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OLD ALLEGHANY: THE LIFE AND WARS OF GENERAL ED JOHNSON, by Gregg S. Clemmer. Hearthside Publishing Co. 742 pages hardcover. $39.95. (Amazon.com price).

LIVING HERE in the Fredericks- burg area, otherwise known as "The Crossroads of the Civil War," it's pretty hard not to be aware of the battlefield exploits of such great Virginians as Robert E. Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson and the flamboyant J.E.B. Stuart. One can hardly drive anywhere in our region without passing a monument or roadside marker testifying to the heritage of these great Confederate commanders. That said, for every one of our local luminaries, there are dozens of others whose stories have fallen through the cracks of Southern Civil War history. One such individual is Gen. Edward Johnson, also known as "Old Alleghany."

As a Jackson biographer, I was casually aware of Johnson's service to the Confederate States of America, but I must admit that I knew virtually nothing about this "blue-collar" rebel. Apparently, I am not alone in my ignorance and this is the rationale behind author Gregg S. Clemmer's monumental effort entitled "Old Alleghany: The Life and Wars of General Ed Johnson."

Although several of our more highly regarded historians, including Harry Pfanz and Bud Robertson, have briefly glanced into the life of Gen. Johnson, many others have filed his story in the "Who?" category of Civil War history. The lack of literary preservation on Johnson's behalf is understandable, as the general died during the Reconstruction period, leaving behind no family. Thankfully, we have people like Clemmer to maintain the memories of these forgotten heroes.

Clemmer, himself, is fully aware of this dilemma and addresses it immediately inside the front panel of his book jacket. In fact, the first words a potential reader sees are "Who the H#** was Old Alleghany?" in a large, bold typeface. I'm not exactly sure if this was an intentional marketing ploy, but the obvious question confronts the reader and beckons him to enter the life and times of this unknown soldier.