A. Wilson Greene

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A. Wilson Greene, also known as Will Greene, is an American Civil War historian, author, and retired museum director. He was born on December 18, 1949, in Chicago and grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. His interest in the Civil War began after a family visit to Gettysburg in 1963. He earned a BA in American history from Florida State University in 1972 and an MA from Louisiana State University in 1977, studying under the renowned historian T. Harry Williams.

Greene worked for the National Park Service as a historian and park ranger at several sites, including Independence National Historical Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Chalmette National Historical Park, Petersburg National Battlefield, and Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. In 1989 he began leading Civil War history tours for the Smithsonian Institution and later became a frequent lecturer and tour leader for other groups.

In 1990, Greene became the first director of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (now the Civil War Preservation Trust). He also served as a script reviewer for the 1993 film Gettysburg and as a historical adviser for Gods and Generals about a decade later. In 1995 he became the first executive director of Pamplin Historical Park and the first director of the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, which opened in 1999; he led both institutions until his retirement in 2017.

President George W. Bush appointed him to the Institute of Museum and Library Services oversight board in 2005, where he served two four-year terms. Greene received the Nevins-Freeman Award in 2011 for his Civil War scholarship and has made numerous appearances on C-SPAN.

He has written many books and articles on the Civil War. Notable works include Civil War Petersburg: Confederate City in the Crucible of War (2008), which earned the Laney Book Prize in 2007, and National Geographic Guide to Civil War National Battlefield Parks (1992), coauthored with Gary W. Gallagher. He is working on a three-volume history of the Petersburg Campaign, A Campaign of Giants—The Battle for Petersburg; the first volume, From the Crossing of the James to the Crater, was published in 2018.

Greene lives with his wife, Maggie, in Walden, Tennessee, where he continues researching, writing, and leading battlefield tours. He also helped establish the A. Wilson Greene Scholarship Fund to improve access to Civil War sites.