Cecily N. Zander

Cecily is a historian specializing in the Civil War era and the American West. She is currently finishing her dissertation at the Pennsylvania State University. Her dissertation project examines the Regular Army from 1835-1885 and discusses the complex and multifaceted relationship between military power, federal policy, American expansion, and the Civil War.

Cecily received her MA from Penn State in 2017 and her BA from the University of Virginia in 2015. She grew up on the Colorado Front Range and spends considerable time explaining the difference between real mountains (the Rockies) and the Appalachians to her friends.

She has published articles in both academic and popular venues, including Civil War Times magazine and Civil War History. She will soon publish an essay on Elizabeth Bacon Custer in a follow up volume to Gary W. Gallagher and Stephen Cushman, eds., Civil War Writing (LSU, 2019). Her research has been supported by grants from the Center For Military History, the Huntington Library, and the University of Oklahoma Western History Collection, as well as the Briscoe Library at the University of Texas, the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University, and the Filson Historical Society.

When not reading and writing about the Civil War era, Cecily enjoys hiking and visiting historic sites, as well as watching various sports squads—including the Colorado Rockies, Arsenal FC, the Virginia Cavaliers basketball team, and Penn State football. She has visited 42 of the lower 48 states and intends to cross the remaining six off of her list soon.

More information can be found at her personal website: https://cecilynzander.com/