Elizabeth D. Leonard earned her PhD from the University of California Riverside in 1992. She had previously obtained her Master of Arts degree in U.S. History from the same institution in 1988.
Yankee Women: Gender Battles in the Civil War appeared on the 17th of September 1995 through W.W. Norton & Co. This work examined controversial figures like Loreta Janeta Velázquez and argued that traditional narratives often ignored the active roles women played during the conflict.
Lincoln's Forgotten Ally: Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt of Kentucky won the Lincoln Prize in 2012. The biography examined the life of a man who served as Judge Advocate General during the conflict.
Her professional journey began at Colby College in Waterville, Maine shortly after she completed her doctoral studies. Leonard served first as an assistant professor and then advanced to associate professor between 1992 and 2003.
Men of Color to Arms! Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality arrived on the 23rd of August 2010 via W.W. Norton & Co. This publication detailed the struggle for equality during Reconstruction alongside military service records.