Be assured you will never be disappointed with our guides. Let us introduce just a few of them to you. 
 

James McPherson

James McPherson, is a noted American Civil War historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

McPherson is the George Henry Davis ’86 Professor Emeritus of United States History at Princeton University. In 2000 he was named the Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities by the National Endowment for the Humanities. His other books include The Abolitionist Legacy, From Reconstruction to the NAACP; Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution; and The Struggle for Equality; which received the Anisfield-Wolf Award from the Cleveland Foundation for its contributions to society’s understanding of racism and the appreciation of diversity of cultures. In 2003 he served as president of the American Historical Association.

Battle Cry of Freedom is credited with helping generate a national resurgence of interest in the Civil War, and McPherson believes that some of the issues that caused the war remain timely today, such as regionalism and the proper role of the federal government in people’s lives.

McPherson is known for his work on behalf of the preservation of Civil War battlefields. As president in 1993-1994 of Protect Historic America, he lobbied against the construction of a commercial theme park at the Manassas battlefield. He has also served on the boards of the Civil War Trust and the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, and on the Civil War Sites Advisory Committee.

Teaching Positions: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, instructor, 1962-65, assistant professor, 1965-68, associate professor, 1968-72, professor of history, 1972-82, Edwards Professor of American History, 1982-91, George Henry Davis '86 Professor of American History, 1991--, Retired from teaching December, 2004.

Area of Research: United States history, 1830-1917; slavery and anti-slavery; the Civil War.

Education: Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1963, Highest Distinction, B.A. Gustavus Adolphus College, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1958

Ed Bearss

Ed Bearss is a consummate tour guide, bringing history alive to visitors of all knowledge levels, revealing encyclopedic stores of memory and enormous personal energy, but always with rich and colorful anecdotes. A Washington Post reporter described his style as "Homeric monologues." The Wall Street Journal wrote that he evokes "almost hallucinatory sensations." Historian Dennis Frye said a "battlefield [tour] with Ed Bearss [is a] transcendental experience." Admirers have suggested that, if the United States ever recognizes Living National Treasures, as Japan and Australia do, Bearss should be an immediate honoree.

Bearss started interpretative touring as part of his official duties in Vicksburg, leading eight one-hour tours a day. Although he was no longer required to do so after 1958, he kept it up as an avocation on weekends. He attracted ROTC classes, active-duty military officers and VIPs, and other historians. Beginning in 1961, he began annual tours for the prestigious Chicago Civil War Roundtable. One of his greatest challenges was his annual tours of Vicksburg for the Louisiana School for the Blind and Deaf. He is a lifetime honorary member of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, to which he has spoken many times, beginning in 1962 and as recently as 2004.

Currently, Bearss, in his eighties, continues to lead numerous tours—traveling as many as 200 days per year—around the United States, the Pacific, and Europe. He routinely outpaces his much younger guests in charging over rough terrain, recreating the color of famous infantry and cavalry attacks.
 

Dennis E. Frye

Dennis E. Frye is the former Chief Historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and past president of a national battlefield preservation organization that is today's Civil War Preservation Trust. Dennis was raised only a few miles from Harper’s Ferry and Antietam, and he grew up in the shadow of South Mountain.

Dennis has written over 50 articles and four books on the war, his latest entitled "Antietam Revealed." He has served as a battlefield guide for National Geographic, the Smithsonian, major universities, and Civil War Round Tables across the country. He has appeared on the History Channel’s Civil War Journal and Ken Burn’s Civil War series. Dennis also worked as Associate Producer and historical consultant for the movie "Gods and Generals".
 

Jonathan A. Noyalas

Jonathan A. Noyalas is a history professor at Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, VA where he also serves as the Director of the College's Institute of Culture and History and the Center for Civil War History.  He is the author of Plagued by War: Winchester, Virginia, During the Civil War and "My Will is Absolute Law": A Biography of Union General Robert H. Milroy.  He was the editor and contributing author for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation's "If this Valley is Lost, Virginia is Lost": Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign.  He has authored numerous reviews, academic papers, essays, and articles which have appeared in publications such as America's Civil War, Civil War Book Review, and Blue & Gray.  A frequent lecturer and guide Noyalas has spoken to groups including historical societies, academic audiences, Civil War roundtables, and the National Security Agency.  Noyalas is currently working on a study of the command relationships and memory of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan's 1864 Valley Campaign.  He serves on the board of directors of the Kernstown Battlefield Association and also serves on the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation's interpretation and education committee.

Steve Meserve

Steve Meserve has been studying the American Civil War longer than he cares to admit (nearly half a century at this point).  He was executive secretary of the North-South Skirmish Association for 10 years, and is a former associate editor of "Civil War" Magazine.  He worked with Bill Miller, Brian Pohanka and Rob Hodge to put together Time-Life's most recent Civil War publication, "The Civil War: Images of an American Tragedy."  He was also a contributing editor on the "Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference" published this past September by Charles Scribner & Sons.  He has contributed several articles to the "Washington Times" Saturday Civil War page, and has been leading tours of Northern Virginia Civil War sites and Loudoun County for many years. Some of his special tours include Mountain Gaps, Loudoun Valley, Quaker Country, and Guilford. 

Frank A. O’Reilly

Frank A. O’Reilly graduated in 1987 with a B.A. in American History from Washington & Lee University. I worked for the "Stonewall" Jackson House in Lexington, and even guest lectured at Washington & Lee on Civil War topics while still an undergraduate. He joined the National Park Service in 1987 as a temporary historian at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, and later took a fulltime position at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. He returned to Fredericksburg in 1990 to fill the permanent historian's position at the "Stonewall" Jackson Shrine. He has also served as an historical consultant for the City of Fredericksburg and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Planning Commission. 

He has written numerous articles on the war in Virginia, and introductions to several books, including Phil Sheridan's memoirs, the History of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, and the 155th Pennsylvania's Under the Maltese Cross. He released a book on the Fredericksburg Campaign titled, Stonewall Jackson at Fredericksburg, in 1993, and contributed several pieces to James M. McPherson's Atlas of the Civil War; Civil War Regiments; Civil War, and America's Civil War publication. He has made appearances in several video documentaries, including Civil War Journal.

His latest book, The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock, was released by LSU Press in December, 2002, and has won the Capital District (Albany, NY) 2002 Book Award. 
 

John V. Quarstein

John V. Quarstein is an award winning historian, preservationist, and author. John has served as the director of the Virginia War Museum since 1978. In addition to these duties, he oversees the management of the City of Newport News’ historic properties including Endview Plantation, Lee Hall Mansion, Young’s Mill, and the Newsome House as well as serving as the historical advisor for the Mariners’ Museum’s U.S.S. Monitor Center project. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the College of William and Mary, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. Quarstein is the author of seven books including Fort Monroe: The key to the South, C.S.S. Virginia: Mistress of Hampton Roads, Civil War on the Virginia Peninsula, and The Battle of the Ironclads.

John V. Quarstein was the recipient of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 1993 President’s Award for Historic Preservation Award, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy’s Jefferson Davis Gold Medal in 1999. Presently, he serves on the board of several national organizations including Virginia Civil War Trails, John Singleton Mosby Foundation, and Chief Historical Advisor for the U.S.S. Monitor.

An avid duck hunter, John V. Quarstein lives in Hampton, Virginia and on his Eastern Shore farm with his wife Martha and son John Morgan.
 

Ted Alexander

Ted Alexander is one of the finest and sought after guest speakers for Civil War functions. He is an exceptional historian guide who is able to create a picture with his words. He has written extensively on the Gettyburg Campaign. His books include Revenge & Maryland Civilians in the Antietam Campaign. He has authored several Generals’ Tours for Blue and Gray Magazine. He is an expert on cavalry operations conducted during the Gettysburg campaign. He is the historian at the Antietam National Battlefield. He can conduct many unique tours in the Pennsylvania and Maryland areas such as Lee’s Retreat from Gettysburg.

Gary Kross

Gary Kross is Associate Editor of the magazine Blue and Gray, who writes articles for each issue and has written at least eight entire issues. As a Licensed Gettysburg guide for 17 years his expertise is from June 30 through July 14, 1863. 

He has appeared as a guest historian on the History Channel, TNT and the Discovery Channel in numerous programs. He has produced a unique learning tool called Virtual Gettysburg, which is a Computer Disc that explains the Gettysburg Battle from three levels. It actually visits 21 locations on the Battlefield where there is a 360-degree view of the area. 

Mr. Kross’s knowledge of the Battle of Gettysburg has made him one of the most popular speakers for the Civil War Round Tables throughout the United States. He has also spoken at many colleges and for the Smithsonian Institute. 

Dave Goetz

Dave Goetz is president of Mosby's Confederacy, Inc., and leads tours of Mosby's Confederacy, including Virginia counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, Warren, Prince William and Fairfax.  He serves on the advisory committee of the John Singleton Mosby Museum Foundation in Warrenton, Virginia, which is restoring Brentmoor:  the Spilman-Mosby House to its 1859 - 1880 appearance.

Mr. Goetz has a professional background in public relations, sales and marketing, primarily with non-profit organizations.  In addition to being Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America, he holds a Master of Science degree in Community Development from the University of Louisville and an undergraduate degree in English from Bellarmine University, Louisville, Kentucky.  He is a U.S. Army veteran, and received an Honorable Discharge.