Originally from Chicago, Drago moved to Los Angeles with his parents where he went to the University of Santa Clara and then to the University of California, Berkeley where he would eventually earn his doctorate. His studies were diverted when he served his country for two-and-a-half year in the U.S. Army. A Vietnam veteran, Drago was a captain in the Adjutant General's Corps. After his military experience and the completion of his higher education pursuits back at Berkeley, Drago sought a position teaching the Civil War and the Reconstruction period following that great conflict. He found no better school for such a specialty than the College of Charleston, located in the heart of the city which played such a key role in sparking what some locals still refer to as "The War of Northern Aggression."
Drago's books include "Broke by the War: Letters from a Slave Trader," "Hurray for Hampton: Red Shirts in South Carolina During Reconstruction," "Black Politicians and Reconstruction in Georgia: A Splendid Failure," and "Initiative, Paternalism, and Race Relations: Charleston's Avery Normal Institute."
Currently, Drago is writing "Confederate Phoenix: Rebel Children of the South," a work motivated by his interest in the children of that war and how it affected their lives during and after the war. "Most strife we had revolved around the children and can be traced back to the children," Drago said.
He says the research has been surprising in different ways. He has found many insights by reading the letters of soldiers. The dreams of soldiers written in letters have been particularly interesting, Drago said. They will write about seeing themselves with their families, or not recognizing their father, or seeing their friends or family getting hurt or dying. These letters show their real emotions and what they feel and fear deep down, he said. Such letters, along with newspapers, diaries, and photographs are where the majority of Drago's research comes from for his "Confederate Phoenix" book.
Drago says his books have helped him become a better teacher. He says they also help bring attention to the College of Charleston by way of grants and publicity.
"By going through this, I am a better teacher because I can help students with their writing," Drago says. "I can spend time with students and help them because I know that writing is hard."
Melissa Nehez, a world history student of Drago agrees. "He is very intelligent and gives me good feedback due to the fact that he understands a lot about the subjects that he is teaching, " Nehez said.
Drago explains that it is not easy to become published, that the process is a long one. He says a lot of publishing is luck. A company may be interested in the beginning and decide later that it is not, or vice versa. If a book is published and sells 1,000 to 2,000 copies that is good, Drago said. He says being an author is a hard profession to profit from financially. But it's quite clear, Drago's students profit handsomely from the knowledge and skill he shares so freely with them.
For more information on Dr. Edmund "Lee" Drago, please visit: http://www.cofc.edu/~dragoe/
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Edmund "Lee" Drago