About Cory
Cory M. Pfarr works for the Department of War (formerly Defense). He is the award-winning author of Longstreet at Gettysburg: A Critical Reassessment (2019), Righting the Longstreet Record at Gettysburg: Six Matters of Controversy and Confusion (2023), The Federal Signal Service at Antietam: Stations, Officers and Battlefield Intelligence on America’s Bloodiest Day (2026), and the poetry collection Embers in the Silence: A Pilgrimage Through Memory, Flame, and Light (2026).
His essays and scholarship have appeared in Gettysburg Magazine, North & South Magazine, Emerging Civil War, Studies in Intelligence, and The Massachusetts Historical Review. His work has been featured on the Pennsylvania Cable Network and C-SPAN’s American History TV, and he has presented his research at the U.S. Army War College.
In addition to his historical writing, his poetry explores themes of memory, faith, family, loss, and the passage of time.
He lives in Fallston, Maryland, with his wife and three children.
Reviews
William Garrett Piston, author, Lee’s Tarnished Lieutenant: James Longstreet and His Place in Southern History
“Cory M. Pfarr’s work is a powerful demonstration of the historian’s craft. His command of sources is unsurpassed, and his six well-crafted essays provide important insights into how and why historical memory can be manipulated and contested. This is not a partisan defense of Confederate General James Longstreet, but a cogent and balanced examination of controversies relating to the battle which have endured for over 150 years. This important work places Pfarr at the forefront of Gettysburg scholars and will be indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the most famous battle of the American Civil War.”
Nancy Siegel, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, Towson University
“From the shadows of youthful conflict and constructed memories of embattled history into light-filled reflections upon personal desire and yearning, Embers in the Silence is an intimate collection of poems which moves the reader through various stages of loss and love, ultimately resting with the author’s enduring belief in hope and faith. Pfarr is a gifted wordsmith, inviting us into his personal evolution which resonates with universal appeal.”
