American Battlefield Trust Announces 2 Preservation Opportunities

I have some wonderful news about our two newest preservation opportunities in the Western Theater — one at the famed battlefield of Lookout Mountain and the other at the historic Franklin Battlefield.  

Let’s turn for a few moments to the background of these tracts, beginning with Lookout Mountain... 

“Battle Above the Clouds” at Lookout Mountain – 301 Acre Tract 

This parcel provided the only possible approach on Lookout Mountain that allowed Union General Joseph Hooker to execute his unexpected and wildly successful maneuver against Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s forces on Lookout Mountain. It is one of the single largest tracts of land that can still be saved on the Chattanooga Battlefield.

This effort marks one of the biggest land transactions at this battlefield since Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was dedicated as America’s first national military park in 1895. We will be making preservation history! 

Thanks to a generous landowner donation and anticipated federal and state grants, with your help we will be able to protect this land with a conservation easement worth $3.8 million for just $50,000! 

Franklin Battlefield – 2 Acre Tract 

This 2-acre parcel located along the Lewisburg Pike witnessed heavy combat on November 30, 1864. Confederate General Thomas Scott’s brigade of Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee troops charged across these acres making a final push towards the Federal defensive works on the left flank of the Union line as the battle raged around them. Scott’s troops faced withering fire from Federal artillery and muskets and suffered heavy casualties. 

This parcel of land is so important that Chief Executive Officer for the Battle of Franklin Trust and author of this generation’s best history of that battle, Eric Jacobson, described it as “one of the last available, most important unpreserved properties in Franklin.”  

The Trust has committed a grant of $25,000 to help make this transaction possible and to secure this important piece of the battlefield for all time! 

However, we can’t fulfill these commitments without your support! Can I count on your gift to help preserve two tracts at Lookout Mountain and Franklin in Tennessee?

Thanks to you, we can protect our country’s future by preserving its past. 

‘Til the battle is won,  
David N. Duncan
President 

Saved: Three Acres in the West Woods at Antietam

In his last announcement as president of the American Battlefield Trust, James Lighthizer warmly relayed that we were victorious in saving three history-filled acres in the West Woods at Antietam, his favorite battlefield. The accomplishment was a testament to the quick response and overwhelming generosity of the Trust’s members, after the opportunity became public in mid-August. Other donors participated in this project by virtue of gifts made to the Lighthizer Legacy Fund in tribute to the 20 impactful years that Jim spent leading the organization. With this latest victory, the Trust has saved a total of 463 acres at Antietam to date!

The West Woods was of one of the most heavily contested areas of one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles. This acreage marks where numerous Confederate brigades launched their advances into the West Woods and toward the Dunker Church. In what can be described as a soldier’s worst nightmare, it was at one point seen as a “no-man’s land” with artillery from both sides flying overhead.

To truly illustrate the history that took place on this property, you can turn to the photography of Alexander Gardner, the sketches of Alfred Waud, and, of course, the accounts of the men who fought there. The words of Sgt. William Andrews of the 1st Georgia paint a haunting picture: “You could hear laughing, cursing, yelling and the groans of the wounded and dying, while the awful roar of musketry was appalling. Where the line stood, the ground was covered in blue, and I believe I could have walked on them without putting my feet on the ground.”

The preservation of this hallowed ground will prevent future development from infringing on the solemnity of the battlefield and lay the groundwork for its future transfer to the National Park Service. The addition unleashes the potential for accounts like that of Sgt. Andrews to carry greater weight and expand the park’s interpretation.

Preservation successes like this one create vast momentum and inspire this organization to continue pushing boundaries in the name of saving America’s hallowed ground. It is, without a doubt, integral to note that your support allows us live out our creed: “Preserve. Educate. Inspire.”

American Battlefield Trust

35 Acres of Barlow's Knoll Transferred to Gettysburg NMP

Civil War Trust donors rallied to raise $400,000 to secure the site and ensure its permanent protection

July 1, 2020

Gettysburg, PA — Many of the events and activities that are typically scheduled to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg have gone digital in 2020, but there is at least one tangible and permanent legacy of the commemoration, as the American Battlefield Trust marks the occasion by transferring a critical 35-acre tract at Barlow’s Knoll to the National Park Service. Protection of this land had been a top park priority for decades when in 2016, the Trust had the opportunity to acquire it from Adams County.

“Among the dozens of battlefield properties that we protect each year, a small number rise above the rest because of their iconic nature,” said Trust President Jim Lighthizer. “Barlow’s Knoll at Gettysburg is certainly in that category. For years and decades to come our members will be able to walk this land and tell their children and grandchildren that ‘I helped do something special by saving this forever.’”

During the fighting on July 1, 1863, the area that became known as Barlow’s Knoll was the far right of the Federal line. This sector of the battlefield was commanded by Brig. Gen. Francis Barlow, whom celebrated historian Bruce Catton described as a “slim, clean-shaven young New York lawyer who had gone into the war as a militia private, and now commanded a division.” Barlow’s two brigades initially deployed in the fields before he made a controversial decision to advance them across the land protected by the Trust and now transferred to the Park, and onto a small rise about 700 yards distant. Barlow had hoped that the elevation would provide an advantage to his artillery, but he overextended his force and was dislodged from the position.

Retreating toward the Adams County Almshouse, again across the Trust-purchased property, Barlow attempted to rally his men, but was badly wounded. On the ground as the battle continued around him, Barlow’s location was overrun by Confederates. Although the popular tale that he was offered assistance by Gen. John B. Gordon is apocryphal, at least one Southern officer did tend to Barlow, likely on the transferred property.  

“Gettysburg National Military Park and the American Battlefield Trust have a long and successful history of partnership,” said Park Superintendent Steven Sims. “They are a constant ally and aid in our work, with this land transfer at Barlow’s Knoll being just the latest example. I look forward to many more instances of cooperative preservation”

Because the Barlow’s Knoll tract was entirely within the National Park’s boundary, it was ineligible for federal matching grants designed to create public-private partnerships for battlefield preservation. This meant that the Trust had to raise the full $400,0000 purchase price in private donations. But members quickly answered to the call, responding to the land’s tremendous interpretive value, which National Park Service Chief Historian Emeritus Ed Bearss summarized eloquently: “To me, this property is as important to understanding the first day at Gettysburg as Sickles’ position in the Peach Orchard is on the second day of the battle.”

Seeking the permanent preservation of the land was a meaningful decision according to County Commissioner Randy Phiel. “Adams County's heritage has two significant qualities that stand out —. our history and our agricultural traditions,” he said. “When Adams County sold this tract of land bordering Barlow's Knoll in 2017 to the American Battlefield Trust, the Board of Commissioners ensured that both of these qualities would be preserved for future generations in perpetuity on this historic tract. The National Park Service is an appropriate steward of this land preserving our Adams County and national history; while allowing agricultural practices to continue in the best tradition of Adams County.”  

The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest engagement of the Civil War and widely considered a turning point of the conflict. In the summer of 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee launched his second invasion of the Northern states. Lee sought to capitalize on recent Confederate victories and defeat the Union army on Northern soil, which he hoped would force the Lincoln administration to negotiate for peace. Lee also sought to take the war out of the ravaged Virginia farmland and gather supplies for his Army of Northern Virginia. But after three days of intense fighting, culminating in the massive frontal assault known as Pickett’s Charge on July 3, and 51,000 combined casualties, Lee’s second invasion of the North collapsed in failure. Four months later, President Abraham Lincoln came to Pennsylvania to participate in the dedication of a cemetery for those killed in the battle, delivering his famed Gettysburg Address during the ceremony.

Today, Gettysburg National Military Park protects more than 6,000 acres of that battlefield and welcomes 1 million visitors annually. The American Battlefield Trust has preserved a total of 1,183 acres at Gettysburg, much of it subsequently transferred into the national park for permanent stewardship and interpretation. The Trust’s highest profile effort at Gettysburg has been the purchase and restoration of the site that served as Lee’s Headquarters during the battle, multimillion dollar project that included removing a hotel complex and subsequently returning the landscape to its wartime appearance.

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 52,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War — including 1,183 acres at Gettysburg. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.

101 Acres Saved at Four Civil War Battlefields

The year 1862 was transformative. In the spring, the Federals strung together an impressive series of victories in the Western Theater. Yet, before summer arrived, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia and, in a matter of weeks, shifted the balance of power in the Eastern Theater. The year brought major battles, key turning points, and political decisions that would forever change the course of history. It’s a fascinating snapshot of our nation’s story. And 158 years later, I am thankful that you agree we should preserve the places where these events took place.

In recent months, I’ve written to you several times to ask for your help in saving hallowed ground associated with battles that took place in this seminal year. The first opportunity was our effort to preserve 28 acres on three battlefields — Shiloh in the west, and Glendale and Fredericksburg in the east at a $4.85-to-$1 match of your generosity.

More recently, I asked for your generosity to preserve 73 key acres at Shiloh and South Mountain. Like the former opportunity, these battlefields represent different theaters of the Civil War, but share the distinction of having played an important part in shaping the history of our great nation.

Today, because of you, we can declare victory on these five tracts of land! You and your fellow supporters helped us to reach our fundraising goal for both efforts, and we were able to leverage your generosity with state and federal matching grants and a tremendous landowner donation. Thanks to your support, 101 acres of 1862 Civil War history are now protected, forever.

More specifically, preserving those combined 61 acres at Shiloh means you have helped to save an astounding 1,378 acres from this April 6-7 battle – an accomplishment for which you should be incredibly proud. Thanks to you, future generations can walk this land and learn the now famous words that Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston spoke on the eve of the battle:

"We shall attack them at daylight tomorrow."

You know the story well: Attack at daylight they did, and after hours of bloody fighting and thousands of casualties on both sides, Johnston's foe in battle, Union General Ulysses S. Grant, echoed those same words. Counseled by advisors to retreat, Grant declared, "Retreat? No! I propose to attack at daylight, and whip them."

The two days of fighting at Shiloh resulted in horrific carnage. Nearly 24,000 casualties — killed, wounded, missing, or captured — made Shiloh the bloodiest battle in all American history up to that time.

Of course, months later, the Battle of Antietam became – and remains – the bloodiest day day in American history. And leading up to that infamous September day was the Battle at South Mountain, where, thanks to this preservation victory, you are adding 18 acres to the 686 you have already helped to save.

I encourage you to visit our website to learn more about these individual parcels of land that help to tell the story of the year 1862. For many of these battlefields, development is a real and present threat. Thank you for ensuring that the land you have worked so hard to protect is not compromised.

‘Til the Battle is Won,

Jim Lighthizer
President
American Battlefield Trust

An Opportunity to Save Acres at Missionary Ridge and Brice Cross Roads

Preservation Opportunity from ABT…

“Civil War soldiers were so stupid.” I have heard this statement muttered on battlefields for decades. And the words are usually said by someone who is certain that if only they were alive at the time, that they would have come up with a better way to outflank and defeat the enemy. Well, it wasn’t that easy. You see, defenders didn’t want to be outflanked and defeated, so they came up with ways to prevent those possibilities.

As most of you know, soldiers didn’t just stand up in a random field and start shooting. They marched and fought with purpose as laid out by their commanders, usually to accomplish some tactical or strategic good for their army. Of course, some situations required blunt frontal assaults or flanking maneuvers. Sometimes one or both of were successful, and sometimes neither.

Today, I am hoping you will join me to preserve 42 acres at two battles that saw unconventional attacks that succeeded—at Chattanooga’s Missionary Ridge (November 1863) and at Brice’s Cross Roads (June 1864) in Mississippi. Let me tell you more about the fascinating turn of events that took place at these two western battlefields.

At Missionary Ridge, the Union first attacked the wrong hill (the main body of Confederate soldiers were actually on another hill). When they advanced anew, legendary Confederate General Patrick Cleburne’s troops held firm on the north end of Missionary Ridge. That’s when things got strange—a Union diversionary attack went off course and turned from a diversion into the real deal attack as decided by Union General George Thomas’s troops themselves. Pushing Confederate troops up the hill, they raced up behind the retreating Southerners, all the way to the crest. After purposeful (and very real!) attacks on one part of the ridge failed, the “fake” attack on the other succeeded. The Southerners were swept off the ridge, out of Chattanooga, and back into Georgia whence they came.

The unconventional attack at Brice’s Cross Roads was more… expected to succeed. Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest faced a larger force under General Samuel Sturgis. Undeterred, Forrest opened a fight with Sturgis to lure in and tire the Union infantry. Forrest then pounded the Union center with artillery while moving around the Yankee flanks with fast-moving cavalry, threatening the Union’s route of retreat. The Union had lost by then, but had to keep fighting just to be able to retreat, suffering some five times the casualties as Forrest’s men.

So, you see, attacks came in many shapes and sizes and sometimes the blunt tool worked best, while others required a sharper approach. The diversity in approaches also speaks to our need to preserve these places so that current and future generations can walk the hallowed ground and find as much fascination and wonder as you and I do.

The 42 acres at stake include core battlefield land at Missionary Ridge, key area along Tishomingo Creek at Brice’s Cross Roads as well as a small but crucial tract in the heart of the battlefield.

By joining this effort, you will help to add to the 1,459 acres you have already saved at Brice’s Cross Roads and substantially complete the preservation puzzle we have been working on for years at this battlefield.

In total, we will be able to cover the costs for 80% of this land. We need your help to raise the remaining $56,659, at a $5.17-to-$1 match of your donation dollar!

Please read more about this land on our website and make your most generous gift today to preserve this fascinating history, forever ‘Til The Battle is Won,

Jim Lighthizer
President
American Battlefield Trust

P.S. Two battles. Two unconventional attacks that worked. Two preservation opportunities. Your support is needed to help us raise the final funds needed to save 42 acres at Missionary Ridge and Brice’s Cross Roads today.

A Chance to Save 29 Acres at Williamsburg Battlefield

You and I now have the chance to preserve 29 key and pristine acres from the 1862 Battle of Williamsburg in Virginia at – get this – a $220-to-$1 multiplier of your generosity!

The transaction has a value of an eye-popping $2,743,000, due to the land’s market value as a property zoned for commercial use. Amazingly, between significant federal and state matching grants and a donation of value from the owner of the property, you and I can save this land for just $12,500! That’s right: for just $12,500, you and I can save some of the most important land associated with this key battle of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, land that was destined to be developed and lost forever.

Some scattered parcels have been preserved over the years, but as you can see above on the battle map, this is the first time any part of the main action near the famous “Bloody Ravine” has been targeted for preservation. Even though the economy has recently plummeted, many developers are sitting on piles of cash and ready to take tracts as this one.

Take a look at this photo to see how pristine this part of the Williamsburg Battlefield is. When you see the land for yourself, it is shocking to think that this hallowed ground is zoned for commercial development. Look closely on the left of the photo below to see if you can spot the small fawn lying in the grass. Hint: look for two ears!

Can you find the fawn in this photo of Williamsburg Battlefield? Click to enlarge.

This photo is a reminder that saving battlefields does not only mean creating outdoor history classrooms. Battlefields also serve as homes for wildlife and breathtaking open spaces where one can experience and enjoy nature.

And today, I am asking for you to help keep this land as pristine today as on the day of the battle 158 years ago. Will you join me to help us raise the $12,500 we need to save these acres of this battlefield forever?

‘Til The Battle is Won!
The American Battlefield Trust

Good news for Civil War battlefield preservation!

Good news for Civil War battlefield preservation this week!

On April 30, 2020, the National Park Service announced that $923,314 in grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) would be used to protect 207 acres of America’s Civil and Revolutionary War battlefields. The grants will be used to acquire portions of Vicksburg Battlefield in Mississippi, Fort Ann and Newton Battlefield in New York, Bentonville Battlefield in North Carolina, and Cedar Mountain Battlefield, Trevilian Station Battlefield and Peebles’ Farm Battlefield in Virginia.
The Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant program, administered by the American Battlefield Protection Program, provides up to 50% in matching funds for state and local governments to acquire and preserve threatened Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War Battlefield land through the purchase of land in fee simple and permanent, protective interests in land. Eligible battlefields are listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s 1993 “Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields” and the 2007 “Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States.”

For complete details about each battlefield’s new acquisitions, please see the original press release: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/04-30-20-nps-awards-grants-to-protect-historic-battlefields.htm

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Acting to Preserve Cedar Creek

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is requesting help to preserve 72 acres of core battlefield at Cedar Creek.

Read the information below and check out the map to see how you might respond.

Grant to preserve around 111 acres of Civil War battlefield sites

March 14, 2020  WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two West Tennessee Civil War sites are to receive a portion of a $900,000 grant.

A news release from the Tennessee Historical Commission says sites in Hardin, Henderson, Rutherford and Hamilton Counties will be receiving grant funds through the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Fund.

Shiloh National Military Park will be receiving $51,000 to help purchase 53 acres of privately owned land inside the park, according to the release.

Parkers Crossroads will also be receiving $125,000 for the purchase of a half-parcel acre to help preserve the historic crossroad itself, according to the release.

The release says the grant will help preserve almost 111 acres of endangered Civil War battlefield sites across the state.

An Opportunity to Save 72 Acres at Cedar Creek Battlefield.

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Trust has announced the opportunity to save 72 acres of land at Cedar Creek battlefield.

Located at the southern end of the fighting area and on bluffs above the creek, this land saw the clash of Confederate General Joseph Kershaw’s division with Union General George Crook’s units on the foggy morning of October 19, 1864. The tract of land lies at the center of already preserved property, making it a key piece to opening this part of the battlefield for interpretation and ensures that no developments will be allowed at the center of this battleground.

The property’s owners, Byron Brill and Kathy Cantor, have agreed to donated $400,000 of the property’s value. In addition to state grants, SVBF is seeking to raise $300,000 to save the 72 acres valued at $1.4 million.

More information about this preservation opportunity and how to donate is available here: http://www.shenandoahatwar.org/help-save-72-acres-at-cedar-creek/

State Senator Pat Browne Congratulates CWRT for Preservation Efforts

Celebrate Our Victories Saved: Three Tennessee Battlefields

Celebrate Our Victories Saved:
Three Tennessee Battlefields

Civil War Trust writes: We have saved 15 acres of vital Civil War history in the volunteer state, including Fort Donelson, where Ulysses S. Grant secured the "unconditional surrender" of the Confederate army in February 1862, and at Brown's Ferry, the October 27, 1863, battle that opened the "Cracker Line" and enabled Grant to eventually lift the siege of Chattanooga.

This effort included one final push to ask supporters to get us to the finish line at Franklin, to save land right in the heart of the battlefield, a literal stone's throw away from the center of the main Union defensive line. These close quarters were the scene of horrific carnage.

You responded to the call and now we can declare a preservation victory on a battlefield that was once considered lost, paved over, and nearly forgotten! It wasn't too long ago that both a Domino's and a Pizza Hut stood on the land where 11 Medals of Honor were awarded, and 9,200 soldiers fell, killed, wounded or missing.

Thanks to steadfast supporters like you and a dedicated team of local partners, we have been able to help claw back this battlefield, acre by acre, to tell the story of one of the Civil War's most horrendous days.

Preserving these parcels incorporates more tiles in the mosaic of Tennessee’s rich Civil War heritage, adding to the approximately 639 acres we have already saved at these three battlefields. This is a tremendous accomplishment.

The History 

From the very beginning of the Civil War, Tennessee figured prominently in Union and Confederate strategies. It was in Tennessee – during the war's early stages – where Gen. Ulysses S. Grant first gained national recognition by demanding and securing the "unconditional surrender" of a Confederate army at Fort Donelson. In 1863, strategists in blue and gray crafted schemes to seize control of Chattanooga—a vital railroad hub that ultimately remained in Union hands after fighting at places like Brown’s Ferry, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. And it was in Tennessee that Gen. John Bell Hood launched a last-ditch effort to strike back at the Yankees, resulting in inconceivable suffering at Franklin and subsequent defeat at Nashville.

Greetings and Thanks from Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation

Civil War Round Table of Eastern PA received greetings and thanks from our partners in preservation - the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

Thank You Received From Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation

Our Civil War Round Table recently received this thank you from the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation:

New Market Battlefield Preservation

News from the Shenandoah Battlefields Foundation - an effort support by Eastern PA Civil War Round Table

2019 Preservation Awards Listed

2019 List of Donations for Preservation

With the VERY successful conclusion of the 2018 – 2019 Campaign Season, it has been determined that the following Civil War Battlefields will receive a donation from the Civil War Round Table of Eastern PA in the amount of $5,000.00. There are matching funds with each bequest and are listed below:

• $1000.00 for preservation of 42 acres at Stone’s River (TN) – matching funds of $33.94 for a total of $33,940.00

• $1000.00 for preservation of 15 acres at Fort Donelson, Chattanooga and Franklin – matching funds of $21.17 for a total of $21,170.00.

• $1000.00 for preservation of 185 acres at Wilderness, Cold Harbor and Bentonville – matching funds of $10.43 for a total of $10,430.00

• $1000.00 for preservation to the Shenandoah Battlefields Foundation of 35 acres at New Market Battlefield – matching funds of $14.00 for a total of $14,000.00

• $500.00 for preservation of 226 acres at Reams Station, Petersburg Breakthrough, Champion Hill and Jackson Battlefields – matching funds of $7.48 for a total of $3,740.00

• $500.00 for preservation of 73 acres at Shiloh and South Mountain Battlefields – matching funds of $6.89 for a total of $3,445.00

The $5000.00 to be awarded to the above will be matched
for a total of $86,725.00 for battlefield preservation!

Help Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Create a New Visitors Center

Help Create the New Winchester Battlefields Visitor Center

We need your help to complete and open a new visitor center in Winchester – a major step in our campaign to make America’s future brighter by fostering greater understanding of its past.

With your help, we’ve been able to save thousands of acres of battlefield in the Shenandoah Valley. But we aren’t just working to preserve these battlefields. We are engaged in an audacious effort to open as much of these lands to the public as we possibly can, creating full service battlefield parks throughout the National Historic District.

During the Civil War, Winchester changed hands more than any other town in America; for the people who lived there, strife and stress were constant. Six major battles, from First Kernstown to Third Winchester, raged through and around their town. Now, we are on the cusp of opening a new Visitor Center that will orient, guide, and educate visitors to these battlefields. But we need your help to make that happen. We need you and our other friends across the country to come together to raise the last funds needed to complete the project.

This Visitor Center will include an outdoor visitor’s plaza that, through signage and unmanned exhibits, will provide year-round, 365-day interpretation to visitors from around the world. The staffed Visitor Center building will feature exhibit rooms, an orientation film, an electric map, handouts, guides, and more – all designed to provide an overview of Winchester’s Civil War history and to encourage visitors to explore battlefields and partner sites throughout the area.

But in order to open this new Visitor Center and provide the visitor experience that we envision, a minimum of $270,000 must be raised to complete this first phase of the project. And we need your help to do it. You have already done so much to help save our past. Now we’re asking you to help us change our future. Help us open this Visitor Center, and help us write a new chapter in the history of battlefield preservation in the Shenandoah Valley.

To learn more, click here to read a letter about this preservation effort from SVBF CEO Keven M. Walker.

South Mountain Battlefield In Maryland Gaining Nearly 19 Acres

From National Parks Traveler
By NPT Staff on May 2nd, 2019

A $160,552 grant released from the American Battlefield Protection Program by the National Park Service will help purchase nearly 19 acres for preservation as part of the South Mountain Battlefield in Maryland.

The land in question was threatened with damage or destruction by urban and suburban development, according to a Park Service release.

In September of 1862, mislaid communications led to the Battle of South Mountain. Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s plans to split the Army of Northern Virginia, sending half into western Maryland and half to capture the federal garrison at Harper’s Ferry, landed in the hands of Union Commander Major General George B. McClellan.

McClellan responded to this intelligence by sending his forces to South Mountain to destroy the Confederate forces and divide Lee’s vulnerable army. While the Union was successful against the Confederate forces at South Mountain, Confederate resistance allowed Lee to reunite and concentrate his forces, setting the stage for the Battle of Antietam three days later.

The American Battlefield Protection Program’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant program provides up to 50 percent in matching funds for state and local governments to acquire and preserve threatened Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War battlefield land through the purchase of land in fee simple and permanent, protective interests in land.

Eligible battlefields are listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s 1993 “Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields” and the 2007 “Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States.”

1,053 Acres Saved at Seven Civil War Battlefields - Thank You!

Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, more than one thousand acres of hallowed ground across seven Civil War battlefields are forever protected from development!

From the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign in Virginia and the "battle that saved Washington" in Maryland to Corinth and the Vicksburg Campaign in Mississippi to the Red River Campaign in Arkansas, this land represents a significant cross-section of major military movements in the war. Most of the tracts we've saved are adjacent to previously preserved ground, meaning that acre by hallowed acre, we are expanding outdoor spaces to honor and explore American history.

Altogether, this land is worth more than $4.1 million. Thanks to a combination of matching grants, federal funds, we were able to save it for a fraction of that price. More importantly, the battlefields where these tracts are situated — Brice's Cross Roads, Cedar Creek, Champion Hill, Corinth, Monocacy, Prairie D'Ane and Second Deep Bottom — saw more than 32,000 American combat casualties.

I'll tell you what, my friend — an opportunity to save so much hallowed ground in one fell swoop is rare. But at the Trust, we work to match the scope of America's defining conflicts. Members like you are the reason we can work at this level and leave a remarkable legacy for future generations of Americans.

Your good work has also inspired other battlefield landowners to preserve their important land, as demonstrated in our current fundraising effort to preserve 68 acres at Champion Hill.

In honoring our nation's past, we help protect its future, ensuring that men and women for generations to come can learn from some of the best outdoor classrooms in our country. I continue to be astonished at all we can accomplish when we work together. Thank you for your partnership in this critical endeavor.

'Til the Battle is Won, 

Jim Lighthizer
President
American Battlefield Trust

P.S. Want to learn more about the land you saved? See how all these campaigns and battles fit together in our Animated Map of the Civil War, then peruse the battles by state or year.  

18 Acres of First-Day Battlefield at Seminary Ridge are Forever Safe

In this critical effort to safeguard American history, we must always remember why we do what we do. Battlefield preservation isn't just about saving as many acres as possible — it's about the stories these acres help tell.

That's why I'm, frankly, elated to report that 18 acres of first-day battlefield at Seminary Ridge are forever safe thanks to your generous support. My friend, we've saved a lot of land at Gettysburg over the years — 1,040 acres and counting — but that doesn't make these 18 acres any less significant. In a way, the historical context that already exists at Gettysburg makes this victory all the richer.

Recognized as some of the bloodiest Gettysburg ground left in private hands, the land at Seminary Ridge witnessed the climactic scene of the first day's fighting. The determined defense on Seminary Ridge by men from the Union's Iron Brigade and other units enabled the army to regroup and hold Cemetery Hill, key to the ultimate Federal victory at Gettysburg.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: without Seminary Ridge, you cannot tell the full story of Gettysburg, and without Gettysburg, you cannot tell the full story of the Civil War. Preserving these 18 acres helps ensure a more comprehensive understanding of this crucial piece of American history, while allowing generations present and future to honor the hundreds of soldiers who fought and fell on this very ground.

I can't overstate what a tremendous win this is for American history, and also for Gettysburg's oldest educational institution, the United Lutheran Seminary (established in 1826), which has faithfully maintained this land since that fateful July in 1863.

We couldn't have done this without our amazing supporters. Please take a minute to visit the Seminary Ridge Virtual Donor Wall and see the names of all Trust supporters who contributed $100 or more to this important effort. You can also visit our website to learn more about why these 18 acres are so significant.

With Deepest Gratitude, 

Jim Lighthizer
President
American Battlefield Trust

P.S. Want to take a look at the land you have helped save? Check out successful Facebook Live Save Seminary Ridge Fun(d)raiser in which many of you participated!