JOHNSTON, Albert Sidney (1803-1862), American soldier, was born in Kentucky in 1803. After graduating at West Point in 1826 he served for eight years in the United States army, emigrated to Texas in 1834, and entered the Texan service as private iu 1836. His promotion was so rapid that in 1838 he was appointed commander-in-chief, and till 1840 acted as secretary for war. From 1840 till 1846 he lived in retirement on his farm in Texas; but in the latter year he accepted the colonelcy of a regiment of Texan volunteers to serve against Mexico. As a staff-officer he was present at the battle of Monterey in September 1846. Texas joined the Union in 1846; and in 1849 Johnston received a major’s commission in the United States army. After various services he won the rank of brevet brigadier-general by his skilful conduct of the expedition sent to Utah in 1857 to bring the Mormons to order. In January 1861 he was transferred from the command of the Texas department to that of the Pacific department; but in April he was superseded, probably on account of his secessionist sympathies. He resigned his national commission in May 1861, and accepted a command in the Confederate army. While acting as commander-in-chief at the battle of Shiloh, he was killed, April 6,1862....
JOHNSTON, Alexander Keith (1804-1871), geographer, was born at Kirkhill near Edinburgh, in December 1804. After an education at the High School of Edinburgh he was apprenticed to an engraver; and about 1830 he joined his brother in a prosperous printing and engraving business. His passion for geography had early developed itself, but his first important work was the National Atlas of general geography, which gained for him in 1843 the appointment of geographer-royal for Scotland. Johnston was the first to bring the study of physical geography into competent notice in England. His attention had been called to the subject by Humboldt; and after years of labour he published his magnificent Physical Atlas in 1848, followed by a second and enlarged edition in 1856. This, by means of maps with descriptive letterpress, illustrates the geology, hydrography, meteorology, botany, zoology, and ethnology of the globe, and undoubtedly marks an epoch in the history of English geographical science. The rest of Johnston’s life was equally given to geography, his later years to its educational aspects especially. His services were recognized by election to fellowships of the leading scientific societies of Europe, India, and America. For his chart of the geographical distribution of health and disease he received the diploma of the London Epidemiological Society; in 1865 he received the degree of LL.D, from Edinburgh University; and in 1871 the Royal Geographical Society awarded him its Victoria medal. He died July 9, 1871. His son of the same name (1844-1879) was also the author of various geographical works and papers.
Johnston published a Dictionary of Geography in 1850, with many later editions; The Royal Atlas of Modem Geography, begun in 1855; an atlas of military geography to accompany Alison’s History of Europe’, and a variety of other atlases and maps for educational or scientific purposes.
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