Two UPK Books Honored by Star and Bars

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 6, 2011) − The Military Order of the Stars and Bars recently announced the winners of their annual literary awards. Of the three awards presented, two went to books published by the University Press of Kentucky (UPK).

"My Old Confederate Home: A Respectable Place for Civil War Veterans," by Rusty Williams, was named the winner of the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award for "the best published book of high merit in the field of Southern history beginning with the colonial period to the present time." In addition, "One of Morgan’s Men: Memoirs of Lieutenant John M. Porter of the Ninth Kentucky Cavalry," edited by Kent Masterson Brown, was named the winner of the General Basil W. Duke Literary Award, which is given "to encourage the re-issuance of out-of-print books that accurately present history of the War for Southern Independence."

The General Basil W. Duke Literary Award will be presented to the UPK at a ceremony in Lexington later this summer. This announcement marks the third time the press has won the Duke Literary Award. Other UPK titles to win the award are "Johnny Green of the Orphan Brigade: The Journal of a Confederate Soldier," edited by Brown, in 2002, and "Josie Underwood’s Civil War Diary," edited by Nancy Disher Baird, in 2009.

The Douglas Southall Freeman Award will be presented to Williams at the Military Order of the Stars and Bar’s Sesquicentennial Convention in Jacksonville, Fla., from July 14-16, 2011.

The Military Order of the Stars and Bars is a patriotic fraternal society, founded by Confederate veterans.

In the wake of the Civil War, hundreds of thousands of men who fought for the Confederacy trudged back to their homes in the South. Some — due to lingering effects from war wounds, other disabilities or the horrors of combat — were unable to care for themselves. Homeless, disabled and destitute veterans began appearing on the sidewalks of southern cities and towns. In 1902, Kentucky’s Confederate veterans organized and built the Kentucky Confederate Home, a refuge in Pewee Valley for their unfortunate comrades. Until it closed in 1934, the home was a place where disabled and impoverished veterans could spend their last days in comfort.

In "My Old Confederate Home," freelance writer and historian Williams frames the history of the Kentucky Confederate Home with the stories of those who built, supported and managed it. Using research across a range of valuable resources, including the Kentucky Confederate Home’s operational documents, contemporary accounts, unpublished letters and family stories, Williams reveals the final, untold chapter of Kentucky’s Civil War history.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, John Marion Porter (1839–1898) wasted little time enlisting in the Confederate army. He and his lifelong friend Thomas Henry Hines served in the Ninth Kentucky Calvary under John Hunt Morgan, the "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy."

When the war ended, Porter became concerned that the story of his service during the Civil War and his family’s history would be lost with the collapse of the Confederacy. In 1872, Porter began writing detailed memoirs of his experiences during the war years, including tales of scouting behind enemy lines, sabotaging a Union train, being captured and held as a prisoner of war, and searching for an army to join after his release. As editor, Brown spent several years preparing Porter’s memoir for publication, clarifying details and adding annotations to provide historical context. Brown is the creator of the magazine The Civil War. He is the author or editor of several books, including "Cushing of Gettysburg: The Story of a Union Artillery Commander," "Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign" and "The Civil War in Kentucky: Battle for the Bluegrass State."

Offices for the administrative, editorial, production and marketing departments of the UPK are found at the University of Kentucky, which provides financial support toward the operating expenses of the book publisher.

For more information or to purchase either of these books from UPK, visit the press online at www.kentuckypress.com

MEDIA CONTACT:  Whitney Hale, (859) 257-8716 or whitney.hale@uky.edu