The real object of having an Army is to prepare for war.
-Elihu Root

The Portfolio

This Portfolio is designed to showcase the digital projects I'm undertaking as part of the CLIO II course at George Mason University. Linked from here will be three intermediate projects, each exploring a specific element of digital history and web design, as well as a final project pulling all these skills together and exploring a topic related to my larger research interests.

Research Interests

My research interests are focused on the Nineteenth-century American Military History, and especially the post-Civil War professionalization of the United States Army.Last semester, during CLIO I, I did a mapping project tracing the movement toward fewer, larger posts as the Indian Wars came to a close. I am also currently working on a project studying the Officers' Lyceum Program instituted in the 1890s. This program was part of a larger movement to create an integrated Officer Education system that was a critical elemenet of the effort to transition the Army from a frontier constabulary to a fully professional Army focused on preparing for the next war.

About Me

I’m currently a first year History PhD student at George Mason University. I did my undergraduate work at the College of William & Mary, and graduated in 2004 with a BA in History. Since then I’ve spent the last 9 years serving as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army, and following my time at George Mason I will be headed to the United States Military Academy at West Point to serve as an Instructor in their History Department.