On May 13, 2015, The Civil War Round Table of New York presented the
59th Annual Fletcher Pratt Literary Award for best non-fiction book of
the year to the legendary Civil War Historian, Author and Battlefield
Tour Guide Extraordinaire, Ed Bearss.



 The prestigious Fletcher Pratt Award was presented by Patrick Falci,
Past President of the Civil War Round Table of New York and Chairperson
of the Fletcher Pratt Awards Committee, along with Award Committee
Members Charles Mander and William Finlayson, at the Round Table’s
590th meeting to the chief historian emeritus of the National Parks
Service, Ed Bearss, for his two volume work, “The Petersburg
Campaign.”

 Awards Chairperson Patrick Falci first informed one of the
largest-attended meetings of the Round Table of Ed Bearss’ incredible
journey to New York City. Luckily, the 91-year-old Award Winner was not
on the Amtrak train which crashed the night before the meeting, but was
awoken to find out he had to find another way to New York City for the
Awards Banquet with over 125 of his devoted fans. The plucky World War
II Marine Corps veteran found his way to 30th Street Station in
Philadelphia by four o’clock and was driven to The 3 West Club in
Manhattan just minutes before he was scheduled to speak at 7:30 pm. The
ever gracious, never-tiring Battlefield Tour Guide Extraordinaire was
then greeted by his admirers with a spontaneous, standing ovation and by
the oldest living past president of the Round Table, Dr. Howard Simon,
who traveled all the way from Florida to celebrate Ed’s award. The
encyclopedic Ed Bearss regaled the audience with a story how Dr. Simon,
just 50 short years ago, had come to Vicksburg, Mississippi for a
scouting mission for a Battlefield Tour with Ed, only to be misheard in
the old South during the 60’s not as representing the New York City
Civil “War” Round Table, but as representing the New York City Civil
“Rights” Table. Falci praised Bearss’ award-winning “The
Petersburg Campaign,” and the author explained how it had come to be
written from notes compiled years ago when Ed had walked the actual
terrain. Falci also pointed out that Bearss had led more than 25
Battlefield Tours for the Round Table, more than anyone.

 The Fletcher Pratt Award was established in 1956. One of the charter
founding members of the Civil War Round Table of New York, Fletcher
Pratt was a prolific writer. Pratt authored 16 books, including six on
the American Civil War. At a meeting of the board of directors held on
June 19, 1956, just eight days after his untimely death, James D.
Horan proposed that a Fletcher Pratt Literary Award be established as a
memorial to a distinguished member and second president of the Round
Table (1953-54). Approved unanimously as proposed, the award, in the
form of a scroll, is presented to the author or editor of the best
non-fiction book on the Civil War published during the course of a
calendar year. Previous winners have included such Civil War luminaries
as Bruce Catton, Burke Davis, Allan Nevins, Harry Hansen, Shelby Foote,
Clifford Dowdey, Edwin Coddington, John Y. Simon, David Donald, William
C. Davis, William McFeely, Stephen Sears, Richard McMurray, Edward
Longacre, James I. Robertson, Noah Trudeau, Steven Woodworth, Wiley
Sword, Gary Gallagher, Gordon Rhea, Joseph T. Glatthaar, Amanda Foreman,
and Allen Guelzo, just to name a few.

 What more can we possibly say about Ed Bearss? He is indeed a legend in
his own lifetime and at 91 years old is still leading battlefield tours
and lecturing without a note. After his wartime service in the South
Pacific as a Marine and recovery from serious wounds, Ed used the G.I.
Bill to gain a degree in Foreign Service studies at Georgetown
University in 1949. He received his M.A. in History from Indiana
University in 1955, writing his thesis on Confederate General Pat
Cleburne. Ed is the Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park
Service and some of his books include Forrest at Brice’s Crossroads
(1975), Fields of Honor (2006) and Receding Tide: Vicksburg and
Gettysburg (2010). Currently, there is a bill in Congress to award “a
Congressional Gold Medal to Edwin Cole Bearss in recognition of his
contributions to preservation of American Civil War History and
continued efforts to bring our naiton’s history alive for new
generations through his interpretive storytelling.”

 Founded in 1951, The Civil War Round Table of New York generally meets
on the second Wednesday of the month from September to June. Members
assist each other with research, discuss preservation strategy for
endangered battlefields, and listen to distinguished speakers as they
talk about a particular aspect of the war. For the 2015-2016 Season, the
meeting location is The 3 West Club at 3 West 51st Street in Manhattan.

 For more information on the Civil War Round Table of New York, please
contact The Civil War Round Table of New York at our mailing address:
139-33 250th Street, Rosedale, New York 11422. Or, if you prefer, call
718-341-9811, or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Check out our website
at

hoto Caption (From Left to Right): Charles Mander, Former CWRTNY
President and Fletcher Pratt Award Committee Member; Joan McDonough,
Former CWRTNY President; Ed Bearss, 2014 Fletcher Pratt Award Winner;
William Finlayson, Former CWRTNY President and Fletcher Pratt Award
Committee Member; Patrick Falci, Former CWRTNY President and Fletcher
Pratt Award Committee Chairperson; Martin Smith, Current CWRTNY
President