MEDIA CENTER

 

 

For Immediate Release week of August 24, 2010                 Contact: Nancy Jones

                                                                                                            540-539-1260

                                                                                                            Email: info@anglevalleypress.com

Text Box:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            W. Va. Soldiers Cited in New Book Highlighted by Trade Group  

 

Independent Publisher, a twenty-seven-year-old trade organization, just selected Angle Valley Press’ newly released Civil War book The Confederate Alamo as one of their August 2010 Online Magazine’s Highlighted Titles. The group has an extensive website that promotes the work of independent publishers and writers.

 

The Confederate Alamo was selected out of hundreds of submissions due to its attractive dust jacket, interior design and unique story. This narrative history researched and written by John J. Fox reveals the drama of the little known Battle of Fort Gregg, which closed out the Petersburg campaign in April 1865. Soldiers from four West Virginia Union regiments helped storm the fort. Three soldiers from the 12th West Virginia in Colonel William B. Curtis’ brigade received the Medal of Honor for their heroism in saving their unit flag during the bloody melee.

 

On April 2, 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant’s men had tightened their noose around the vital town of Petersburg, Virginia. Federal soldiers pierced the thin lines of General Robert E. Lee’s beleaguered Army of Northern Virginia. Trapped on three sides with a river at their back, Lee’s men had never faced such dire circumstances. To allow time to craft an escape, Lee called on a small motley group of Southerners to make a suicidal last stand at Fort Gregg. As the long battle lines of Union troops approached Petersburg, only 334 Confederates stood in their way. For the next two hours, some 4,400 blue-clad soldiers slammed against the walls of Fort Gregg. The fort’s defenders eventually ran out of time, ammunition and men but they enabled Lee’s army to escape.


Fox will make a presentation on this brutal battle as a sponsored author for the 10th Annual West Virginia Book Festival on October 16 at Charleston. During his research he discovered numerous veterans’ letters, diaries and newspaper articles which showed that many of them considered Fort Gregg the nastiest fight of their war experience. Some of these soldiers could not shake the ugly memories of that day, yet when they passed away, this battle mysteriously faded with them. The Confederate Alamo is the first book ever written about this strategic battle that changed the war’s end in Virginia. 

 

John J. Fox was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and he later received a U. S. History degree from Washington & Lee University. He is the author or editor of several books and articles about the Civil War. His first book, Red Clay to Richmond, won two book awards. He now lives in Winchester, Virginia.

 

 

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NEWS >  For Immediate Release week of March 29, 2010                          Contact: Nancy Jones

                                                                                                                      540-539-1260

                                                                                                                 Email: info@anglevalleypress.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Upcoming 145th Anniversary of Forgotten Petersburg Battle Remembered

 

Most Americans have never heard of the Battle of Fort Gregg and yet they should because Confederate and Union soldiers exhibited abundant heroism there. By April 2, 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant’s men had tightened their noose around the vital town of Petersburg, Virginia. On that day 145 years ago, Federal soldiers pierced the thin lines of General Robert E. Lee’s beleaguered Army of Northern Virginia. Trapped on three sides with a river at their back, Lee’s men had never faced such dire circumstances. To allow time to craft an escape, Lee called on a small motley group of Southerners to make a suicidal last stand at Fort Gregg.

 Historian John Fox became fascinated by this obscure battle where barely 300 Confederates fought off some 4,400 determined Union soldiers for more than two hours. When he discovered that nobody had ever written a book about the lopsided fight, Fox wanted to learn more. His five-year quest took him to archives all over the country where he uncovered numerous unpublished accounts of bravery on that day. These letters, diaries and newspaper articles showed that many of the veterans who fought at Fort Gregg considered it the nastiest fight of their war experience. Some of these soldiers could not shake the ugly memories of that day, yet when they passed away, this battle mysteriously faded with them.
 
The result of Fox’s research is his newest book, The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865. This narrative history takes the reader from the Union battle lines all the way into the fort’s smoking cauldron of hell. Courage and steadfastness stood in abundance as the handful of Confederates fired over Fort Gregg’s muddy parapet into the tidal wave of Union troops. Short on ammunition, these Southerners wondered if their effort would make a difference. Fourteen Union soldiers would later receive the Medal of Honor for their bravery but the few bloody Confederate survivors would spend several unpleasant months in prison.
 
The Fort Gregg garrison’s final stand did make a difference. Their effort gave General Lee the time he needed to withdraw his army from Petersburg and head west until the end came at Appomattox Court House one week later.
 
John J. Fox was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and he later received a U. S. History degree from Washington & Lee University. He is the author or editor of several books and articles about the Civil War. His first book, Red Clay to Richmond, won two book awards. He now lives in Winchester, Virginia.
 

The Confederate Alamo is available for $34.95 at fine bookstores or by ordering at www.AngleValleyPress.com  or  toll-free 1+ 800-247-6553.

 
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The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865 by John J. Fox, III. First Edition. 6 x 9 cloth, 352 pages, 7 maps, 74 photos, notes, biblio/index. ISBN 978-0-9711950-0-4.

$34.95. Publication Spring 2010 by Angle Valley Press.

 

 

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NEWS > - For Immediate Release December 1, 2008                                     Contact: John Fox 540-539-1260

                                                                                                                                     Email: info@anglevalleypress.com
                                                                                                

“This book tells the story of the regiment and its men in rich detail,

based on extensive original sources, many of them never before in print.”                                                 

Robert K. Krick, author of Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain  and  Lee's Colonels.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 
Forgotten South Georgia Confederates Remembered
 

Jim Parrish began to research his family background some ten years ago. His curiosity grew when he discovered that he had two great-great-grandfathers who had served in the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment. Then he realized that no comprehensive history of the 50th Georgia’s war experience existed. Determined to find answers, he embarked on a long journey that took him to places like Gettysburg, Savannah, Sharpsburg and Winchester. Many miles and many years later, Parrish’s search for answers has ended with the release of his new book, Wiregrass to Appomattox: The Untold Story of the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment, CSA.

 Thousands of American families who had ancestors in the 50th Georgia can now reap the benefit of Parrish’s extensive research. Many of these families have longed to know more about their Confederate ancestors from south Georgia’s Wiregrass region. These soldiers hailed from the counties of Decatur, Thomas, Colquitt, Brooks, Berrien, Lowndes, Echols, Clinch, Coffee, Ware and Pierce. The reader can easily follow the trail of these men as they left their homes and headed toward Savannah and then the seat of war at Richmond.

 Parrish’s discovery of many previously unpublished letters, diaries and photographs ensures that the 50th Georgia veteran’s never-before-told-story will finally have an audience. The words of these men paint a vivid picture of war that extends beyond the battlefield. This story follows their sad trail as they dealt with illness, exhaustion, starvation and death. Yet, despite these problems and the difficult odds they faced, most of these soldiers refused to quit. They fought at many bloody places in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Tennessee under the command of famous men like Paul Semmes, James Longstreet and Robert E. Lee. Now, historians, genealogists, descendants and Civil War aficionados will be able to use this book as a resource for years to come thanks to the 28 maps, 100+ photos and complete soldiers’ roster.
 

Jim Parrish was born in Quitman, Georgia and was raised in Greenville, Florida. He received a B.A. in History from Florida State University and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of South Florida. He previously worked in local government in Leon County, Florida. Parrish now lives in Tallahassee where he operates his own business. 

 

Wiregrass to Appomattox is available for $39.95 in fine bookstores or by visiting Angle Valley Press at www.AngleValleyPress.com or calling 1+800-247-6553.

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Wiregrass to Appomattox: The Untold Story of the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment, CSA., by James W. Parrish. First Edition. 6 x 9 hardback, 424 pages, 28 maps, 108 photos, notes, bibliography, index.   ISBN 13:  978-0-9711950-7-3.   $39.95.       Publication: November 2008.

 

 

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Click here  to  Download a High Resolution Cover  for Southerners at Rest

 


News > Official Release for  Southerners at Rest      7.01.2008

 

For Immediate Release  …                                                 Contact: John Fox 540-539-1260
                                                                                               Email: info@AngleValleyPress.com
“Countless families will discover the names of long-lost relatives
in the pages of this book.”  Robert E.L. Krick, Richmond NPS historian                                                                                            

  
     Cemetery Detective Work Helps Families Find Lost Confederates


During the Civil War, thousands of Southerners never learned the fate of family members who served in the Confederate army. As the war dragged on, wagonloads of corpses continued to arrive at the gates of Richmond, Virginia’s Hollywood Cemetery. Unfortunately, well-intentioned individuals carved wrong or misspelled names into the soldiers’ wooden headboards. This mistake caused the bodies of numerous fathers, sons and brothers to be lost to the ages. Now, thanks to the detective work of Hollywood Cemetery expert Chris Ferguson, many modern-day families have an opportunity to discover the location of their missing Confederate ancestors.

Ferguson’s new hardback book, Southerners at Rest: Confederate Dead at Hollywood Cemetery, updates the inaccurate 1869 list of Hollywood’s war dead. Ferguson’s massive research compiled a roster of almost 14,000 Confederate soldiers and officials who are buried there. Over 100 soldiers’ photos, many never before published, also add a face to the war’s many sad stories.

Richmond National Park Service historian Robert E.L. Krick penned the foreword for the book. He considers this work to be “the first comprehensive and accurate roster of Confederate soldiers buried in the South’s greatest cemetery.”

The easy-to-use roster is alphabetized by each soldier’s last name. Additional information includes the veteran’s unit, birth date, death date and most importantly – his burial location. A sidebar also adds nuggets of information for these men who came from every southern state. Numbered notes point the reader toward the source of Ferguson’s discoveries. This one-of-a kind resource includes a map of the soldiers’ section to send family members in the right direction as they walk the beautiful grounds of Hollywood in search of their Confederate veterans.

Southerners at Rest is Chris Ferguson’s third book. He is a Confederate records expert, Hollywood Cemetery authority, and tour guide. His first book covered the Confederate field officers buried at Hollywood Cemetery. Ferguson then teamed up with Robert K. Krick for another book which listed the Confederate dead from the Battle of Gettysburg. Ferguson is an Atlanta native, and he now lives in Winchester, Virginia.

Southerners at Rest is available for $34.95 in fine bookstores or by visiting Angle Valley Press at www.AngleValleyPress.com or calling 1+800-247-6553.

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Southerners at Rest: Confederate Dead at Hollywood Cemetery by Chris L. Ferguson. First Edition.
8.5 x 11 hardback, 336 pages, 103 photos, 1 map, bibliography.  ISBN 978–0–9711950–4–2. $34.95. 
Publication: Summer  2008.

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News > 10.23.2006

Virginia Author Receives 2006 Award from Georgia
Secretary of State’s Office

 The Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board, sponsored by Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox, has announced that one of the recipients of their 2006 “Award for Excellence in Research Using the Holdings of an Archives” is John J. Fox. He received this honor along with two other awardees in an October 16 ceremony held in the Georgia Department of Archives & History building at Morrow, Georgia near Atlanta. Fox received this recognition for his non-fiction book, Red Clay to Richmond: Trail of the 35th Georgia Infantry Regiment, which follows a group of Georgia soldiers through four long years of war in Virginia.

The award is bestowed annually to selected authors who best utilize the primary historical sources from one or more of Georgia’s numerous archives. The Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board (GHRAB) established the Outstanding Archives Awards Program in 2003 to recognize excellent efforts in archives and records work in Georgia. By publicly recognizing these achievements, the Board strives to inspire others to become interested in Georgia history.

Red Clay to Richmond is unique because it not only visits the horrors of the battlefield, but it also focuses on the daily life and voice of the average Southern soldier. It reveals the true American spirit in the midst of deprivation and hardship, not only along the battle lines but also for the family members left behind. These troops fought at many bloody places under the command of famous men like Stonewall Jackson, A.P. Hill and Robert E. Lee.

John J. Fox, a Richmond, Virginia native, has been a lifelong student of the Civil War. He lived for many years in the Columbus and Roswell, Georgia areas. His book also received the 2005 James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Prize for Confederate History, sponsored by the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table of Central New Jersey. His articles have appeared in numerous newspapers, America’s Civil War and Civil War Times magazines. Fox now lives with his family in Winchester, Virginia.

Red Clay to Richmond is available for $37.95 in hardback or in a newly released trade paperback for $21.95 in most bookstores or by calling Angle Valley Press at 1-800-247-6553. http:www.anglevalleypress.com

Red Clay to Richmond: Trail of the 35th Georgia Infantry Regiment by John J. Fox, III. First Edition. 6x9 hardback, 496 pages, 22 maps, 74 photos. ISBN 0-9711950-2-1. $37.95. Publication: Spring 2004. Second Printing Trade Paperback, ISBN 0-9711950-3-X, $21.95, Publication: Spring 2006. 
 

 

 

News > 09.12.2005

Virginia Author to Receive 2005 Robertson Prize for Confederate History

The Robert E. Lee Civil War Roundtable’s Civil War Library and Research Center has announced that the recipient of their 5th Annual James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Prize for Confederate History is John J. Fox, III. Fox will receive this honor for his non-fiction book, Red Clay to Richmond: Trail of the 35th Georgia Infantry Regiment, which follows a group of Georgia soldiers through four long years of war in Virginia.

The Robertson Prize is bestowed annually to the author of the best original work of published scholarship in the field of Confederate history - military,political or social. It is named for Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor in History at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and StateUniversity. Founded in November 1997 by the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table of Central New Jersey, the Civil War Library and Research Center is aone-of-a-kind facility. Funded by corporate, foundation and individual donations and staffed entirely by volunteers, the library is open to the public andfeatures one of the largest single collections of Civil War material in existence, with over 2,000 bound volumes and hundreds of periodicals.

 Red Clay to Richmond is unique because it not only visits the horrors of the battlefield, but it also focuses on the daily life and voice of the averageSouthern soldier. It reveals the true American spirit in the midst of deprivation and hardship, not only along the battle lines but also for the family membersleft behind. These troops fought at many bloody places under the command of famous men like Stonewall Jackson, A.P. Hill and Robert E. Lee.

 John J. Fox, a Richmond, Virginia native, has been a lifelong student of the Civil War. His articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and Civil War Times magazine. Fox now lives with his family in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
 

Red Clay to Richmond is available for $37.95 in most bookstores or by calling Angle Valley Press at 1-800-247-6553.

 Red Clay to Richmond: Trail of the 35th Georgia Infantry Regiment by John J. Fox, III. First Edition. 6x9 hardback, 496 pages, 22 maps, 74 photos. ISBN0-9711950-2-1. $37.95. Publication: Spring 2004