Scott L. Mingus, Sr., has written nineteen Civil War books. His biography of Confederate General William “Extra Billy” Smith won the 2013 Nathan Bedford Forrest Southern History Award and the Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr., Literary Award, and was also nominated for the Virginia Literary Award for Non-Fiction. A contributor to Gettysburg Magazine, Scott also maintains a blog on the Civil War history of York County (www.yorkblog.com/cannonball). He received the 2013 Heritage Profile Award from the York County Heritage Trust for his contributions to local Civil War history. An Ohio native, Scott is a scientist and executive in the paper industry, a graduate of Miami University, and holds patents in self-adhesive postage stamps and bar code labels. He has also written six scenario books on miniature wargaming and was elected to the hobby’s prestigious Legion of Honor. He currently lives in York, PA.

Gerard E. Mayers has been a life-long Civil War buff who credits director Ken Burns with re-igniting his interest. The New Jersey native graduated from St. John’s University with degrees in both English and History. He has been active with the Bucks County Civil War Roundtable as program chairman for the organization, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of its Civil War Museum and Library in Doylestown, PA. An active reenactor, Mayers belongs to Company C, 44th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry; as a living historian, he is active in the Civil War Heritage Foundation. Mayers’s maternal great-grandfather and great-granduncle were both Irish-Americans who served in New Jersey units during various periods of the Civil War.