NEW YORK, NY.- Fraunces Tavern Museum presented its 2026 Book Award to noted author Rick Atkinson, for his book, The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777–1780. Mr. Atkinson previously won the award in 2020 for his book, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775 –1777. The Award will be presented at Fraunces Tavern by Sons of the RevolutionSM in the State of New York, Inc. (SRNY), who own and operate the Museum, at their annual commemorative Battles of Lexington and Concord Dinner.

Since 1972, the Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award has been presented annually to the author of the best newly published work on the American Revolutionary War, combining original scholarship, insight, and good writing. Book Award Committee Chairman Paul Dietrich shares, “This year's book committee reviewed more than twenty-five books on various subjects about the American Revolutionary War before selecting Mr. Atkinson’s The Fate of the Day which demonstrated the deepest level of understanding of the people and events of the Revolution.”

Honorable mentions have also been awarded in 2026 to the following authors:

• David Price for his book Winning the Ten Crucial Days: The Keys to Victory in George Washington’s Legendary Winter Campaign

• Gary Ecelbarger for his book George Washington’s Momentous Year: Twelve Months that Transformed the Revolution—Vol. 2: Valley Forge to Monmouth, January to July 1778 (Mr. Ecelbarger was the recipient of the Award in 2025 for the first volume in this series)

• Kostya Kennedy for his book The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America

In addition to the book award and commemorative dinner, the next segment of the Museum’s special United States Semiquincentennial exhibition, Path to Liberty: The Emergence of a Nation, will be unveiled that evening: The War Turns (December 1776 – March 1777). This segment of the exhibition covers the War’s movement from New York to New Jersey and includes the battles of Trenton and Princeton. These battles marked a turning point in the Revolution for the Patriots.

In discussing Fraunces Tavern Museum’s Path to Liberty: The Emergence of a Nation, Craig Hamilton Weaver, co-chairman, Museum and Art Committee, Fraunces Tavern Museum, notes, “The exhibition is set apart from other Seiquincentennial exhibitions throughout the country because it runs for eight years, commemorating the events of the entire American Revolutionary War. The exhibition is comprised of objects drawn almost exclusively from the Museum's collection that focuses on the culture and history of Colonial America, the Revolutionary War, and the Early Republic, and will be updated annually through 2032.”

Collection objects featured in the new segment include classic depictions of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River, a hand-colored map of American positions in New Jersey, and original letters from a Patriot soldier and supplier that give first-hand accounts of increasing confidence and essential resources.