William D. Henderson, the author of this book was born in Jefferson County, New York on 9 June 1937. He received his early education in the public schools of the state. He matriculated at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1955; subsequently receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree with High Honors in History in 1959. He also hold the degree of Master of Arts awarded in 1960 by the State University of New York; State College at Albany an Master of Science degree granted by Radford College in Radford, Virginia in 1966.
Mr. Henderson is a member of the New York State Historical Association, the Council of Abandoned Military Posts, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Association of University Professors; furthermore, his is a member and Fellow of the Company of Military Historians. He has served as a member of the Petersburg Independence Bicentennial Commission. The author is currently a member of the Tourism Advisory Board of the City of Petersburg and a member of the Board of Directors and Vice President of the Historic Petersburg Foundation.
Mr. Henderson is a well-known public speaker in the Petersburg area in the field of local history and contributes articles several times each year to the Petersburg Progress-Index on subjects relating to local history. an Associate Professor of History at Richard Bland College, the author has been a member of the History Department at that institution since 1963
