Thom Hatch is an American author and novelist who specializes in the history of the American West, the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, and the Plains Indian Wars. Hatch was born in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

and grew up on

Grand Island, New York Grand Island is an island town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 21,389 representing an increase of 5.00% from the 2010 census figure. The town's name derives from the French name ''La Grand ...

. He graduated from North Olmsted High School in

North Olmsted, Ohio North Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 32,442. North Olmsted is a west side suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and is the 8th most populated city within Cuyahoga County. History ...

. He served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, including deployment to Vietnam for 13 months. He then became a columnist for the Erie Times-News, and worked as a radio announcer during the late 1960s. In 1975, he moved to Colorado, where he writes books, contributes to national publications such as ''American Heritage'', ''America's Civil War'', ''True West'', and ''Western Horseman'', and teaches school. He has served as consultant and appeared on screen as an expert commentator for

The History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

, the Discovery Channel, and PBS documentaries, including "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" for PBS's ''The American Experience'', based on his book ''The Last Outlaws''. Hatch is regularly invited to speak at colleges, seminars, and civic and historic organizations. He lives with his artist wife, a daughter, and a cattle dog in Colorado's horse and cattle country. In 2005, Hatch's ''Black Kettle: The Cheyenne Chief Who Sought Peace But Found War'' received the

Spur Award Spur Awards are literary prizes awarded annually by the Western Writers of America (WWA). The purpose of the Spur Awards is to honor writers for distinguished writing about the American West. The Spur awards began in 1953, the same year the WWA wa ...

for literary excellence as the best biography of the year from the

Western Writers of America Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction, the more than 600 current members also include histori ...

.Reed, Bill
"Local author lassos Spur Award for his biography of Black Kettle"
Colorado Springs Gazette (July 31, 2005)

Bibliography

Nonfiction *''The Father of American Conservation: George Bird Grinnell, Adventurer, Activist, and Author''(()) *''The Last Days of George Armstrong Custer: the True Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn''. * ''The Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legends of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''. * ''Black Kettle : The Cheyenne Chief Who Sought Peace But Found War''. . * ''The Blue, the Gray, & the Red: Indian Campaigns of the Civil War''. . * ''The Custer Companion''. . * ''Clashes of Cavalry.'' . * ''Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn''. . * ''The Alamo and the Texas Revolution''. . * ''Osceola and the Great Seminole War''. * ''Glorious War: The Civil War Adventures of George Armstrong Custer''. St. Martin's Press. . Fiction * ''The Bone Hunters''. . * ''Back to the Place and the Time: A Baseball Fantasy''. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hatch, Thom 1946 births Living people People from Grand Island, New York Writers from Colorado People from North Olmsted, Ohio