Savas Beatie released the following press release recently to announce that the Ed Bearss/Bryce Suderow collaboration on the Petersburg Campaign, The Petersburg Campaign, Volume 2, has won the 2014 Douglas Southall Freeman History Award:
El Dorado Hills, CA July 1, 2014 – The Petersburg Campaign, Volume II: The Western Front Battles, September 1864 – April 1865, by Edwin C. Bearss with Bryce A. Suderow, has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Douglas Southall Freeman History Award.
The Douglas Southall Freeman History Award is given for the best published book of high merit in the field of Southern history. Ed will be awarded with a plaque and a $1,000 prize.
“The Petersburg Campaign is a splendidly woven treatment of the various battles of the entire campaign as Union Gen. Grant sought to turn Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s right flank to cut the railroads leading to Petersburg and Richmond, and Lee’s counter-movements to resist the operations,” explained Dr. James G. Caster of the MOS&B Literary Committee. “A series of excellent maps prepared by cartographer George Skoch and photos and illustrations enrich the quality of both volumes. A bibliography and substantial index add significantly to the utility of these works for readers and scholars alike.”
“I am more than pleased and honored to receive such a prestigious award,” explained Ed Bearss by telephone last week. “I never thought all this work would even see the light of day, done as it was more than half a century ago. I owe that to Bryce Suderow, for his expert handling of these essays, and to my publisher Savas Beatie and its hands-on director Theodore Savas, who turns out wonderful books. I thank everyone involved.”
“We are all so pleased for Ed, and for Bryce who found this body of work and spent years transcribing it and getting it ready for publication,” explained Savas. “This is a prestigious award, and I believe it is the first time Ed has been so honored. We are thankful and grateful this committee bestowed it up him and this title.”
Edwin C. Bearss is a world-renowned military historian, author, and tour guide known for his work on the Civil War and World War II. Ed, a former WWII Marine wounded in the Pacific Theater, served as Chief Historian of the National Park Service (1981-1994) and is the author of dozens of books and articles. He discovered and helped raise the Union warship USS Cairo, which is on display at Vicksburg National Military Park. Bryce A. Suderow is a Civil War writer and researcher living in Washington, D.C. He received his Bachelor of Arts at Knox College and earned a Master’s in American history at Sonoma State University. His master’s thesis, Thunder in Arcadia Valley, was published in 1985.
About Savas Beatie LLC: Savas Beatie LLC is a leading military and general history publishing company. Read more about The Petersburg Campaign, including excerpts and an interview with the author by visiting our website.