Brian C. Pohanka

Brian Pohanka (1955-2005), a founder of the battlefield preservation movement, lived the role of a Civil War officer as a company captain in Duryee’s Zouaves (5^th New York) reenactment group. His courtly bearing, quiet elegance and intensity commanded respect from those around him and made him a natural preservation leader. As a co-founder of the Chantilly Battlefield Association, Pohanka fought for what could be saved at that battlefield and in 1987 also co-founded the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, a forerunner of the American Battlefield Trust. A masterly researcher and writer, Pohanka authored or edited some 20 books, including the 27-volume Civil War series by Time-Life Books. He also served as a historical consultant for Civil War movies and TV shows such as the History Channel’s Civil War Journal and Ken Burns’ The Civil War, as well as Gettysburg, Glory, Gods and Generals and Cold Mountain.