This year has seen us in many proverbial "engagements", comprising a very active campaign over the last few months. Our army of preservationists has marched hard and fought well: Third Winchester, Cedar Creek, and now Fisher's Hill. The key to victory is continued momentum. That is why we press onward, adding more saved acreage every step of the way. We must not let up, not now when further victories are so close at hand!
In 1864, the fate of the Shenandoah Valley hung in the balance at the Battle of Fisher's Hill. General Ramseur's force of North Carolinians had anchored themselves in trenches on the left of the Confederate line in anticipation of General Crook's Army of West Virginia. From the banks of Tumbling Run to the crest of the high ground known today as Ramseur's Hill was the Funkhouser farm and homestead, the latter of which was likely used as a Union field hospital after the battle. Today, these 146 acres hang in the balance in the face of advancing development. The loss of this hallowed ground would be a detriment to the preservation of a greater Fisher's Hill Battlefield Park.
That is why I need you in the fight to save this core section of battlefield. Knowing that swift action was needed, we entered a contract and made a down payment of $100,000 to the property owners. This was a major first step towards victory, but that brought further costs we now need to satisfy. From loan interest, legal fees and surveys, appraisals, and more, the total cost of securing this property necessitates raising $308,000. I am asking you to make a gift today as we raise the $100,000 to meet the cost of the down payment. Doing so will help us secure another $1.5 million in state and federal funds that can be directed towards this project!
Making a gift today yields swifter and more decisive results as we fight to preserve Ramseur's Hill and add it to the acreage saved at Fisher's Hill Battlefield. Victory will equate to cascading progress on multiple fronts. The interest on this project is $10,000 a month alone - the sooner that is neutralized, the sooner we can turn our guns to other projects elsewhere in the Valley. That is why we must act now and finish this fight. There are other battlefields that need our attention, but today our sights are set here.
Forward to Victory,
Franklin Van Valkenburg, Development Officer
