About Donald J. Hartman

Donald J. Hartman has been collecting bayonets for over forty years, specializing in American bayonets for most of this time, with a further concentration in US Krag bayonets.

With a BA degree in English and a MA degree in literature, Don has experienced a fulfilling career teaching English and literature for thirty-two years. Upon retirement, Don has been able to pursue his interest in enlarging not only his collection but also his knowledge of Krag bayonets. Recognizing a need for a more thorough, scholarly study of these bayonets, Don has brought his research and writing skills to bear in The U.S. Krag Bayonets, visiting and/or corresponding with eighteen research facilities in the United States, and analyzing literally thousands of pages of US Army documents.

As a U.S. Air Force officer for four years (1967–1971), and as a decorated Vietnam veteran, Don also has some knowledge and appreciation of the workings of the US military and the importance to the individual soldier of his hand held weapons. A life member of the National Rifle Association since 1978, he is also a member of several state and national arms collecting fraternities, including the New Jersey Arms Collectors Club, the Forks of the Delaware Historical Arms Society (life member), the Krag Collectors Association, the Society of American Bayonet Collectors, and The Company of Military Historians.

Don’s enthusiasm for and abiding interest in Krag bayonets has apparently been somewhat contagious: his wife, Dawn, is the primary photographer for this book and an astute co-researcher; his older daughter, Tracy, contributed the drawings contained herein and has aided in book design; his younger daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Robert Gilpatric, are primarily responsible for book design, photography set-up, and textual editing.