Powell Wins 22nd Austin Civil War Round Table’s Prize

Originally published July 2017 · p. 19

AUSTIN, TEXAS—David A. Powell, a Chicago historian has won the twenty second annual Daniel M. and Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize given by the Austin Civil War Round Table, Inc. The winning work is The Chickamauga Campaign―Barren Victory: The Retreat into Chattanooga, the Confederate Pursuit, and the Aftermath of the Battle, September 21 to October 20, 1863, published by Savas Beatie. Barren Victory is the third and concluding volume of Powell’s Chickamauga Campaign trilogy, a comprehensive examination of one of the most important and complex military operations of the Civil War. Barren Victory examines the immediate aftermath of the battle with unprecedented detail. The narrative opens at dawn on Monday, Sept. 21,

1863, with Union commander Gen. William S. Rosecrans in Chattanooga and most of his Federal army in Rossville, Ga. Confederate commander Gen. Braxton Bragg has won the signal victory of his career, but has yet to fully grasp that fact or the fruits of his success. With the publication of Barren Victory, the Chickamauga Campaign and the bloodiest two days of the Civil War has the detailed history it never has had before. James Hessler, author of Sickles at Gettysburg, in a review of Powell’s book wrote, “The post-battle coverage is simply unprecedented among prior Chickamauga studies, ranging from graphic eyewitness descriptions of the battlefield’s horrors to in-depth consideration of the outcome’s strategic and political implications. Powell seamlessly weaves the stories of the campaign’s large cast of characters together, including full discussions of Braxton Bragg’s limited options… Every enthusiast of the American Civil War’s Western Theater will want this essential final volume of Dave Powell’s series in their personal library.” The Laney Prize money of $2,000 will be awarded to Powell at the June 22, 2017, meeting of the Austin Civil War Round Table, Inc. The Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Prize is awarded yearly by the Austin Civil War Round Table, Inc. for distinguished scholarship and writing on the military or political history of the Civil War. For more information, contact the President of the Austin Civil War Round Table, Inc., David White, 512-497-4832, email: [email protected].