UA Professor’s Book Wins Douglas Southall Freeman History Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A University of Alabama history professor’s acclaimed book about the Civil War battle of Fredericksburg has won the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award.

Representatives of the Military Order of the Stars & Bars presented the award recently to Dr. George C. Rable, the Charles G. Summersell Professor of Southern History at UA, for his book, “Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!”

The award, established in 1983, is named after the Civil War historian and Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper journalist from Richmond, Va. It honors the best book published in Southern military history over the past year. The Military Order of the Stars & Bars is a national organization comprised of Confederate officers’ descendants.

Dr. Norman Dasinger, former Alabama division commander of the Military Order of the Stars & Bars and past commander in chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, presented Rable with the award. Paul Bryant Jr., University of Alabama System trustee and chairman of the board of the Civil War Preservation Trust, joined Dasinger in presenting the award. Publishers submitted more than 100 titles for consideration for the award, Dasinger said.

“Your book is simply outstanding!” wrote Ronald T. Clemmons, chair of the Freeman Award committee, in a congratulatory letter to Rable. “It presents a well-defined picture of the battle, but much more. Your use of primary sources to define what was happening to the soldiers on both sides, the thoughts of the officers, and the fears of the townspeople of Fredericksburg gives a complete picture of the tragedy of war. Your work will be the benchmark for future battle studies.”

Published by the University of North Carolina Press, Rable’s book details the military, political, and social impact of the worst military defeat that Abraham Lincoln’s Union armies suffered during the Civil War.

Rable joined the UA faculty in 1998. He earned his doctoral and master’s degrees from Louisiana State University and his bachelor’s degree from Bluffton College.

Rable’s previous books include “The Confederate Republic: A Revolution Against Politics,” “Civil Wars: Women and the Crisis of Southern Nationalism” and “But There Was No Peace: The Role of Violence in the Politics of Reconstruction.” Rable, who also won the Lincoln Prize for “Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!” is currently researching the role of religion in the Civil War.