Clay Family Society

Gregg Clemmer

Gregg Clemmer is a native of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and a graduate of Virginia Tech. A writer and historian of eclectic interests, Clemmer thrives on chronicling obscure, disparate subjects, everything from the manufacturing history of miners' carbide lamps to the evolution of expedition cave camps. Resigning from medical school in his third year, Clemmer went on to pioneer solar electricity, fight urban sprawl, champion American heritage, and search for the world's deepest cave. He is an eloquent speaker and a gifted storyteller and has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, and CBS Radio.

Free from the "publish or perish" shackles of academia, Clemmer pursued Maj. Gen. Ed Johnson's never-told, extraordinary story despite colleagues' warnings of little original source material. Clemmer's diligent research over a dozen years discovered two notable caches of Johnson letters and a treasure trove of primary records. His resultant biography, Old Alleghany: The Life and Wars of General Ed Johnson is the definitive history of the man.

Clemmer is the author of numerous newspaper and magazine articles and among his four books is the acclaimed Valor in Gray: The Recipients of the Confederate Medal of Honor. He lives in Maryland with his wife Heidi, daughter Jill, and son Daniel.

Old Alleghany: The Life and Wars of General Ed Johnson has been selected as the 2005 winner of the  Douglas Southall Freeman History Award.

"The Douglas Southall Freeman History Award recognizes the author who writes the best work in Southern history published within the last year. The award shall be made for the best published book of high merit in the field of Southern history beginning with the colonial period to the present time."

VALOR IN GRAY: The Recipients of the Confederate Medal of Honor'