Thomas R. Flagel teaches American History at Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tennessee. He holds degrees from Loras College (BA, History), Kansas State University (MA, European History), Creighton University (MA, International Relations), and has studied at the University of Vienna.
A national speaker, particularly on subjects concerning the Civil War, he also actively supports many preservation and education programs. Originally from Iowa, he has also lived in Austria and the Czech Republic. Among his ancestors are several American Civil War veterans, including a great, great, great grandfather from the 2nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He resides in Franklin, Tennessee.