Robert Daniel Johnston the Petersburg trenches to rejoin Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. During his time at Petersburg, Johnston briefly commanded the division and served on detached duty attempting to catch deserters. Following the war Johnston resumed his law practice in North Carolina and eventually became a banker in Alabama. Johnston married Elizabeth Johnston "Johnsie" Evans, who founded the Alabama Boys' Industrial School. They had nine children. He was the father of Medal of Honor recipient Gordon Johnston. Robert Daniel Johnston Robert Daniel Johnston (March 19, 1837 – February 1, 1919) was a brigadier general for the Confederate States of
Joseph E. Johnston Tennessee. Davis immediately appointed Lee to the position, but refused to restore Johnston. In a lengthy unpublished memo, Davis wrote, "My opinion of General Johnston's unfitness for command has ripened slowly and against my inclinations into a conviction so settled that it would be impossible for me again to feel confidence in him as the commander of an army in the field." Vice President Alexander H. Stephens and 17 senators petitioned Lee to use his new authority to appoint Johnston, bypassing Davis, but the general in chief declined. Instead, he recommended the appointment to Davis. Despite his serious misgivings, Davis