Albert Sidney Johnston

Albert Sidney Johnston (1803-1862) was the commander of the Confederate western armies in the early months of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Over the course of his 34-year military career, Johnston served in the armies of three republics – the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederate States – and, in 1861, was granted the rank of full general by his friend, Confederate President Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), who considered him the greatest soldier in the country. Johnston was killed at the Battle of Shiloh (6-7 April 1862), earning him the distinction of being the highest-ranking soldier to be killed on either side during the war.