George F Franks III

"The Life and Death of James Johnston Pettigrew" presented by George Franks  
     Most people only know Johnston Pettigrew from the "Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge" at Gettysburg or from his appearance in the movie about the battle. Pettigrew was considered the "most brilliant man in the South". A scholar, linguist, author, legislator, military advisor and Confederate officer, Pettigrew was a complex man whose contributions are not widely recognized today. George Franks uncovered many stories about the little-known Confederate general during his study of the July 14, 1863 Battle of Falling Waters in Maryland - where Pettigrew was mortally wounded. Franks lives on the Falling Waters Battlefield.

     George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, and owner of Geo. Franks, Hatter, a global e-commerce business. He is a former technology executive with extensive international experience. George is the founder and President of the Battle of Falling Waters 1863 Foundation, Inc. and a member of the Board of Directors of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area. He is a Commissioner on the C&O Canal Federal Advisory Commission. George served as an officer and governor of theCompany of Military Historians and as President of the organization’s Chesapeake Chapter. He was President of the Capitol Hill Civil War Round Table in Washington, D.C. and is an active member of Hagerstown Civil War Round Table, Save Historic Antietam Foundation and the Civil War Trust. George is the author of Battle of Falling Waters 1863: Custer, Pettigrew and the End of the Gettysburg Campaign and lives in the 1830 Daniel Donnelly House on the battlefield - less than a mile from the C & O Canal. George was awarded the 2015 John Frye Historical Preservation Award by the Washington County (Maryland) Commissioners. He studied history at the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Pittsburgh where he was graduated Magna cum Laude. AT&T selected George for the executive programs in marketing and international business at University of Virginia Darden School and Emory University Goizueta Business School.