James M. Johnson (politician)

Before his regiment was mustered into service, Johnson and his brother had returned to Huntsville in order to aide the army in identifying Confederate sympathizers. In November, while escorting Isaac Murphy's daughter back to Huntsville, Frank Johnson had come under attack by Confederate guerrilla troops. Johnson escaped but lost 18 of his men. He returned to Elkhorn Tavern to inform the army. Isaac Murphy's daughters found themselves being harassed by locals, and due to this troops of the Union army arrived as well as Johnson. He and his brother knew of a few in town that supported the Confederacy and gave their names to the Union forces. On January 10, 1863, 10 men who had been arrested for harassing Murphy's daughters, were taken a mile out of town and were executed by Company G of the 8th Regiment Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. Two men survived the executions and one of them, Bill Parks, shortly after the massacre claimed: "Men of the 8th Missouri Regiment. But Johnson, Ham and Murphy had it done." Parks succumbed to his wounds in January of the following year. Little is known about whether Johnson had been a part of the Huntsville Massacre but nonetheless he gave names of suspected sympathizers to the army.[5]

The unit was organized on March 25, 1863 and designated the 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Union). Johnson was mustered in as the regiment's colonel.

On October 30, 1863 a meeting of Unionists took place in Fort Smith for the purpose of establishing a new loyal state government. At this meeting Col. Johnson was elected to represent western Arkansas in the U.S. Congress. Two years later in October 1865 he was elected to represent Arkansas's third congressional district. Although he was a Unionist, the US Congress was suspicious of allowing delegates from Confederate states so they refused to seat him both times. However, in his attempts to be recognized by Congress he was called away from his regiment.

During his service in the Civil war he participated in the Battle of Cotton Plant, and was at the massacre of Fort Pillow as well as numerous other engagements.

On March 13, 1865 Johnson was awarded the title of brevet brigadier general. The Senate confirmed this position on April 10, 1867. Johnson commanded the first brigade, 3rd division of the VII Corps (Department of Arkansas) for the remainder of the war. He was mustered out of service with his regiment on August 10, 1865 at Fort Smith.[6][7]

Johnson was elected lieutenant governor in 1868, with Powell Clayton as governor of Arkansas. When the Republican Party of Arkansas split in 1871, Johnson sided with the Brindle Tails against Clayton, who was supported by the Minstrels. There was an attempt made to have Johnson assume the governorship in 1869. Clayton would be out of the state as he was headed to New York for business relating to Arkansas’s funds, so Johnson's supporters rushed to his home in Huntsville. The Arkansas Constitution states:

"In case of impeachment of the Governor, his removal from office, death, resignation, inability or removal from the state, the powers and duties of the Governor shall devolve upon the Lieutenant-Governor during the residue of the term, or until the disabilities of the Governor are removed"

Clayton was not committing an impeachable offense by simply being out of state but nonetheless the anti-Clayton forces seized at this opportunity to remove him. Two men were sent to retrieve Johnson under the pretext that Clayton had taken all the state funds with him. Getting to Johnson quickly proved difficult as northwest Arkansas is a very mountainous region. By the time they had reached Johnson it was a race to see who would reach Little Rock first, Clayton won. When he spoke out against Clayton, he was attacked with articles of impeachment in the state legislature. Though exonerated, his reputation never recovered. Chief Justice John McClure was impeached but not removed from office for issuing an injunction preventing Johnson from taking the office of Clayton.[8] These were part of the events that lead to the Brooks-Baxter War.[9][10]

Johnson with his 2nd wife Jennie

In 1871 Clayton was elected to the state senate but needed to find a way to stop Johnson from assuming the governorship. Clayton convinced the Arkansas Secretary of State, Robert White, to resign from his position and offered Johnson this newly opened post. Johnson accepted and served as secretary for the rest of White's term and was re-elected to the position in 1872. During his last year as secretary of state in 1874 the Brooks-Baxter War began. In its aftermath the Arkansas State House was severely damaged. He oversaw the cleaning and repair of the building for the remainder of his tenure.[11] He never entered politics again.