Fascinated with the American Civil War since childhood, Johnson has written eight books on the subject. He was also coauthor of They Call Me Big House, ISBN0-89587-303-6, the autobiography of the late Clarence Gaines, one of America's best collegiate basketballcoaches. Johnson is also the author of two corporate biographies, and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles on business, history and travel.
TIN CANS & GREYHOUNDS: The Destroyers That Won World War II, 2019, Regnery History, ISBN978-1-62157-647-1
A VAST AND FIENDISH PLOT: The Confederate Attack on New York City, 2010, Citadel/Kensington Press, ISBN0-8065-3131-2
PURSUIT: The Chase, Capture, Persecution and Surprising Release of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, 2008, Citadel/Kensington Publishing, ISBN978-0-8065-2890-8
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South, 2007, Regnery Publishing, ISBN1-59698-500-3
Colonial America and the American Revolution: The 25 Best Sites, 2006, Greenline Publications, ISBN0-9766013-2-X
The 25 Best Civil War Sites: The Ultimate Traveler's Guide to Battlefields, Monument & Museums, 2005, Greenline Publications, ISBN0-9759022-4-5
They Call Me Big House, 2004, John F. Blair Publisher, ISBN0-89587-303-6
In the Footsteps of J.E.B. Stuart, 2003, John F. Blair Publisher, ISBN0-89587-261-7
Bull's-Eyes and Misfires: 50 Obscure People Whose Efforts Shaped the American Civil War, 2002, Rutledge Hill Press, ISBN1-55853-961-1
In the Footsteps of Stonewall Jackson, 2002, John F. Blair Publisher, ISBN0-89587-244-7
In the Footsteps of Robert E. Lee, 2001, John F. Blair Publisher, ISBN0-89587-235-8
Touring Virginia's and West Virginia's Civil War Sites, 1999, John F. Blair Publisher, ISBN0-89587-184-X
Civil War Blunders, 1997, John F. Blair Publisher, ISBN0-89587-163-7
Touring the Carolinas' Civil War Sites, 1996, John F. Blair Publisher, ISBN0-89587-146-7