Frank E. Vandiver, 79; Military Historian, Author and Teacher

Frank E. Vandiver, 79, a military historian and former finalist for the National Book Award, died of heart and lung problems Friday at his home in College Station, Texas.

Vandiver was a history teacher and administrator at Texas A&M University, the University of North Texas and Rice University, and also taught at Washington University in St. Louis, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Oxford, among others.

Particularly interested in the Civil War, Vandiver wrote and edited more than 20 books and 100 scholarly articles. Among his books were "Mighty Stonewall" and "Their Tattered Flags: The Epic of the Confederacy."

Vandiver's book "Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing" was a finalist for the National Book Award.