Kendall D. Gott is an Army veteran of Desert Storm, the Senior Historian at the US Army Combat Studies Institute, and author of several works. He is most noted academically as a Civil War and general military history historian, and is a frequent speaker at various Civil War roundtables and staff rides.
U.S. Army, 1978-2000
Gott enlisted in the US Army and served in Germany with the 3rd Armored Division in Frankfurt as an Intelligence Analyst. He temporarily left the service in 1981, joined ROTC, and attained a BA in history from Western Illinois University in 1983. He returned to the Army and was assigned to Baumholder, Germany as a 2nd Lieutenant in Armor. At the end of this tour Gott reluctantly returned to the Military Intelligence branch after experiencing significant hearing loss. His specialties in that field were Analyst and Counterintelligence.
Like many Army retirees, Gott faced challenges in adjusting to civilian life. While living in Martinez, Georgia he worked for a brief time as a defense contractor and as a high school teacher. He was an adjunct professor of history at Augusta State University for four years and concurrently at the Georgia Military College for two years. A break-up of the family precipitated his return to his adopted home state of Kansas.
Return to Leavenworth, Kansas 2002-
After eight months as a contractor with the Battle Command Training Program (BCTP), Gott joined the staff of the Combat Studies Institute (CSI) at Fort Leavenworth as a historian and writer in 2002. He was promoted to Senior Historian in 2006 and served as head of the Research and Publications team. In 2012 he was named an Assistant Adjunct Professor of the Command and General Staff College. Gott completed over half of the coursework towards a PhD from Kansas State University, but his studies are on indefinite hiatus. He served as the Team Chief of the Research and Books team for 15 years until opting for retirement.
Private life
Gott has presented programs with regional Civil War roundtables and has supported a number of staff rides conducted by the Blue and Gray Education Society. He also is very active in supporting the National Park Service at the Fort Donelson National Battlefield Park. He is a Lutheran, and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars the American Legion, and National Eagle Scout Association. Gott earned a private pilot certificate in May 2012. He has two sons, one living in Augusta, Georgia and one in Leavenworth, Kansas. In 2018 Mr. Gott married his high school sweetheart Julia Slane.
Selected publications and media
Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry - Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862. Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN0-8117-0049-6.
In Glory’s Shadow: The 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment During the Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991. Special Collections, Combined Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, 1997.
The US Army and the Media: 2009 CSI Symposium Proceedings (general editor). CSI Press. ISBN978-0-9841901-1-9
The US Army and the Interagency Process: 2008 CSI Symposium Proceedings (managing editor). CSI Press. ISBN978-0-9801236-6-1
Warfare in the Age of Non-State Actors: 2007 CSI Symposium Proceedings (managing editor). CSI Press. ISBN978-0-9801236-0-9
Security Assistance: US and International Historical Perspectives: 2006 CSI Symposium Proceedings (managing editor). CSI Press. ISBN0-16-077346-6
The Brcko Bridge Riot: Mission Command in the Midst of Ethnic Strife, in Mission Command in the 21st Century: Empowering to Win in a Complex World. The Army Press, 2016. ISBN978-1-940804-24-8
Steamboat Seasons and Backwater Battles: A Riverboat Pilot on the Western Rivers in the Civil War, A Historical Novel. Covenant Books, 2019. ISBN978-164559-373-7
Ride to Oblivion: The Sterling Price Raid into Missouri, 1864, A Historical Novel. Covenant Books, 2020 ISBN978-1-64670-205-3
Gone to Kansas: 1855 Covenant Books, 2021. ISBN978-1-63885-292-6 The audiobook version was nominated for a Grammy in 2022. It came close but did not make the final list of six.
Gone to Kansas: 1856: Fire and Tribulation Covenant Books, 2023. ISBN979-8-88644-786-6
Documentaries and Films
Appeared on the History Channel’s Investigating History: The Battle of Mine Creek.
Consulted and appeared on the documentary film "Fort Donelson: Gateway to the Confederate Heartland", by Aperture Films. This film is shown hourly at the Fort Donelson Visitors Center.
Consulted and appeared on the documentary film "Unconditional Surrender: The Dover Hotel", by Aperture Films. This film is shown at the historic Dover Hotel in Dover, Tennessee.