Peter Cozzens – Guest of Honor: Author of sixteen critically acclaimed books on the American Civil War and the Indian Wars of the American West. He also is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.

All of Cozzens’ books have been selections of the Book of the Month Club, History Book Club, and/or the Military Book Club. Cozzens’ This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga and The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga were both Main Selections of the History Book Club and were chosen by Civil War Magazine as two of the 100 greatest works ever written on the conflict.

His most recent book, Shenandoah 1862, Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign, received a Choice Magazine outstanding academic title award in 2010.

The prestigious Easton Press reprinted This Terrible Sound for inclusion in their 35-volumne Library of the Civil War collection. The History Book Club called his five-volume Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars “the definitive resource on the military struggle for the American West." Cozzens also was the creator of, and series editor for Stackpole Books' Frontier Classics.

In 2002, Cozzens received of the American Foreign Service Association’s highest award, given annually to one Foreign Service Officer for exemplary moral courage, integrity, and creativ dissent. He also received an Alumni Achievement award from his alma mater Knox College, from which he graduated summa cum laude.

Cozzens has appeared on Book TV and the PBS series History Detectives.

Cozzens is a member of the Advisory Council of the Lincoln Prize, one of the nation’s foremost literary awards. He is writing a history of the Indian Wars of the American West for publication by Knopf in 2015. For more information, please see his website at http://www.petercozzens.com

Mr. Cozzens will be presenting the following three theme-related seminars: To Save an Army – Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne at Ringgold Gap (Fri. 6:30 PM); ”I Hold the Fatal Order of the Day” – The Union Collapse at Chickamauga (Sat. 9:30 AM); The 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign – A Study in Command (Sat. 2 PM). See Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

John Hill – Guest of Honor: In the field of tactical wargame designs, few designers have had as much innovative impact as John Hill. In the 1970s, John started his own company, The Conflict Game Company, to design and publish tactical and operational games that broke from traditional wargame mechanics such as Verdun, Overlord, Kasserine Pass, and Bar-Lev. John decided that he preferred to design wargames rather than run a business, so he sold the company to Game Designers’ Workshop and became a freelance wargame designer. From that point on, John’s designs for Avalon Hill, SPI, SDC and others, became noted benchmarks for their innovative approaches to simulating unique tactical situations.

In 1977, John designed Squad Leader for Avalon Hill. Squad Leader broke the mold for how tactical combat was portrayed on the gaming board, and the impact of Squad Leader – which has had more “expansion kits” than any other wargame – is still felt today. Some of John’s awards included being the first freelance wargame designer inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame (1979), along with Charles Roberts and H.G. Wells awards for best tactical wargames (1977, 1983) and the readers of Campaign Magazine selected Squad Leader in 1980 as the “Best Wargame of All Time.” To the historical miniature wargamer, John is best known for his Johnny Reb miniature rules for the American Civil War period. After 25 years, Johnny Reb – now into its third edition – remain as popular as ever.

In the 1980s, John’s flair for innovative tactical simulation brought him to the attention of the Government’s Defense and Intelligence Communities, and for the next 16 years he worked for the government as a senior military analyst. Following a final four year tour at Los Alamos National Laboratory, John retired from classified government work and is currently working with today’s wargame companies to update and republish many of his older designs and to, once again, explore new directions in tactical simulation.

John is currently working on a three game Gettysburg Trilogy for Academy Games. These will be both boardgames – with deluxe counters and mounted boards – and a miniatures system that can use any existing figure mounting system. The first game in the series, "A Bloody Crossroads" focuses on the first day of Gettysburg and, with luck, should be out this summer with the game system being demonstrated in a featured game by John and fellow ‘Guest Speaker’ Scott Mingus focusing on the 1st Day of Gettysburg (see PEL for these games after May 13th).

Mr. Hill will be presenting the following three theme seminars: Long Range Artillery Fire at Gettysburg (Thurs. 4:30 PM); The American Civil War in the Southwest (Fri. 3:30 PM); The First Day of Gettysburg – Small Decisions, Big Results (Sat. 3 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

The following are some of the notable authors, game designers and other Hobby VIPs (in alphabetic order), who are hosting seminars – and many are also hosting games – at this year’s convention.

Larry Bond: Larry co-wrote Red Storm Rising with Tom Clancy, a New York Times bestseller, which has been used at the Naval War College. He has written six novels under his own name: Red Phoenix, Vortex, Cauldron, The Enemy Within, Day of Wrath, and Dangerous Ground. He also wrote a novella titled Lash-Up, which appeared in Steven Coonts’ anthology Combat, as well as several published short stories. He is presently working on several new book projects.

Larry co-designed the Admiralty Trilogy series games, which include Harpoon, Command at Sea, and Fear God & Dreadnought. All have won industry awards, with Harpoon (1980) now in its fourth edition and has won the H.G. Wells Award in 1981, 1987, and 1997 as Best Miniatures Game (the only game to win the award more than once!) It is used at the Naval Academy, several ROTC installations, and on several surface ships as a training aid. The computer version won the 1990 Wargame of the Year award from Computer Gaming World; a new version is in development.

After serving in the Navy six years, and two years in the reserves with the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program, he worked as a naval analyst for defense consulting firms in the Washington, DC area. Larry now writes and designs games full-time. An avid wargamer and modeler with 20 years’ experience, Larry was inducted into the GAMA International Hall of Fame in 2004, due to his many award-winning game designs. Mr. Bond will be presenting the following seminar: The Sea Change in the Chinese Navy (Sat. 10:30 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 14th.

Richard Clarke: Is the prime mover behind TooFatLardies, a UK based publishing house that specializes in writing and producing wargames rules and supplements. Starting out as a hobby TooFatLardies, has developed to become a full time business with the rules gaining international acclaim. His own titles include I Ain’t Been Shot Mum, Charlie Don’t Surf, Through the Mud and the Blood, and Sharp Practice as well as publishing many more including the ever-green Kriegsspiel rules; the original wargame rules of 1824. Richard is a student of the impact of friction on warfare and will be presenting the following seminar on the subject at this year’s convention: Friction or Fiction (Sat. 11 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Gary Dickson: Works for the U.S. government in Washington, DC. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland in Russian Area Studies and began playing wargames in the late 1960’s. Mr. Dickson will be presenting a seminar on the Russian Eastern Front, 1941; (Fri. 6 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

John Dunn: A professor of History at Valdosta State University, where he teaches courses on World Military History, the Islamic World, and Slavic Europe. Author of numerous articles and Khedive Ismail’s Army (2005); he studies military affairs in 19th-20th Century Egypt, Poland, and China. He is also the Coordinator for the HMGS War College at HISTORICON. Mr. Dunn will be presenting the following two seminars – The Egyptian Army Comes of Age: The Siege and Capture of Acre, 1831-32 (Thurs. 10:30 AM); Armored Train Warfare in 1920s China (Sat. 4:30 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 14th.

Larry Frost (Paladin Law): Larry earned a law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of law, Minneapolis Minnesota, in 2009. A retired US Army Lt.-Col., he is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and is co-counsel for Mr. Wehneman in those states. Larry’s wargaming runs the gamut from the about 15,000 lead tanks, men ships and planes to the 730 board games in his 55x25 foot kriegzimmer, a lovely place with what he asserts is the world’s largest permanent game board (floor is tiled in 2” hexes). Mr. Frost (together with Mr. Neil Wehneman) will be presenting a seminar on Intellectual Property Rights for War Game Designers (Fri. 5 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Col. (Ret.) David Glantz: Served for over 30 years in various field artillery, intelligence, teaching and research assignments in Europe and Vietnam; taught at the U.S. Military Academy, Combat Studies Institute, and the U.S. Army War College; founded and directed the U.S. Army’s Foreign (Soviet) Military Studies Office, and established and currently edits The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. Has written or co-authored more than 60 books and self-published studies and atlases, as well as hundreds of articles on Soviet military strategy, intelligence, and deception and the history of the Red (Soviet) Army, Soviet (Russian) military history and WWII.

Col. Glantz is sponsored by Casemate Publishing and will be presenting the following seminar: The Battle for Smolensk, July-Sept 1941 (Fri. 10:30 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details. He will also be available for ‘Meet & Greet’ and book signings at the Casemate Publishing booth (see the booth at the convention for details).

A. Stephan Hamilton: Is the author of the book Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945, and a number of historical articles. His Oder Front 1945 series will consist of at least five volumes and cover the fighting along Germany’s eastern front from the Baltic Coast to Silesia between January-May 1945. His first volume in the series The Oder Front 1945: Generaloberst Gotthard Heinrici, Heeresgruppe Weichsel, and Germany’s Final Defense in the East, 20 March-4 May serves to examine Germany’s defense at the operational level and within the context of its time. This current volume details the command decisions the shaped Germany’s defense through the use of previously unpublished personal accounts of Heeresgruppe Weichsel’s (Vistula) senior officers, the official Heeresgruppe war diary, and daily operational maps.  Future volumes will continue to draw on previously unused German archival material and accounts, and recently available Soviet era documents, to present a thorough examination of the fierce fighting of the final months of war in the east.

When not researching or writing a book, A. Stephan Hamilton works full time and serves as a United States Army Reserve Officer. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Reserve’s Command and General Staff College, and holds a B.A. and M.A. in History. He resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and two children.

Mr. Hamilton is sponsored by Casemate Publishing and will be presenting the following seminar: Generaloberst Gotthard Heinrici and Germany’s Final Defense along the Oder Front 1945 (Sat. 9 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details. He will also be available for ‘Meet & Greet’ and book signings at the Casemate Publishing booth (see the booth at the convention for details).

Will Hutchison: Will Hutchison is a meticulous researcher with a passion for history. He has spent his life in often dangerous endeavors, leading Marines in Vietnam, working as an undercover drug agent in Amsterdam, and serving as a Federal special agent conducting fraud investigations and counter-terrorism initiatives involving nuclear plants. He has written and lectured internationally for over twenty years, and authored the award-winning Ian Carlyle Series, Follow Me to Glory, and The Gettysburg Conspiracy. He is also the photographer and principle author of the scholarly photographic chronicle, Crimean Memories: Artefacts of the Crimean War (Independent Publisher’s Silver Award for best reference book of 2010). Mr. Hutchison is a graduate of Syracuse University, and lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and will be presenting the following theme seminars – Relax Men, It’s only the President: A Measure of Lincoln’s Personal Security (Thur. 12 PM), and Marines in the American Civil War (Fri. 1:30 PM) – see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 14th.

Dana Lombardy: Served as online editor for the Weider History Group, publisher of America's Civil War, Civil War Times and nine other historical magazines. He is also known for his nearly twenty television appearances, including multiple episodes of The History Channel’s “Tales of the Gun” series. Dana has contributed as an editor, cartographer, graphic artist and designer on many books, games and magazines, and was Publisher of Napoleon Journal from 1996-2000. Mr. Lombardy will be presenting the following theme seminar: Secret Turning Points of the American Civil War (Thurs. 3 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 14th.

Bob Jones: Has been involved with wargaming since the early 1960’s, and has had the great good fortune of having personally met many of the leaders in the hobby including Jack Scruby, Don and Larry Featherstone, and Dennis Ingersol Michelson. Mr. Jones has written over fourteen sets of wargame rules starting in 1972 with Le Jeu de la Guerre (La Guerre) and including all of the Piquet series, Zouave, and Die Fighting series.

He has also written extensively on wargame design, military history and technology for Table Top Talk, The Courier, Wargamers Newsletter, MWAN and on-line, contributing over a hundred articles on a wide variety of subjects over the years. His blog at http://www.repiquerules.com/page2/page2.html has 3-4 new entries a month. He has given two previous seminar presentations at HISTORICON.

Mr. Jones has retired from a career in television production and network management, as well as having been the President of The National Association of Television Program Executives. He served as a naval officer aboard a Destroyer in Viet Nam. He has traveled extensively throughout the world from Bora Bora to Rocamador, and had the good fortune to visit battlefields in the United Kingdom, Italy, France, the Lowlands, Germany, Mexico, as well as the United States. In addition to wargaming, Mr. Jones has been a 10K and Marathon runner, amateur astronomer, cribbage player, and mixes a world-class martini.

Mr. Jones will present Dice, Cards, and Rondels: A Seminar on Game Design (Sat. 12 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Tom Laemlein: Is a military history writer and researcher, and is also the owner of Armor Plate Press, a military history publishing company that focuses on the creation of photo studies of 20th Century wars and weapon systems. Tom founded Armor Plate Press in 2005 and Air Corps Films in 2009. Armor Plate Press publications are sold around the world by a growing number of military booksellers, hobby shops and game stores.

Tom is the author of more than 25 books, including US Small Arms in World War II, recently produced by Osprey Publishing. This massive photographic study details American firearms, from pistols to heavy machine guns, in action throughout World War II. Tom also produces two magazines: World War II Ordnance Illustrated and The US Army Air Forces Photo Journal.

Tom says that: “The level of ‘drill-down’ information desired by historians, modelers and gamers never ceases to amaze me. It grows stronger with each passing year. That is why I work in the photo-study format, because the photos provide a tremendous amount of detail, and they do so without editorial. I use captions to guide the reader to specific details that I see, and provide the proper context for the images. After that, the reader takes over and it is truly incredible the amount of obscure details they find in the photos I publish. Quite often these esoteric bits of visual information are combined with other research, creating a pathway to greater understanding of a battle, campaign or weapon—or debunking myths or legends surrounding a specific aspect of military history.  I’m a lucky guy—since I started Armor Plate Press, I can’t wait to get out of bed so I can get to work.”

Recently married in Las Vegas, Tom won’t let that stop him from producing more books on military history. Check out his selection of books, magazines and videos at www.armorplatepress.com

Mr. Laemlein is sponsored by Osprey Publishing and will be presenting the following seminar: Photo Interpretation – Get more from your gaming and modeling experience with vintage military photos (Fri. 9:30 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details. He will also be available for ‘Meet & Greet’ and book signings at the Osprey Publishing booth (see the booth at the convention for details).

Dr. David Martin and Leonard Millman: The Martin and Millman team are prolific designers and developers on numerous simulation wargames dealing with Gettysburg. Samples include: 20th Maine (OSG and Avalon Hill), Devil's Den (OSG & Avalon Hill), Little Round Top (3W) and The Great Invasion (Clash of Arms), plus other ACW game titles include New Market and Iron Brigade. Dr. David Martin is the author of over 25 books on the American Civil War, including the award winning Gettysburg, July 1. The Martin & Millman design team will present a seminar on Gettysburg Scenario Research & Design (Sat. 12:30 PM), and Dr. Martin will present the following two theme seminars himself: Union Corps Commanders at Gettysburg (Sat. 8 PM); New Jersey Regiments at Gettysburg (Saturday 5 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

James Mc Intyre: Is assistant professor of History at Moraine Valley Community College, and researches and writes on eighteenth century warfare. Mr. Mc Intyre will present a seminar on The Delaware River Campaign of 1777: An Examination of an Eighteenth Century Joint Operation (Fri. 6 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Scott Mingus, Sr.: Is a scientist and executive in the paper and printing industry, and holds patents in self-adhesive postage stamps and bar code labels. He was part of the research team that developed the first commercially successful self-adhesive postage stamps for the U.S.

He has six Civil War books currently listed on amazon.com. Coming in April 2011 is Civil War Voices from York County, Pa.: Remembering the Rebellion and the Gettysburg Campaign; an official 150th Civil War Anniversary book for that county. He also is writing Gettysburg’s Controversial Old Confederate General: Governor William “Extra Billy” Smith of Virginia, which will be published by Savas Beatie late in 2011.

Mingus has written several articles for The Gettysburg Magazine. He maintains a popular blog on the Civil War history of York County, Pa., for the York Daily Record (www.yorkblog.com/cannonball), and is a sanctioned Civil War tour guide for the York County Heritage Trust. He also has written six scenario books on wargaming. Scott and his wife Debi publish CHARGE!,the leading international magazine for Civil War miniature wargaming.

A native of southeastern Ohio, he graduated from Miami University after majoring in Paper Science & Engineering. Mingus spent 23 years as a scientist for office products company Avery Dennison in the Cleveland area before joining Glatfelter, a global manufacturer of specialty papers, in 2001. He and his family reside near York, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Mingus will be presenting the following theme seminar – Confederate Operations in Pennsylvania Prior to Gettysburg (Thurs. 10 AM) – see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 14th. Mr. Mingus is also co-hosting (with John Hill – Guest of Honor) a game focusing on the 1st Day of Gettysburg (see PEL for these games after May 14th).

David Schneider: Is President of Schneider Model Railroading, Inc. (SMR Trains®), a company which produces 19th Century railroad models and is also a senior adjunct in History at Burlington County College in Pemberton, NJ. Mr. Schneider regularly conducts extensive research on early railroads of the American Civil War and Civil War History. Among his other publications, he recently authored an article regarding Robert E. Lee's Armored Railroad Gun published in the February, 2011 issue of Civil War Times. He is also a long-time historical wargamer, having published a battalion/regimental set of Napoleonic miniatures rules entitled "En Avant!". Mr. Schneider will give a more detailed presentation of the information uncovered regarding Lee's revolutionary new railroad weapon, and discuss the importance of railroads during the Civil War and integrating the concept into wargaming in the following theme seminar – Robert E. Lee’s Revolutionary New Weapon: The Armored Railroad Gun (Sat. 8:30 AM) – see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 14th.

Edward Smith: A graduate student in the Master of Military History program at Norwich University where he concentrates his studies on East Asian military history, unconventional warfare, and nuclear warfare theory. He completed his Bachelor’s of Arts in history at the University of Oklahoma in 2008, where he received the Sidney DeVere Brown East Asian Studies fellowship. Mr. Smith will be presenting a seminar onChairman Mao’s Continued Revolution: Chinese Revolutionary Warfare in Korea, 1950-53 (Thurs. 1:30 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Richard Sullivan & Joseph McCullough: Richard Sullivan (pictured left) has been Marketing Director at Osprey Publishing for the past five years, and has been a regular attendee at HISTORICON and military history enthusiast. Joseph McCullough (pictured right) has been working at Osprey Publishing for nearly five years, the last three of them in Marketing, and is a long-time wargamer and author of several books.

Richard and Joseph will be hosting a seminar – Osprey Publishing and Ambush Alley: Highlights for 2011 and Beyond! (Fri. 12 PM) – to talk about what’s new and upcoming in 2011 and beyond. Richard will be speaking on the upcoming Osprey’s publishing schedule, so you will be the first to learn about all the new titles, both from our traditional book publishing and our wargaming line, including the first look at Osprey’s upcoming wargaming series. Joseph will be speaking on becoming an Osprey author. Also on hand will be Shawn and Robby Carpenter from Ambush Alley Games to talk about the design and development of Force on Force and the upcoming Tomorrow’s War. Attendees should also plan to stop by the Osprey Publishing booth located in the Vendor Hall to enter daily giveaway contests for HISTORICON – a great way to get free books!

Dr. Ilkka Syvänne: Has a PhD in history from the University of Tampere, Finland, where he published his dissertation The Age of Hippotoxotai, Art of War in Roman Revival and Disaster 491-636 in 2004. Although Dr. Syvänne has a full-time job selling real estate, he is deeply connected to late Roman and Byzantine studies in Finland, assisting MA candidates at Tampere, lecturing on the “Roman Art of War” to Finland’s National Defence University, and serving as Vice Chairman for the Finnish Research Society of Byzantium. He has been selected to write six major articles for Blackwell’s Encyclopaedia of the Roman Army and was recipient of the Society of Ancients Ian Greenwood Price 2006 for his article “The Wars of Constantine the Great.” Dr. Syvänne will be presenting a seminar on Caesar vs. Pompey, 49-48 BC: The Duel for Power (Fri. 11 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Neil Wehneman (Paladin Law): Neil is an intellectual property (“IP”) lawyer in Indianapolis, IN. In association with co-counsel he assists clients throughout the US and overseas. Neil is a board gamer active on BoardGameGeek, and also plays RPG’s, primarily D&D 4th Edition and Shadowrun 4th Edition. His extensive legal, technical and gaming background give him an understanding of gaming IP law which few attorneys can claim. Mr. Wehneman (together with Mr. Larry Frost) will be presenting a seminar on Intellectual Property Rights for War Game Designers (Fri. 5 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Paul Westermeyer: A historian for the History Division, Marine Corps University and holds a Masters in Military History from the Ohio State University. Mr. Westermeyer is the author of U.S. Marines in Battle: Al-Khafji and the forthcoming U.S. Marines in the Gulf War, as well as editor of the forthcoming Desert Voices: An Oral History Anthology of Marines in the Gulf War, 1990-1991. Mr. Westermeyer will be presenting the following two modern war seminars – The Battle of Al-Khafji: Coalition Warfare in Action (Fri. 3 PM); The Battle of Burqan: An Iraqi Counter-attack in the Gulf War (Fri. 4:30 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.

Dr. Alan Zimm: Currently a Section Leader of the Aerospace Performance Analysis Group at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he provides Operations Research analytic support to Department of Defense policy and decision-making processes, concentrating in the the use of combat models and simulations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of California Lost Angeles, a Masters in Operations Research from Naval Postgraduate School, and a Doctorate from the University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California. He previously served in the US Navy as a nuclear power qualified Surface Warfare Officer, including 14 years of sea duty on cruisers, carriers and hydrofoils.

Dr. Zimm is a long-time member of the wargaming community, and wrote and published the computer simulation Action Stations! Naval Surface Combat Tactical Simulation, 1922-1945, which was nominated for ‘Wargame of the Year’ by Computer Gaming World magazine. He is widely published in the areas of naval history, chaos theory, military strategy, weapons development analysis, and analytic techniques, with over 100 journal articles, and has received the Arleigh Burke Award from the US Naval Institute for writing excellence.

Dr. Zimm will be presenting a seminar on the Attack on Pearl Harbor: Plans, Combat, Myths, Deception (Sat. 3:30 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details. Following the seminar, he will be signing copies of his just published book – The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Planning, Combat, Myths, Deceptions – at 5 PM at the Casemate Publishing booth in the Vendor Hall.

Terrence Zuber: A retired U.S. Army officer whose active-duty responsibilities included troop leading, coordination with the German civil population, government, and army, as well as counter-intelligence operations. He received his MA and PhD in History from the University of Würzburg, Germany. He is the author of Inventing the Schlieffen Plan: German War Planning 1871-1914 (Oxford, 2002), German War Planning 1891-1914, Sources and Interpretations (Boydell and Brewer, 2004), The Moltke Myth: Prussian War Planning 1857-1871 (UPA, 2007), The Battle of the Frontiers. Ardennes 1914 (Tempus, 2008), and The Mons Myth: A Reappraisal of the Battle (The History Press, 2010). Mr. Zuber will be presenting the following two WWI seminars:The Real German War Plan 1904-14 (Fri. 12:30 PM); The First Battle of the First World War – Alsace-Lorraine (Fri. 2 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for complete details.