise, and Johnson assumed command of the soldiers who remained.[25] During this time, the provisional government had created a new regular branch of the Texian Army and placed Sam Houston in charge. Houston was given no authority over the volunteers, however, leaving Johnson as their commander.[26]
In the relative quiet after the Mexican garrison left,
"If there has ever been a dollar here I have no knowledge of it. The clothing sent here by the aid and patriotic exertions of the honorable Council, was taken from us by arbitrary measures of Johnson and Grant, taken from men who endured all the hardships of winter and who were not even sufficiently clad for summer, many of them having but one blanket and one shirt, and what was intended for them given away to men some of whom had not been in the army more than four days, and many not exceeding two weeks."[28]
The Texan provisional governor,
On January 10, Johnson issued a call to form a Federal Volunteer Army of Texas which would march on Matamoros.[30] On January 14, Houston arrived in Goliad to take command of the army that Johnson and Grant had gathered. On his arrival he discovered that Grant and Johnson were calling themselves commanders of the army. Houston accompanied the army as it marched to Refugio. Once there, he gave a speech and pointedly asked how this small group of men planned to take a city of 12,000 people. Later that day, Houston received official word that he had been fired and that the council had now placed James Fannin in charge of the army. Houston left in disgust and traveled to East Texas to negotiate a peace treaty with the Cherokee.[31] For the next several months it was unclear who was in charge of the Texian army—Fannin, Johnson, Grant, or Houston.[30]
After Houston's speech, many of the Texian volunteers began to rethink their commitment to the Matamoros Expedition. Many left the army. Others decided to follow the "new" leader of the Texian Army and joined Fannin at
Battle of San Patricio
Johnson and Grant settled in
When Johnson received word that Houston was retreating towards East Texas, Johnson became disgusted with the revolution and up and quit. He returned to his home for the remainder of the conflict.[33]
Later years
The war ended in April, after Texians defeated General
In 1853, Johnson moved to
Johnson died of cancer in
In 1912, historian Eugene C. Barker collected Johnson's manuscripts and edited them into a book, A History of Texas and Texans. The book was published in 1914 and republished in 1916.[1]
See also
Notes
- Mosely Baker, and Lorenzo de Zavala.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hendrix, Don, Francis White Johnson, Handbook of Texas, retrieved August 22, 2008
- ^ Henson (1982), pp. 96–7.
- ^ Henson (1982), p. 100.
- ^ a b Henson (1982), p. 101.
- ^ Henson (1982), p. 103.
- ^ a b Henson (1982), p. 104.
- ^ Henson (1982), p. 105.
- ^ Henson (1982), p. 106.
- ^ Henson (1982), p. 108.
- ^ Henson (1982), p. 109.
- ^ Henson, Margaret Swett (July 1986), "Tory Sentiment in Anglo-Texan Public Opinion, 1832–1836", Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 90, Texas State Historical Association: 18
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 31.
- ^ Barr (1990), pp. 36–7.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 43.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 44.
- ^ a b Barr (1990), p. 45.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 46.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 48.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 50.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 51.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 55.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 56.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 64.
- ^ Hardin (1994), p. 91.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 58.
- ^ Todish et al. (1998), p. 28.
- ^ Hardin (1994), p. 107.
- ^ Todish et al. (1998), p. 29.
- ^ Hardin (1994), p. 109.
- ^ a b Todish et al. (1998), p. 30.
- ^ Hardin (1994), p. 110.
- ^ Hardin (1994), p. 111.
- ^ Don Hendrix, "JOHNSON, FRANCIS WHITE," Handbook of Texas Online [1], accessed March 04, 2012.
Books
- Johnson, Frank (1914), A History of Texas and Texans, Chicago, IL: The American Historical Society,
- ISBN 0-292-77042-1
- ISBN 0-292-73086-1
- Henson, Margaret Swett (1982), Juan Davis Bradburn: A Reappraisal of the Mexican Commander of Anahuac, College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, ISBN 978-0-89096-135-3
- Todish, Timothy J.; Todish, Terry; Spring, Ted (1998), Alamo Sourcebook, 1836: A Comprehensive Guide to the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, Austin, TX: Eakin Press, ISBN 978-1-57168-152-2