Twenty years ago, when I first joined the staff of the Trust, I asked my then-boss Jim Lighthizer, “What is the most important unprotected battlefield land in the country?”
Without a second’s hesitation, Jim told me about a nearly one-square mile farm outside of Richmond, Virginia, that was the site of two major Civil War battles, Gaines’ Mill in 1862, AND Cold Harbor in 1864.
Holding up his left hand horizontally to show me how the contending troops were positioned east-to-west at Gaines’ Mill, Jim then held up his right hand vertically to show how the armies were oriented north-to-south at Cold Harbor.
He stacked his hands, one on top of the other, to show that this huge, intact, and still-pristine farm was represented by the area where his hands overlapped, at the heart of both battlefields.
There's only one place in America where nearly one square mile of a “double battlefield” can still be preserved. And there's only one place where that nearly one square mile of hallowed ground is essentially as pristine as it was on each day of those historic battles.
With more than 20 years of determination, cultivation, and negotiation, it is my honor and pleasure to inform you that, with your help, we have the opportunity to save this twice-hallowed battleground!