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Stephen E. Haller has been Manager of Archives & Records for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation since 1996. He is a Certified Records Manager with twenty-five years of archives and records management accomplishments in education, public and non-profit organizations. After serving in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War, Mr. Haller received his B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa) and M.A. from Miami University (Ohio). He was an archivist for the Ohio Historical Society and later established and directed a nationally recognized archives and records management program in Montgomery County, Ohio.
Mr. Haller is also the president-elect of the Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation and serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Williamsburg. He was board chairman of the Miami Valley Literacy Council in Dayton, Ohio before moving to Williamsburg.He has authored a number of historical and technical publications, including William Washington - Cavalryman of the Revolution, "An Officer's Button of an Unidentified 7th Regiment" in The Web of Time in 2000, and Managing Records on Limited Resources in 1991. He was recently the project coordinator for Colonial Williamsburg's commemorative booklet, Colonial Williamsburg - The First 75 Years. He has held positions in professional associations and presented at their conferences and has been an instructor at community colleges and the Ohio State Supreme Court's Judicial College. An avid student of the Revolutionary War, Mr. Haller also collects and paints military miniatures.
Mr. Haller's most recent book is a biography of William Washington, the Patriot cavalry commander brave enough to cross sabers with Tarleton's dreaded "green dragoons." William Washington - Cavalryman of the Revolution (Heritage Books, Inc.) fills that exciting and long omitted gap in the story of the cavalry in the Revolutionary War in the Carolinas. The book compliments the biographies of several of Washington's fellow officers, including William Davie, Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion, Daniel Morgan and Thomas "Gamecock" Sumter -- as well as his primary British adversary, "Bloody" Banastre Tarleton. During the campaign in the Carolinas, General Nathaniel Greene once referred to "Light Horse Harry" Lee as his "eye," but he called Colonel Washington his "arm."
Washington's military career is representative of the small, loyal cadre of key field officers who served with distinction in the Continental Army for the duration of the War. His six years in the war provide a first-hand view of the problems faced by the Americans in maintaining not only an army, but also particularly a cavalry corps. His story offers new insights on the traditional views of senior American generals George Washington, Nathaniel Greene and Horatio Gates regarding the cavalry's role in the war. Washington demonstrated his courage and tactical sense at Rugeley's Farm and Hammond Stores, and led decisive charges at Cowpens and Guilford Court House. His impetuous drive to bring an action to conclusion caused him trouble at Hobkirk's Hill and Eutaw Springs (where he was wounded and captured). A brief chronology of Washington's early life in Stafford County, Virginia and his later years in Charleston, South Carolina (including his romance with Jane Elliott and his political career) round out this story.
The book was launched at the Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina on July 4, 2001 as part of the 225th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and was described as "a lively, well-researched book that should delight historical-minded readers" in The State (South Carolina's largest newspaper).The talk is open to Friends of the Library and their guests, and will be held on Friday, October 19, 2001 at 7:00 p.m. in the Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland Street. A reception will follow.
For information on joining the Friends of the Library, click here.
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