Finalists Announced for $50,000 Military History Book Prize to Be Awarded at New Festival in November
Mary Koik, mkoik@battlefields.org
(202) 367-1861 (option 3)
Washington, D.C.) — The American Battlefield Trust has announced its short list of finalists for the 2025 American Battlefield Trust Prize for History, an annual award that seeks to showcase the vital nature of historic battlefields as primary sources in literary works and amplify the pressing need for preservation to readers interested in American history. All finalists, who were nominated by their respective publishing houses, have been invited to speak at a festival-style gathering of books and authors convened by the Trust in Gettysburg, Pa., November 13-15, the lead-up to Remembrance Day Weekend.
The award, endowed by a generous donor to ensure no funds are diverted from the Trust’s primary mission, recognizes an outstanding published work focused on military history or a biography central to the nation’s formative conflicts: the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The organization has protected nearly 60,000 acres at more than 160 sites related to these wars since its founding — but many more remain threatened.
“Each of these finalists demonstrate the irreplaceable research and perspective that come from the hallowed grounds of our nation’s battlefields,” said David Duncan, president of the Trust. “We hope this award helps to encourage more authors to create such works and galvanize audience support and interest around preservation.”
The prize will be presented during a new Trust event in November, celebrating the connection between place and historical scholarship. All finalists have been invited to speak at the multi-day event, to be held in conjunction with the Adams County Historical Society November 13-15, the days leading up to the anniversary of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and dedication of the national cemetery. A full roster of speakers will be announced in August, when tickets go on sale. In addition to the $50,000 top prize, smaller awards will also be presented to up to two honorable mention titles.
Listed alphabetically, the finalists include:
- Alan 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)
For more information on the prize, including past honorees, please visit American Battlefield Trust Prize for History | American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org). Share your impressions of the finalists on social media using the hashtag #BattlefieldBookPrize.
The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected nearly 60,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War across 160 sites in 25 states. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.
