Johnston vs J. E. Johnston

Johnston and J. E. Johnston both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
Johnston	Yes	No	No	No
J. E. Johnston	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, Johnston and J. E. Johnston are synonyms defined as:

Johnston and J. E. Johnston: Confederate general in the American Civil War; led the Confederate troops in the West (1807-1891)

Other synonyms of Johnston include Joseph E. Johnston, Joseph Eggleston Johnston.

Johnston (noun)	J. E. Johnston (noun)
Confederate general in the American Civil War; led the Confederate troops in the West (1807-1891)	Confederate general in the American Civil War; led the Confederate troops in the West (1807-1891)