Born in the western Tennessee town Maury City[1] on April 8, 1918, Roland grew up as the son and grandson of a family of teachers[2][3] in Henderson.
[2] He became a high-school history teacher for two years in Alamo, Tennessee, before moving to Washington, D.C., to start work as a historical aide for the National Park Service.
Roland would continue in this role until middle of January in 1942 when he was inducted into the United States Armed Forces.
[1] During World War II, he would serve as a captain in the 99th Infantry Division in the European theatre and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star over the course of his deployment.
[2][3] Roland served in several academic capacities throughout his career and authored a considerable amount of published works on the American Civil War.