American Battlefield Trust Prize for History

Since its founding in 1987 the American Battlefield Trust has worked to protect the sites on which this nation’s formative conflicts — the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and the Civil War — were decided, recognizing that those landscapes themselves are primary sources by which scholars and armchair historians alike can come to more deeply understand the past. Having now protected nearly 60,000 acres at more than 160 sites in 25 states and connected with more than 16 million teachers and students annually, the organization also calls attention to landscape’s intimate connection with the historical record via the American Battlefield Trust Prize for History. 

The Prize is made annually to a work of military history or biography that underscores the essential role of the nation’s military conflicts on the founding, formation, and perpetuation of our exceptional country. It is made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor — meaning no money donated to the Trust for operations or programs is diverted to this purpose. It is designed, in the words of inaugural winner Elizabeth Varon, to encourage authors to embrace the potential of historic battlefields as "wellsprings of new knowledge and expertise." Our hope is to galvanize readers to action on behalf of these threatened sites, introducing the pressing need for preservation to audiences already interested in American history. 

2025 Finalists and Festival

Beginning in 2025, all finalists for the Prize will receive an invitation to speak at a festival-style gathering celebrating books and authors that embody the unique role of physical places in historical scholarship. This year, in collaboration with the Adams County Historical Society, we will gather in Gettysburg, Pa., November 13-15, the days leading up to Remembrance Day Weekend. A full roster of speakers and activities will be released in August, when tickets go on sale and the winning titles are announced.

Out of dozens of titles nominated by 15 different publishing houses, the six 2025 finalists, listed alphabetically, are:

• Allen Pell Crawford, This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America's Revolutionary War in the South (Alfred A. Knopf)  
• Erik Larson, The Demon of Unrest (Crown Publishing)
• Patrick O'Donnell, The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations (Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press)
• Timothy Smith, The Inland Campaign for Vicksburg: Five Battles in Seventeen Days, May 1-17, 1863 (Kansas University Press)
• Alan Taylor, American Civil Wars: A Continental History (W.W. Norton & Company)
• Andrew Waters, Backcountry War: The Rise of Francis Marion, Banastre Tarleton and Thomas Sumter (Westholme Publishing) 

Eligibility and Submission Guidelines

The award carries a $50,000 prize for the winner, plus up to two $2,500 recognitions for titles receiving honorable mention. A list of those works deemed finalists by our selection panel will also be publicized when it is turned over to our esteemed judges. 

Learn more about the stunning sculpture presented to each year's winner.

Publishers, rather than authors, may nominate works of military history aligned with the Trust’s land preservation mission published during that calendar year via an online form from October through December 31. Self-published works, including those distributed solely through platforms like Kindle Direct are not eligible. Nomination directions and further details may be obtained by e-mailing bookprize@battlefields.org.

Inaugural Awardees

After a rigorous process to winnow the field, a group of finalists was evaluated by a trio of exceptional historian judges: Dr. James Kirby Martin, Dr. James McPherson and Dr. Joan Waugh. Elizabeth Varon’s Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South was named the winner of the inaugural American Battlefield Trust Prize for History, with D. Scott Hartwig’s I Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and the End of the Maryland Campaign and Friederike Baer’s Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War given honorable mention.