This is not the first time that Johnston has been reburied. In fact, it is the fourth time. He originally was buried on the prison island where he died. When the fort closed, Johnston was reburied on Governor’s Island and then later on Deer Island, which also closed. Johnston was then re-buried in Ayer, Massachusetts at the Fort Devens Army cemetery in 1939.

In the 1930s, when Johnston’s wife was still living, a grandchild found and visited the grave. The family wanted to rebury him, but the cost of moving the steel box that held the remains and the 1500-pound gravestone was too much.

Johnston was born in Dublin, Ireland, and came to the U.S. when he was three, but the exact date of his birth is not known. When he was about fourteen, Johnston went to sea and became an engineer. He returned to Ireland when he was about seventeen and stayed for a couple of years, then returned to the United States and married. He was about thirty-nine when he died. According to the 1860 census he had four children.

A military ceremony was held by Civil War reenactors at Fort Devens on 12 October. The ceremony included remarks by officials, a pardon and return of citizenship, eulogy, rifle salute and drummer and fifer. More than a dozen of Johnston’s great-great-grandchildren were among the guests. His remains will be driven to Florida in a cortege that includes a funeral home van and vehicles for the gravestone and honor guard. State police escorts will accompany the procession through each state during the three-day drive to Florida.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, United Daughters of the Confederacy, reenactors and area officials are going all out "to welcome this man home." A Confederate honor guard will be posted for 11 days at the Oxley-Heard Funeral Home in Fernandina Beach, which for years has handled burials for Johnston’s descendants.

On the morning of 26 October the casket will be moved to the CSS Belle, a navy reenacting boat, which will carry it up the Amelia River to a docking point near Bosque Bella Cemetery. The Confederate military ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. Johnston’s casket will be covered with two flags—a copy of the CSS Atlanta flag made by Chapman and the bonnie blue flag from the casket of his granddaughter who was president of the Florida UDC.

For information about the route and opportunities to view the procession contact George Hagan at ghagan@isoa.net. Bob Hall can be reached at occwrt@aol.com and Dana Chapman at confederatenurse@yahoo.com for information about the ceremonies. Information will also be posted at http://hometown.aol.com/gordonkwok/occwrt.html

To discuss this story further on the message board for newsletter readers, go to www.RootsForum.com and click on "Message Board."