2012 Presenters and Guides

Ted Alexander is the chief historian at the Antietam National Battlefield, where he has worked for more than twenty-six years. He is the author, editor or contributor to ten books on the Civil War and other aspects of American history. Ted is also the author of more than two hundred articles and book reviews for publications such as the Civil War Times, Blue and Gray, North and South and the Washington Times. He was one of the first historians to establish the tour route of Lee’s Retreat from Gettysburg.

Jeffrey D. Wert is the author of nine books on Civil War topics, most recently “A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee's Triumph, 1862-1863.” His articles and essays on the Civil War have appeared in many publications, including Civil War Times Illustrated, American History Illustrated, and Blue and Gray. He has appeared on The History Channel and C-Span and is regarded as one of our foremost Civil War historians. A former history teacher at Penns Valley High School, he lives in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania.

Steve French is a history teacher in Martinsburg, W.Va. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Imboden's Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign, which was the recipient of the 2008 Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award and the 2009 Civil War Round Table of Gettysburg Book Award. French has written over 70 Civil War articles and numerous book reviews that have appeared in such publications as The Washington Times, Gettysburg Magazine, North&South, Crossfire: The Magazine of the Civil War Round Table U.K., and The Southern Cavalry Review. His next book Rebel Chronicles: Raiders, Scouts, and Train Robbers of the Potomac will be published in 2012.

Nick Picerno is the new Director of the Institute. He is the past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. He was recently appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to the National Advisory Board of the Cedar Creek- Belle Grove National Park. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. A career police chief he is the Chief of Police at Bridgewater College where he directs an annual Civil War Institute and is the advisor for the Bridgewater College Civil War Club.