Joseph E. Johnston telegram to Howell Cobb


Descriptive Summary
Title: Joseph E. Johnston telegram to Howell Cobb
Creator: Johnston, Joseph E. (Joseph Eggleston), 1807-1891
Inclusive Dates: 1865 March 27
Language(s): English
Extent: 1 folder(s) 1 telegram
Collection Number: ms1034
Repository: Hargrett Library

Collection Description

Historical Note

Joseph E. Johnston was born Feb. 3, 1807 near Farmville, Va. He was a Confederate general who never suffered a direct defeat during the American Civil War (1861-1865). His military effectiveness, though, was hindered by a long-standing feud with Jefferson Davis. When the Peninsular Campaign began in April 1862, Johnston withdrew to defend the capital at Richmond. Although objecting to the strategy prescribed by Davis, he fought well against the Union forces. Severely wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks (Seven Pines) in May, he was replaced by General Robert E. Lee. He died on March 21, 1891 in Washington, D.C. Britannica Online Encyclopedia http://search.eb.com (Retrieved November 18, 2008)

Howell Cobb was born September 7, 1815 in Jefferson County, Georgia. He was a Georgia politician who championed Southern unionism during the 1850s but then advocated immediate secession following the election of Abraham Lincoln. Cobb served in Congress from 1842 to 1851 and again from 1855 to 1857; he supported the annexation of Texas, the war with Mexico, and the extension of slavery into the territories. But he broke with the most extreme proslavery Southerners when he advocated extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific, opposed the creation of a sectional political party, and supported the Compromise of 1850. He died in New York City on October 9, 1868. Britannica Online Encyclopedia(Retrieved November 18, 2008)

For more information, see the article Howell Cobb (1815-1868) in the New Georgia Encyclopedia and his congressional biography.

Scope and Content

A telegram sent to General Howell Cobb from General Joseph E. Johnston at Smithfield, Virginia, which instructs Cobb to "select the roads to furnish the iron for repairs of main routes through Georgia." A copy accompanies the original.