William Preston Johnston: A Transitional Figure of the Con -
federacy. By Arthur Marvin Shaw, Baton Rouge (Louisi-
ana State University Press), 1943. Pp. xv+299. Illustra-
tions. $3.00.

A large proportion of the Confederate officials rightfully
played a prominent part in helping the South resume its place
in the nation. The field of education probably offered the great-
est opportunity for service during the transitional period. The
exact number of ex-Confederates who became college or uni-
versity presidents is not known by this reviewer, but the number
was considerable; General Robert E. Lee set the example. It
was not long after Lee became president of Washington College
that he invited Colonel William Preston Johnston, son of the
late General Albert Sidney Johnston, to join his faculty.

Colonel Johnston found his duties as professor of history and
literature too exacting for him to write a biography of his
father and took a leave of absence from the college in 1872.
Two years later he resigned his professorship. The biography
was published in 1878 and won for the author recognition as
both scholar and writer. It was his best literary production
and probably was an important factor in the election of Colonel
Johnston as president of Louisiana State University in Octo-
ber, 1880.

President Johnston was beset with many trying and difficult
problems at Louisiana State University. He was relieved of the
unhappy burden when his friends chose him to head the new
Tulane University in January, 1883, at double his former salary.
He was president at Tulane until his death in 1899.

Colonel Johnston was a fluent speaker, and his services were
in demand throughout the South at varied public functions, and
especially at college commencements. On these occasions he
endeavored to further the cause of education. He set an example
of creative scholarship; his published works during these busy
years were impressive in volume and high in scholarship.

Professor Shaw has written a full-length biography of Colonel
Johnston which is a worthwhile contribution; his style is clear
and direct and his research thorough. He has done so well that
there will be no necessity for soon re-doing it. The footnotes
are adequate and the eleven-page bibliography is extensive and
sufficient. The ten-page index enhances the usefulness of the
book. The volume is typical of the high standard of work of
the Louisiana State University Press. The proof reading was
excellent and the reviewer detected only one error.

Louisiana Polytechnic Institute

G. W. McGinty

How to cite:
"William Preston Johnston", Volume 47, Number 3, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v047/n3/review_DIVL6049.html
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