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How Stovepipe Johnson earned his name
Many have heard the tales of how Civil War General Thomas Jackson stood “like a stone wall” at the First Battle of Bull Run, earning him the most recognized nickname of the Civil War. You may also know of the amiable General William Tecumseh Sherman and how his troops knew him affectionately as “Uncle Billy.” Do you know, though, how Henderson native General Adam Rankin Johnson came to be known as “Stovepipe” Johnson? No? The story may surprise you.
It was July of 1862. All territory north of the Ohio River was entirely in Union control, and Henderson, Kentucky was peacefully in Federal hands, the Union banner flying high. That situation, however, would quickly change. On the 15th of that month, Federal troops stationed at Henderson were transferred to Louisville, providing Confederate forces with the opportunity to move in. Commanded by Adam Johnson (not yet commissioned to his later rank of brigadier-general), cavalry marched into the city, flag in hand, claiming it for the South.
The troops, though, were in desperate need of weapons and supplies, and the nearest storehouse was the heavily-guarded Union arsenal across the Ohio River in Newburgh, Indiana. With only 27 men and three firearms, a conquest of the structure seemed an impossibility. . . that is, until Johnson and his men came up with a daring scheme to use what was available. This, too, seemed problematic, as what was available consisted of a crumbling set of wagon wheels, two stove pipes and a charred log. In a bold, ingenious maneuver, Johnson and his men set the stove pipes on one pair of wheels and the log in the other to construct what would appear from across the river to be two cannons. The commander then, marched his men back and forth between the cannons and the woods to visually increase the size of his company. By the time Johnson had crossed the river and marched through Newburgh, its citizens were ready to give up their arsenal for fear of the oncoming artillery bombardment.
The contrivance would earn Stovepipe Johnson his nickname and produce one of history’s biggest hoaxes, leaving the South in possession of their first city north of the Ohio River.
To learn more about Stovepipe Johnson’s infamous raid or Henderson’s rich history in general, come in and visit Henderson County Public Library’s archives. See what’s available here: http://www.hcpl.org/genealogy/kyfiles.html.
To view previous "Revisiting Henderson's Past," click here: http://www.hcpl.org/genealogy/genblog.html.
How Stovepipe Johnson earned his name
Many have heard the tales of how Civil War General Thomas Jackson stood “like a stone wall” at the First Battle of Bull Run, earning him the most recognized nickname of the Civil War. You may also know of the amiable General William Tecumseh Sherman and how his troops knew him affectionately as “Uncle Billy.” Do you know, though, how Henderson native General Adam Rankin Johnson came to be known as “Stovepipe” Johnson? No? The story may surprise you.
It was July of 1862. All territory north of the Ohio River was entirely in Union control, and Henderson, Kentucky was peacefully in Federal hands, the Union banner flying high. That situation, however, would quickly change. On the 15th of that month, Federal troops stationed at Henderson were transferred to Louisville, providing Confederate forces with the opportunity to move in. Commanded by Adam Johnson (not yet commissioned to his later rank of brigadier-general), cavalry marched into the city, flag in hand, claiming it for the South.
The troops, though, were in desperate need of weapons and supplies, and the nearest storehouse was the heavily-guarded Union arsenal across the Ohio River in Newburgh, Indiana. With only 27 men and three firearms, a conquest of the structure seemed an impossibility. . . that is, until Johnson and his men came up with a daring scheme to use what was available. This, too, seemed problematic, as what was available consisted of a crumbling set of wagon wheels, two stove pipes and a charred log. In a bold, ingenious maneuver, Johnson and his men set the stove pipes on one pair of wheels and the log in the other to construct what would appear from across the river to be two cannons. The commander then, marched his men back and forth between the cannons and the woods to visually increase the size of his company. By the time Johnson had crossed the river and marched through Newburgh, its citizens were ready to give up their arsenal for fear of the oncoming artillery bombardment.
The contrivance would earn Stovepipe Johnson his nickname and produce one of history’s biggest hoaxes, leaving the South in possession of their first city north of the Ohio River.
To learn more about Stovepipe Johnson’s infamous raid or Henderson’s rich history in general, come in and visit Henderson County Public Library’s archives. See what’s available here: http://www.hcpl.org/genealogy/kyfiles.html.
To view previous "Revisiting Henderson's Past," click here: http://www.hcpl.org/genealogy/genblog.html.
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