He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in November/December 1839, to David Johnson and Elizabeth Purls [?] (who were married on 13 February 1831, in Philadelphia). [sources: date: 8 (23 in 1861), 10 (24 yrs 6 mos at death), 12 (11 in 1850), 13 (21 in 1860). place: 8, 12, 13. parents: 10, 22]
In 1850, he was living in ward 3, Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was living with his parents David and Elizabeth Johnson, and with Margaret, Mary, David, Susan, Thomas, Edward, and Joseph (presumably his siblings). He had attended school within the year. [source: 12]
He began working in July 1854. He worked in William T McNealy's morocco manufactory, at Charlotte Street and Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He initially earned $1.25 per week, but received raises to $1.50 and then to $4.00. He began receiving journeyman's wages 'after he was free', of $12.00 to $15.00 per week. (Perhaps 'after he was free' indicates that he was initially indentured.) [source: 22]
In 1860, he was living at 1439 Lawrence Street, ward 17, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was living with his parents David and Elizabeth Johnson, and with David, Susanna, Thomas, Edward, and Joseph (presumably his siblings). He was a morocco shaver. [sources: 13, 14]
When he enlisted, he was a mor[occo] fini[sher]. Two of his brothers also served in the army: Thomas Johnson served in the 72nd Pennsylvania, and died at home of disease he contracted in the service, and David Johnson served in company K of the 72nd Pennsylvania infantry, and was killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. [sources: 8, 22]
When he enlisted, he was 5 feet 6 inches tall, and had a dark complexion, hazel eyes, and dark hair. [source: 8]
He also served for three months under Colonel F Patterson, apparently in the 17th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, of which Francis E Patterson was Colonel. A William H Johnson served in company B, which was recruited at Philadelphia, and mustered in on 25 April 1861 The 17th PA mustered out on 2 August 1861. [sources: 10, 16, 17]
He enlisted and was mustered into service on 1 October 1861. He was enlisted for three years, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Captain Casner. He was mustered in as a private in company K, by Captain Dye. [sources: 1, 8, 22 (1st Sergeant), 25 (1st sgt)]
He was appointed sergeant on 8 October 1861. [source: 6]
On 11 February 1862, he wrote to his parents from Camp Stanton (near Washington DC). They had initially slept on straw, but he and a squad of men chopping wood for a stove took boards from an unoccupied house to floor their tent. The mud was over their shoe tops because of daily rain or snow. They had been paid Saturday (8 February 1862); he received two months' pay ($34). He bought boots for five dollars and a watch for seven, and sent ten dollars home by the company's First Sergeant (but the First Sergeant forgot to take a letter he had written). He also noted that they were going to start provost duty in Washington DC the next week, and claimed that 'each man is to be furnished with two pairs of white gloves[,] and any man found drunk with his cloth[e]s dirty will be put in the guard house'. [source: 19]
On 4 June 1862, he wrote a letter to his parents from Alexandria, Virginia. Most of the company was guarding the telegraph and railroad near Manassas. When General Banks was attacked (perhaps at the First Battle of Winchester on 25 May 1862), they were 'under marching orders', with forty rounds in the cartridge boxes and ten to carry in their pockets. He was on duty at the slave pen that night. General Gregory had prepared railroad cars for reinforcements, and he (Johnson) had posted guards along the railroad for three miles, to prevent secessionists from damaging the railroad (e.g., by laying logs on the track to derail cars). But the reinforcements didn't come that night. His parents had asked what he needed, but he said that 'Alexandria seems something like Philadelphia to me', and he could purchase anything he needed. He sent his parents another ten dollars, and apologized for not being able to send more, because his expenses were apparently greater in town than if they were in camp. [source: 20]
On 21 February 1863, he sent his parents $20 by mail, which he thought would be as effective as Addams Express. [source: 21]
On 30 December 1863, Sinex reported that he was one of 38 men who had less than fifteen months to serve who were unwilling to reenlist. On 2 January 1864, he was transferred to the 155th Pennsylvania Infantry, while those eligible were on veterans' leave. [sources: 2, 3, 7]
On 4 January 1864, he sent a letter to his parents. They had sent him food, but although the glass jar had not broken, the cork was pushed in, and the contents had escaped. He claimed that there 'were four legged mice that were in the box and they liked cheese and they did not embibe [sic][;] the sheep tongues were molded togeather [sic], in a mass'. Nevertheless, he had a good Christmas dinner--no turkey or mince pie, but rations plus a few extras from the sutler. He also mentioned that he (and the other men who had not reenlisted) had been transferred to the 155th Pennsylvania. He was pleased, and looking forward to ending the war with the 155th, although Colonel Gregory said he would try to have them transferred back to the 91st. His only explanation was that 'we have good officers now and the men [are] all willing to do what is right as long as they are treated right'. Finally, he mentioned that he was sending money with William Cloud, and also mentioned that William Vance [presumably William Vance] might come to see them--'my most particular friend[;] he lent me money when I did not get payed [sic] and so long as he had money [I] was welcome to it'. [source: 24]
He was killed in action by being shot in the head, on 18 June 1864 at Petersburg, Virginia. He was shot as soon as they raised themselves to advance. He lived for about five minutes, but lost consciousness as soon as he was shot. He was a private, in company K. [sources: 1, 4, 5 (19 June), 10, 18, 22, 25]
When his friends returned after the battle, they could not find his body, and assumed he had been buried. [source: 18]
On 2 July 1864, William Cloud wrote a letter to Johnson's father, describing Johnson's death. [source: 22]
His brother Thomas J Johnson died, from a disease he had contracted while in the army. On 19 August 1868, he was buried, in Glenwood Cemetery. [source: 15]
On 27 February 1869, his mother, Elizabeth Johnson, applied successfully for a pension from Pennsylvania, under the Act of 14 July 1862. Her post office address was 1439 Laurence (or Apple) Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her husband had been disabled for at least ten years, from pneumonia, with consumption-like symptoms, and couldn't support his family. Her application was accepted on 4 May 1869, and she received $8 per month, retroactive to 18 June 1864. [sources: 9, 11, 22]
On 27 December 1876, Elizabeth Johnson died, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was widowed. She died of phthisis pulmonalis. She died at, or was buried from, 1115 Day Street, ward 18, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On 31 December 1876, she was buried, in Glennwood Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [sources: 22, 23]
On 14 March 1877, the Pension Office apparently approved a voucher for arrears of pension, apparently worth $6.40 (of a total bill of $75.75). [source: 22]
1 Bates, Samuel Penniman. History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5. Harrisburg: B. Singerly, state printer, 1869-71. 5 volumes. 'Ninety-first regiment', volume 3, pages 186-233. (In the roster)
2 letter, Sinex to Marvin, 30 December 1863
3 consolidated morning report, 91st PA, 2 January 1864 (Johnson)
4 consolidated morning report, 91st Pennsylvania, 29 June 1864 (Pri Johnson)
5 company K, register of deaths (William H Johnson)
6 company K, list of non-commissioned officers (Wm H Johnson)
7 company K, list of men transferred, #33 (William H Johnson)
8 company K, descriptive roll (William H Johnson)
9 pension index, by regiment, 91st PA Infantry, company K (William H Johnson)
10 death notice, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9 July 1864, page 5 (William H Johnson)
11 pension index, by name (William H Johnson)
12 1850 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Kensington, ward 3, microfilm series M432, film 806, page 126 verso = [238] handwritten (FamilySearch) (William Johnson)
13 1860 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 17, microfilm series M653, film 1167, page 904 = 118 handwritten (FamilySearch) (William Johnston [sic])
15 death notice, Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 August 1868, page 5 (Thomas J Johnson)
16 ARIAS card (Note that the ARIAS cards include no other F Patterson, Colonel) (Francis E Patterson)
17 Bates, Samuel Penniman. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers. 17th Pennsylvania Infantry. Volume 1, page 162. (William H Johnson)
18 letter, Corp William Cloud to Mr Johnson, 2 July 1864
19 letter, 11 Feb 1862, William Henry Johnson to his parents
20 letter, William Henry Johnson to his parents, 4 June 1862
21 letter, Wm H Johnson to his parents, 21 February 1863
22 dependent's pension certificate file, National Archives and Records Administration, record group 15, widow's certificate 128,911, Elizabeth Johnson mother of William H Johnson
23 [not transcribed] death certificate, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 27 December 1876, Elizabeth Johnson (available on FamilySearch)
24 letter, William H Johnson to parents, 4 January 1864
25 index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania (William G Johnson)
JOHNSON.--Killed, June 18th, 1864, while charging on the Rebel works before Petersburg, Va., WILLIAM H. JOHNSON, Company K, Ninety-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, son of David and Elizabeth Johnson, aged 24 years and 6 months.
One of the first to answer his country's call in the hour of need, he served three months under Colonel F. Patterson: upon their return he re-enlisted in the Ninety-first Pennsylvania Volunteers; after participating in all the hard fought struggles in the Valley of Virginia; [sic] he has at last offered up his life as a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. He was a dutiful son, an affectionate brother, and a sincere patriot. Though his body lies in an unknown grave, unmarked by storied urn, yet his memory will ever remain green in the hearts of those left behind, for
There is a fame that never dies,
A wreath that withers never,
And from its buds fresh garlands rise
To bloom and live forever.
Should his body be recovered due notice of the funeral will be given.
| line | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Dwellings visited | 96 | |||||||||
| Families visited | 116 | |||||||||
| Name | David Johnson | Elizabeth | Margaret | Mary | David | William | Susan | Thomas | Edward | Joseph |
| Age | 45 | 39 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Sex | M | F | F | F | M | M | F | M | M | M |
| Color | ||||||||||
| Occupation of males over 15 years | Leather dresser | |||||||||
| Real estate owned | ||||||||||
| Birthplace | Do [sc. Pena] | Do | Do | Do | Do | Do | Do | Ilinois [sic] | Mosoura [sic; sc. Missouri?] | Do |
| Married within year | ||||||||||
| Attended school within year | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Over 20 & can't read/write | ||||||||||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. |
| line | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Dwelling number | 766 | |||||||
| Family number | 876 | |||||||
| Name | David Johnston [sic] | Elisabeth " | David " | William | Susanna | Thomas | Edward | Joseph |
| Age | 53 | 48 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
| Sex | " [sc. m] | f | m | " | f | m | " | m |
| Color | ||||||||
| Occupation | morrcco [sic] dresser | " shaver | " | Morrocco dr | Bookbinder | |||
| Value of real estate owned | ||||||||
| Value of personal estate | 300 | |||||||
| Place of birth | " [sc. Pa] | " | " | " | " | Mo | Ill | Pa |
| Married within year | ||||||||
| Attended school within year | 1 | |||||||
| Cannot read & write | ||||||||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. |
I recieved [sic] your letter of June the 28th this morning, and am very sorry that it becomes my duty to give you an account of the death of your Son Wm H. Johnson of our Company. It was on the morning of June the 18th about 11 o'clock that we were ordered to charge the Rebel lines around the City of Petersburg. we succeeded in getting posession [sic] of the Norfolk + Petersburg Rail Road on the bank of which we came to a halt about three hundred yards from the Rebel line of fortifications. this was a very poor position. As we were exposed to [page 2 of the letter] a very destructive flank fire from the enemy. After we had been in this position about an hour. we were once more ordered to move forward. and fast as we raised ourselves your son William who was right beside me. was struck with a Minnie [sic] Rifle Bullet in the right Temple. he lived about five minutes but he was insensible from the time that he was struck. All that could be done for him was done by my self and other members of the Company. We could not bury him then as it would have been death to any one who would stand up to dig. Thinking perhaps he might have something of value about him. we examined his person. but could find nothing but what you will find enclosed in this letter. About a half [page 3 of the letter] an hour after William's death we were moved away from that place and when some of us went back there that evening his body had been removed and doubtless buried. we could not find the place however. before we left him in the morning we took his tent from around his body and wrote his name. Company + Regiment upon it. Since that time we have not been near the place. and of course have had no chance to look for his grave. but should we ever pass anywhere near the place you can rest assured that we will do all in our power to find and mark his last resting place. As to getting his body home. I do not know anything about that but I don't think they would allow any bodies to be removed before fall. [page 4 of the letter] Hoping that my endeavor to relieve your minds has not been wholly without success I will close.
Your letter of the first came to hand and i [sic] was glad to hear that you were all well i am well at present and hope you are all the same when we first encamped here, we had to sleep on straw i took a squad of men out of camp one day to chop some wood to burn in our stove and when we came a cross [sic] a house that nobody lived in we knocked boards enough of the house to floor our tent with we have got a bout [sic] as comfortable a tent as is on the [page 2] Camp grounds we have had very bad weather here it rains or snows near every day, and the mud is over shoe top we got paid on last saturday a week we got paid up to the first of January i got two mongths [sic] pay thirty four dollars i bought a pair of Boots for five dollars and a watch for seven we are going in [sic] washington city next week to do provost duty we are to be something like the new york seventh there each man is to be furnished with two pair of white gloves and any man found drunk with his cloths [sic] dirty will be put in the guard house i sent ten dollars home for you by our first sergeant in your next letter write and let me know if you received it i had a letter wrote [sic] for him to take along with him but he forgot it [page 3]
No more at present from your son
William Henry JohnsonYour letter came to hand i [sic] am still at the same quarters there is near all of of [sic] our company down on the road to Manassas a guarding [sic] the Telegraph wire and Rail Road and were [sic] under marching Orders at the time General Banks was attacked we had forty rounds of cartridges served out to us to put in our cartridge Boxes and ten rounds to carry in our pockets i was on guard that night at the slave pen i suppose you have heard of the slave pen the slave pen is a place the dealers in slaves had to to [sic] buy and sell niggers [sic] up over the door is painted in large letters Price Birch and Co Dealers in Slaves [page 2 of the letter] it is a large brick place and there is [sic] cells in it with iron Bars in the doors and there is a celler [sic] with cells in it to hide niggers [sic] that they stole since our soldiers have been in Alexandria they have made a guard house out of it there is a bout [sic] twenty or thirty put in every night - white and black soldiers and citizens and sometimes some noisy women there was an enginer [sic] came up the rail road near the slave pen and he had been down as far as where Col Geary was and brought up something from Col Geary and i put a guard over it for him he said the secessionists gave him chase and he just got started in time Col Greagory [sic] got wind of the rebels advancing on Gen Banks and they got the cars all ready to send down reinforcements [page 3 of the letter] to Gen Banks i posted pickets down the rail Road a bout [sic] three miles to keep the track clear for there is [sic] a great many secessionists around Alexandria that would run the cars off if they could get the chance to do so some of them cut the Telegraph wire the same day and they would just as heap lay a log a wood [sic] on the track as cut the wire but the reinforcements did not come in till next day and they went down the next night the paymaster has been a round [sic] and paid the boys off you wrote in your last if i wanted anything you would send it down to me Alexandria seems something like Philadelphia to me and we can buy any thing we want here and when i run short of mone[y] i can always borrow some from [page 4 of the letter] our captain enclosed you will find Ten Dollars i would like to send you more but situated as we are in town i can not send as much home as i could if we were a laying [sic] out in Camp i am sorrow [sic] to hear that mother is sick it seams [sic] to me you are taking turns at getting sick as soon as one gets well another gets sick Mother should not worry herself so much a bout [sic] Dave [?] I am well at present
No More from Your SonYou will find twenty dollars in this letter i thought it would be as well to send it by mail as by addams express write soon and let me know if you received it
Your sonYour letter of the twenty nineth [sic] came duly to hand i received the paper and envelopes and the glass Jar [?] was not broken the cork was stove in and the contents were out they were [sic] four legged mice that were in the box and they liked cheese and they did not embibe [sic] the sheep tongues were molded togeather [sic], in a mass i had a pretty good dinner on Christ day but no turkey or mince pie we get plenty of rations now and with a few extras from the sutler i make as good a meal as i wish to have my time will be out [page 2 of the letter] on the first day of October the regement [sic] left here for home to day i am transfered [sic] with the rest that would not re enlist into the one hundred and fifty fifth regement [sic] we have good officers now and the men our [sic] all willing to do what is right as long as they are treated right we got three dollars a peice [sic] of compay [sic] fund a small sum to what we ought to have had the Colonel said he was a going [sic] to try and get us back when the regement [sic] come [sic] back we dont [sic] want to have anything more to do with him and we are a going [sic] to serve our time out in the one Hundred and fifty fifth regement [sic] nine mongths [sic] will soon slip around and then i can come home and take a [page 3 of the letter] furlough for as long a time as i want i give my respects to my friends i am well and enjoying good health hopeing [sic] to find you all the same William Cloud will come to the house with the money i sent on him and a young man name [sic] William Vance my most particular friend he lent me money when i did not get payed [sic] and so long as he had money i was welcome to it a friend, in nead [sic] is a friend indeed
Your SonWilliam Cloud will bring one Hundred dollars home for me you can use it for whatever you see fit
JOHNSON.--From disease contracted in the army, THOMAS J. JOHNSON, son of David and Elizabeth Johnson, in the 25th year of his age.
The relatives and friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral, from the residence of his father, No. 1439 Lawrence street, this (Wednesday) morning, at 10 o'clock. To proceed to Glenwood Cemetery.