A. Wilson Greene

As a well-known historian, Greene has been invited to lecture and participate in panel discussions on the C-SPAN television network. As of 2018, Greene has made ten appearances on C-SPAN. His first appearance was in 2011. His most recent C-SPAN engagement was in 2018. On C-SPAN, Greene has lectured on American Civil War campaigns and battles as well as individual military leaders who served in that conflict. In addition, Greene has hosted C-SPAN lectures and panel discussions covering various Civil War topics.

Greene received the 2011 Nevins-Freeman Award from the Chicago Civil War Round Table. The Nevins-Freeman Award was established in 1974 to recognize special individuals for their outstanding American Civil War scholarship. The award includes a substantial financial contribution to a historical preservation project selected by the recipient.

Over the years, Greene has written a number books along with over 20 journal articles on American Civil War subjects. He has published articles in other media as well. For example, he contributed an article on the Petersburg battle campaign to the on-line Encyclopedia Virginia in 2009. In 2014, Greene began writing a weekly column for the Petersburg Progress-Index newspaper. His column celebrated the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and highlighted the military actions that took place during the siege of Petersburg in 1864.

Greene began research for a three-volume history of the Petersburg campaign in 2007. Those books are under contract to be published by the University of North Carolina Press as part of their American Civil War series. Greene's three volume series is titled A Campaign of Giants—The Battle for Petersburg. The first volume, subtitled From the Crossing of the James to the Crater (ISBN 978-1469638577), was published in 2018.

In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed Greene to the oversight board for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The board oversees the federal agency that advises and supports museums and libraries throughout the United States. Greene served two four-year terms on the board.

In 1995, Greene became the first executive director of the Pamplin Historical Park. He also became the first director of the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, when the museum opened in 1999. From that time on, he directed both institutions concurrently. The park and museum are both located in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. The park covers 424-acre (172 ha) and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Greene remained the director of these two related institutions until he retired in 2017.

He left the National Park Service in 1990 to become the first director of the newly formed Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (now called the Civil War Preservation Trust). Because he was a well-known Civil War historian, Greene was selected as a script reviewer for the 1993 feature film Gettysburg. A decade late, Greene was a historical adviser for the sequel film, Gods and Generals.

In 1989, Greene began leading civil war history tours for the Smithsonian Institution. Over the years, he has become a frequent lecturer and tour leader for the Smithsonian, the Blue and Gray Education Society, and other groups. As of 2018, he was still leading Smithsonian tours.

Greene attended Florida State University where he graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American history. He went on to graduate school at Louisiana State University. At Louisiana State, he studied under the well-known American historian, T. Harry Williams. Greene received a Master of Arts in history from Louisiana State in 1977.

Allen Wilson Greene (born December 18, 1949), also known as Will Greene, is an American historian, author, and retired museum director. Greene was the director of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites. Later, he became director of Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Virginia. He also served on the national oversight board for the Institute of Museum and Library Services Over the years, Greene has made ten appearances on C-SPAN.

Greene was born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois on December 18, 1949. He grew up in Wheaton, a city located 26 miles west of Chicago. In 1963, Greene's parents took him to visit the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. That was the beginning of his lifelong interest in American Civil War history.