The Civil War Round Table of Atlanta’s Harwell Book Award

Originally published December 2017 · p. 19

The Civil War Round Table of Atlanta has presented Earl Hess with the Richard Barksdale Harwell Award for the best book written on a Civil War subject published in 2016. Hess’s fine book on Bragg provides a balanced assessment of the much-maligned general. Gary Barnes, chairman of the Harwell Award Committee, praised the work for its superb writing and meticulous scholarship. Grant Moseley, president of the Round Table, presented the award following Hess’s speech at the October 10 meeting of the sixty-eight year-old organization. The Harwell Award is given annually by the Atlanta Round Table. Consisting of a monetary prize and an engraved plaque, the award honors the late Richard Barksdale Harwell, nationally recognized librarian, biographer, and historian. Harwell was the first president of the Round Table, serving from 1949 to 1951. Hess spoke at the October meeting before a packed house. He told the audience about the man and his career, discussing his shortcomings and their impact on the course of the war, but also drawing attention to some exaggerations and outright fabrications about Bragg that have colored history’s view of the “most hated man of the Confederacy.” Recent recipients of the Harwell Award include David Powell, Timothy Smith, Allen Guelzo, and Brian Wills. The Round Table is now accepting nominations for the books published in the current year. See the website for submission guidelines: http://cwrta.org/ bookawards.htm.