Joseph Eggleston Johnston jo·sep·hegg·lestonjohnston uncommon noun 1. Confederate general in the American Civil War; led the Confederate troops in the West (1807-1891) SynonymsJohnstonJ. E. JohnstonJoseph Eggleston Johnston Related words Broader terms general WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.