Robertson is the author or editor of more than 20 books that include such award-winning studies as Civil War! America Becomes One Nation, General A.P. Hill, and Soldiers Blue and Gray. His massive biography of Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson won eight national awards and was used as the base for the Ted Turner mega-movie, Gods and Generals. Robertson was chief historical consultant for the film. In recent years, his historical commentaries on National Public Radio made him something of a rock star in his field. A professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, Robertson was named by President John F. Kennedy to head up the Civil War Centennial Commission in 1961.

The recipient of every major award given in the Civil War field, and a lecturer of national acclaim, Dr. Robertson is probably more in demand as a speaker before Civil War groups than anyone else in the field. He holds the Ph.D. from Emory University and honorary doctorates from Randolph-Macon College and Shenandoah University. He is presently an Alumni Distinguished Professor, one of ten such honorees among Virginia Tech’s 2,200 faculty members. He is also Executive Director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, created by the University in 1999. Robertson was also a charter member (by Senate appointment) of Virginia’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. ■