Students of the Civil War associate Richard B. Harwell’s name with such works
as: Cornerstones of Confederate Collecting; Lee-- An Abridgement in One Volume;
The Confederate Reader; The Union Reader; The War They Fought; Margaret
Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind Letters, 1939-1949; and, Confederate Imprints at
the Georgia Historical Society. But, beyond his many contributions to Civil War
literature, Richard Harwell’s memory holds special significance for the members
of the Civil War Round Table of Atlanta. He was responsible for conceiving the
idea of a Civil War Round Table in Atlanta.
Familiar with the Civil War Round Table of Chicago, in November, 1949, Harwell
hosted a dinner at his home attended by Wilber Kurtz, Franklin Garrett, Beverly
Dubose, Jr. and Carl Forrester to discuss an Atlanta organization. As a result
of that dinner, the first meeting of the CWRT of Atlanta was held at the
Piedmont Driving Club on December 10, 1949. Richard Harwell was issued
membership certificate #1 and elected its first President. Prior to completion
of his term, he relocated to Chicago to become the Secretary of the College
Library Association. The award named in his honor was created in 1989, following
his death on March 9, 1988, and has been awarded on an annual basis since.
