Bushrod Johnson

Bushrod Rust Johnson (1817–1880) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Born in Ohio into a Quaker family with abolitionist sympathies, he graduated from West Point in 1840. Johnson served in the Seminole Wars and the Mexican-American War before resigning from the U.S. Army in 1861 due to accusations of selling contraband. He then joined the Confederate States Army.

Johnson played a significant role in approving the locations for Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, which were crucial but problematic defenses. During the Civil War, he evaded capture at Fort Donelson, was wounded at Shiloh, and later fought under General Robert E. Lee during the Siege of Petersburg. Johnson participated in key battles such as Lewis's Farm, White Oak Road, and Sailor's Creek before surrendering at Appomattox.

Post-war, Johnson returned to academia, becoming a professor and co-chancellor at the University of Nashville. Due to failing health, he retired in 1875 to a farm near Brighton, Illinois, where he died in 1880. His remains were later reinterred next to his wife Mary's grave in Nashville, Tennessee.