Castleton History Professor and Department Chair, Andre Fleche, was recently awarded the Southern Historical Association's 2013 James A. Rawley Award for his book titled The Revolution of 1861: The American Civil War in the Age of National Conflict (UNC Press, 2012).
The award is given biannually to a distinguished book dealing with secession and/or the sectional crisis published over a two-year period at the annual meeting of the SHA in Saint Louis.
Fleche's book shows the influence of European revolutions on the American Civil War while sharing stories of immigrants from all over the world who fought in different revolutions.
“In general, the book argues that we should see the Civil War as a global event,” Fleche said.
The SHA conference brings together scholars who study the U.S. South. When looking for a publisher for the book Fleche first spoke with editors at the SHA conference including the editors at the University of North Carolina Press, who eventually published the book.
“This is the first time I’ve won an award for my professional work, so of course I’m very excited,” Fleche said. “Many outstanding books on the Civil War have been published in the last two years, and it is a great honor that mine has been recognized as one of them.”