KIA Capt. Robert M Johnston 3rd Pennsylvania Infantry Pay Of Black Servants

A rare Civil War document exists detailing the pay of David Williams, an African American servant who stood 5 feet 8 inches and served with Robert M. Johnston in 1861. The document is in excellent overall condition and provides a glimpse into the use of African American servants during the war. Interestingly, the document lists Johnston as a Captain, a rank that appears to have been either short-lived or a clerical error, as it was never signed by him. Robert M. Johnston was born on October 17, 1842, in Blair County, Pennsylvania. At the age of 19, he enlisted as a private on April 20, 1861, and was mustered into Company C of the 3rd Pennsylvania Infantry. He was mustered out on July 29, 1861, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On August 16, 1862, Johnston was commissioned into the Field & Staff of the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and served as Acting Major during the Battle of Antietam, where he was wounded on September 17, 1862, by an artillery shell explosion and died of his wounds two days later on September 19, 1862. He is buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, and GAR Post 474 was named in his honor.