Thomas D. Mays is a professor of history at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He came to HSU in 2003 after spending five years teaching history at Quincy University in Illinois. He was raised in the Midwest and his family’s traditional home in Virginia. He is retired from the military after serving twenty-six years on active duty and in the reserves. He holds a PhD from TCU in Fort Worth, Texas; an MA from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia; and a BA from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. Currently, he teaches early American history (colonial era through the Civil War) and American military history. His interests include the American Revolutionary and Civil War eras. He has three books and several articles in print.