gordonjohnston

Capt. Gordon Johnston (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

• Seuss. said:

  A North Carolina boy! While Gordon Johnston (1874-1934) was a Captain in the Regular Army, he held Colonel's rank when he was assigned to lead the 12th NY Infantry on the Mexican border (reverting to Captain when he left the 12th.) He eventually made colonel in the regular army - having achieved fame as "the rescuer of the Lost Battalion" in WWI (He had a good publicist) Like a true southerner, prickly about his pride, Johnston's fame during his stay with the 12th largely revolved around his resigning his commission when he felt that the 12th had been insulted when on parade in Texas. He'd have made a great Confederate Officer. To his credit, he had already won the Medal of Honor 10 years earlier. Interestingly, while this photograph of Johnston during his New York National Guard service is often used (though he is wearing Regular Army insignia,) his time with the 12th in Texas is largely ignored in most biographical sketches. Fuller bio: books.google.com/books?id=gejhoRgwLXwC&pg=PA302&d...