author

Harold L. (Harold Leslie) Peterson

1922–1978

Best known for making the history of firearms and military objects vivid and accessible, this American historian and museum curator wrote widely on early American arms, uniforms, and material culture. His work helped shape how museums, collectors, and readers understand weapons in historical context.

2 Audiobooks

U.S.S. Cairo: The Story of a Civil War Gunboat Comprising a Narrative of Her Wartime Adventures by Virgil Carrington Jones, and an Account of Her Raising in 1964 by Harold L. Peterson

U.S.S. Cairo: The Story of a Civil War Gunboat Comprising a Narrative of Her Wartime Adventures by Virgil Carrington Jones, and an Account of Her Raising in 1964 by Harold L. Peterson

by Virgil Carrington Jones, Harold L. (Harold Leslie) Peterson

Arms and Armor of the Pilgrims, 1620-1692

Arms and Armor of the Pilgrims, 1620-1692

by Harold L. (Harold Leslie) Peterson

About the author

Born in Peekskill, New York, on May 22, 1922, Harold Leslie Peterson became a respected historian of firearms and related subjects in American history. He studied at Drew University, graduating magna cum laude in 1945, and his early career included work with the Wisconsin Historical Society before he joined the National Park Service.

Peterson went on to serve as a staff historian and later chief curator for the National Park Service, building a reputation for careful research on arms, armor, and military life in early America. He was also a cofounder of the Company of Military Historians, reflecting the influence he had on the study of military material culture.

He wrote numerous books, including Arms and Armor in Colonial America, The Book of the Continental Soldier, The American Sword 1775–1945, and A History of Firearms. Remembered as a leading expert in his field, he died in 1978.