Don Troiani''s Civil War Soldiers

About Don TroianiEarl CoatesEarl J. Coates

Don Troianis Civil War paintings and limited edition prints hang in the finest museum and private collections including the Smithsonian West Point the Pentagon Gettysburg National Park the US Army War College and the National Civil War Museum. His artwork has been featured extensively on A&E History Discovery and Military channels and Don regularly serves as military advisor on major motion pictures. He is on the board of the Anne Brown Library and the Civil War Trust. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Award of the US National Guard and designed Civil War battlefield coins for the US Mint. Don received his art training from the PA Academy of Fine Arts and the NY City Art Students League. He lives in Southbury CT. Earl J. Coates is a native of Ashland Ohio and now lives near Gettysburg Pa. He is a lifelong student of the American Civil War specializing in arms and uniforms and has contributed to and published numerous articles and books on the subject. His friendship with Don Troiani began in the early 1970s. Since then he has provided research assistance on uniforms and equipment which has helped make Mr. Troianis work known worldwide for accuracy and detail. Mr. Coates is a graduate of Loyola College with a dual major in United States and Russian history. He served three years in the Army Security Agency and had over thirty years service with the National Security Agency. He retired from the NSA as a senior historian and was the first curator of the Agencys National Cryptologic Museum. An avid shooter he has been a member of North-South Skirmish Association since 1970 serving eight years as National Commander. In 1978 he helped form the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg and served for over six years as its president. He was also president of Maryland Arms Collectors Association and appears as a regular on Maryland Public Televisions weekly show Chesapeake Collectables as appraiser of Firearms and Sword. Mr. Coates has been a proud member of the Company of Military Historians since 1962.