Nationality American Role Writer Name Edward Bonekemper | Spouse Susan Weidemoyer Education American History, Law | |
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Books Grant and Lee: Victorious, A Victor - Not a Butcher, How Robert E Lee Lost t, McClellan and Failure: A, Ulysses S Grant: A Victor - No | ||
Edward H. Bonekemper III is a military historian, teacher, and writer. He writes frequently about slavery, the American Civil War, and Union and Confederate generals. Bonekemper speaks to Civil War Roundtables across the nation and has spoken at the Smithsonian Institution more than ten times.
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Education
In 1964, Bonekemper graduated cum laude from Muhlenberg College with a bachelor's degree in American history. While attending Muhlenberg, he was given two awards based on his educational performance (best thesis; best American history CPA). Bonekemper later earned his master's degree in American history at Old Dominion University. He completed his Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School.
He is a native of Pennsylvania, and currently lives in Willow Street, Pennsylvania. He is involved in the community.
Career
In January 2003, Bonekemper retired as federal government attorney after 34 years. Within these 34 years, he worked 16 years as a lead hazardous materials transportation attorney for the United States Department of Transportation, and 4 years as the lead coal strip mining regulatory attorney at the United States Department of Interior. During this time, he was also writing for Navy and Coast Guard publications. He was a speaker and teacher for the Coast Guard and Interior and Transportation Departments.
Bonekemper is also a retired Coast Guard Reserve Commander.
For eight years (2003-10), he taught military history part-time and was a visiting lecturer at his alma mater, Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. Bonekemper also was an instructor in American Constitutional History and Maritime Law at the United States Coast Guard Academy. He was an adjunct professor of Constitutional History at the American Military University.
Bonekemper has written articles for many publications including The Washington Times, The Journal of Afro-American History, and The Journal of Negro History.
Since 1998, Bonekemper has been publishing non-fiction books about the Civil War. His interest in Civil War history grew after multiple conversations with his father-in-law about this particular topic. His first book took him 7 years to complete.
Between 2010 and 2016, he was book review editor at Civil War News.
Bonekemper has given over ten lectures at the Smithsonian Institution about the Civil War. He also spoken at hundreds of Civil War round-table meetings, the Delta Queen, the Lincoln Forum of the District Columbia, the Chautauqua Institution, and numerous other events. Bonekemper has made appearances on C-SPAN to discuss Grant and Lee's Civil war generalship.
Awards
Throughout his career, Bonekemper has earned numerous awards. These include:
Publications
Books