Steven D. Fratt, PhD
Professor of History
1990
BA, Westmont College, Honors in History
MA, PhD, University of California–Santa Barbara
Prior to Trinity, Dr. Fratt taught at Sterling College and Westmont College. He is a European generalist with interests in intellectual and military history, history of science, and the philosophy of history. He is an expert in nineteenth-century military tactics and is the adjutant for the 1st Illinois Battalion of Civil War reenactors. Dr. Fratt has articles in Strategy and Tactics and North and South magazines and has been a consultant for several authors of military history. He is chair of the History Department and director of the School of Humanities.
Dr. Fratt also has an interesting personal story and experiences that make him uniquely qualified to head the Military History program at Trinity.
Dr. Fratt heard the call to be a soldier in second grade when he listened to a record telling the story of Horatio at the bridge defending the Roman Republic against the King of Clusium. Epic double features at the movies and trips to the library reinforced his interest in military history. His father bought him Louis Marx historical playsets for Christmas and birthdays which were organized according to Joseph Morchauser's book How to Play Wargames. Dr. Fratt received an appointment to West Point from his Congressman as a high school senior, but could not go after a bout with mononeucleosis.
Instead, Dr. Fratt went to Westmont College, Santa Barbara and double-majored in History and Philosophy. His 11-credit major honors project culminated in a 200-page work on the Waterloo Campaign. After a year at Fuller Theological Seminary, Dr. Fratt enrolled at University of California, Santa Barbara for a Masters and Ph.D. in History. His fields include the Scottish Enlightenment, Reformation, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, History of Science, and Philosophy of History.
While at USCB, Dr. Fratt studied fencing and taught sabre. He joined the medieval reenacting group, The Society for Creative Anachronism where he won an award of arms and served as Knight Marshal for the Shire of Isles.
While working on his dissertation, Dr. Fratt conducted wargames dealing with the Napoleonic and American Civil Wars. Contact with George Jeffrey led to a correspondence relationship with Paddy Griffith of Sandhurst Military Academy in England. Dr. Griffith became Dr. Fratt's informal mentor in the military history of the 19th century. Eventually Dr. Griffith's encouragement led to Dr. Fratt's article in The Indiana Military History Journal edited by Gunther Rothenberg. Dr. Fratt was also a significant consultant Paddy Griffith's Battle Tactics of the American Civil War published in the United States by Yale University. This seminal work has gradually impacted the views of American historians like Earl Hess on combat in the Civil War.
After several articles in Strategy and Tactics Magazine on combat and tactics in the American Civil War and Franco-Prussian War, Dr. Fratt published a seminal article on "The Guns of Gettysburg" in North and South Magazine in which he argued American Civil War artillery, properly understood, should be viewed as augmented Napoleonic heavy field artillery.
Teaching stints at Westmont College and Sterling College finally brought Dr. Fratt and his wife Linda to Trinity College, Deerfield, Illinois. While at Trinity, the Fratts switched from medieval reenacting to the American Civil War.
Linda (who has Masters degrees in Library Science and American Church History) has developed a Christian Commission impression which includes an authentic reproduction of a travelling library cabinet. Dr. Fratt's experience ranges widely through all the ranks and both sides. Seven years in the 7th Virginia Infantry and as an acting sergeant in Austin's Battalion of Louisiana Sharpshooters led to accepting a commission as 2nd Lieutenant, commanding company A, 19th Illinois Infantry (The Chicago Zouaves) and then 1st Lieutenant, Adjutant, the Illinois Battalion. Currently, Dr. Fratt serves as Assistant Adjutant General for the 1st Brigade, Illinois Volunteers with the rank of Captain.
Some of Dr. Fratt's more significant Civil War reenacting experiences as a Confederate include: 135th Sharpsburg fights in the Cornfield, and Bloody Lane. 135th Gettysburg as a 2nd Sergeant for McPherson's Ridge, Wheat Field, Culp's Hill and a 12,000 man recreation of Pickett's Charge. Dr. Fratt also commanded three reenactments at Marshal Michigan as a Confederate Major and Colonel. Memorable Federal experiences include researching, writing, and performing a one-man show on General Joshua L. Chamberlain, Battle of Perryville as Battalion Adjutant, several regional stints a Assistant Adjutant General for David Shackleford's Cumberland Guard, and recently serving as a #2 and #4 in a crew serving an original 12# Napoleon named Mary which was used during the Civil War.
Dr. Fratt is a gifted speaker and also presents war reenactments and wargame presentations.
