On April 9, 2025, Loretta Neuman, former President of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington, was presented the Edwin (Ed) Bearss Legacy Award from the DC Civil War Roundtable at the Lincoln Cottage in DC. Loretta and Ed were friends for over 50 years, starting when they both worked for the National Park Service, from which he retired as chief historian in 1995. Afterwards he continued to promote Civil War history and died in 2020.  

In her remarks, Loretta noted how President Trump seeks to remove slavery and the Civil War from the public record, including the National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, Department of Defense, and others.  She stressed the need for non-governmental organizations like the Roundtable, Lincoln Cottage, and Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington to say things that federal agencies cannot. 

Nominating and presenting the award was Ross Heller, who has published a book about Lincoln.