Merritt graduate turns historian

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Published on Wednesday, 20 June 2012 11:19

Dr. Brad Lookingbill publishes third book, American Military History

Mary Loveland
Daily Elk Citian 

Sam Watkins was just 21 years old when he rushed to enlist in the military at the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861. He was from small town Columbia, Tenn. where 119 of his peers also volunteered for the cause. At the end of what turned out to be America's deadliest war, Watkins was one of only seven that returned home alive.

His story is just one of nearly 130 other documents that Dr. Brad Lookingbill, history professor at Columbia College, collected and published in his latest textbook, American Military History.

"I found his reminiscences of service in the Civil War," Lookingbill, a Merritt High School graduate of 1987, said. "He recalls incredible detail, everything from friends who lost arms and legs in battles to moments when he felt sad and lonely and missed his darling, I think her name was Gene, a girl back home. It's a great example of the ordinary soldier's experiences with war."

American Military History is just that: an illustration of America's military experience, which covers decades of history from the colonial period to the present, told by the voice of the ordinary soldier.

Lookingbill began teaching history at Columbia College in 1996. He has since earned the Governor's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2002, the Columbia College Trustee's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2007, and was awarded the Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Historical Association in 2010. He also has two more books in the making, expected to release in 2013.

For this full article and more information, pick up the Wednesday, June 20, edition of the Daily Elk Citian.