Rod Gragg is the author of numerous works of history, including George Washington: An Interactive Biography; Robert E. Lee: Character and Valor; and Planters, Pirates, and Patriots: Historical Tales from the South Carolina Grand Strand. His books have won the James I. Robertson Award, the Douglas Southall Freeman Award, the Jefferson Davis Medal, and the Fletcher Pratt Award and have been selected for the Book-of-the-Month Club, the History Book Club, and the Military History Book Club. A native of Conway, South Carolina, he earned his BA in journalism and MA in American history from the University of South Carolina. He and his family live on the South Carolina Grand Strand.