Victory at Chancellorsville! Iconic Battlefield Site Saved

It’s no secret that land on and near where the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville raged in Virginia is often threatened by new developments, which is why I’m especially pleased today to tell you we’ve had a big win in the area. As a result of your help, we can now declare victory on nearly 44 acres of land at the Flank Attack of the Battle of Chancellorsville , including land associated with original Chancellor plantation and Dowdall’s Tavern.  

When we began the fight to preserve these threatened acres, Historian Bob Krick said, “The survival, undeveloped, of a tract this large in this crucial location is nothing short of miraculous. Saving it will be a spectacular preservation coup.” Well, folks, we like to perform miracles. And, with your help, we have. Thank you!

Landmarks of Battle

The first tract is 42 acres in the heart of the Chancellorsville Battlefield. At the time of the war, the property was part of Wilderness Baptist Church pastor Reverend Melzi A. Chancellor’s plantation. The parcel we’ve saved likely includes the former site of Chancellor’s residence, known as Dowdall’s Tavern. During the 1863 clash, Dowdall’s Tavern was a prominent landmark and was used as headquarters by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, commander of the Union XI Corps. Union regiments and batteries under the command of Col. Adolphus Buschbeck were positioned in entrenchments on the southern edge of the property, facing south. When Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson launched his massive flank attack from the west on May 2, the XI Corps was not in position to confront the Confederate assault and its forces were rapidly rolled up and forced into full retreat down the Plank Road to the Chancellorsville intersection three miles east. A granite monument commemorating the 154th New York Infantry Regiment , which was one of the units driven from the property by Jackson’s attack, stands here.

154th New York Regimental Monument (Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park)

The Union retreat also crossed over the nearly two additional acres of now preserved land located just east of  the historic Dowdall’s Tavern property and farm. The land here, which was heavily wooded at the time of the battle, was behind the Confederate lines and these acres we have now saved likely served as a staging area for renewed Confederate attacks throughout May 3.

VIDEO: Watch an overview of what happened at Dowdall’s Tavern and why it matters.

In the wake of the XI Corps’ rout, Dowdall’s Tavern became a field hospital for wounded Union soldiers, who were by that time prisoners behind Confederate lines. Surgeon George Suckley, medical director of the XI Corps, remained at Dowdall’s Tavern and oversaw the care of an estimated 1,100 Union wounded.

USCT History

A year after Chancellorsville, On May 7, 1864, Brig. Gen. Edward Ferrero and his men of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), many of them formerly enslaved men themselves, camped on the tract following the Battle of the Wilderness. Ferrero temporarily established his headquarters at Dowdall’s Tavern. Elements of the division remained on and around the land for over a week. Some of these very regiments participated in the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg.  

Preserving these acres is a special victory as they help us tell a fuller story of the Civil War in Virginia. We can’t thank you enough for helping us do so!   

‘Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan
President
American Battlefield Trust

P.S. We’re not done fighting to preserve Chancellorsville. New threats, including a proposed gas station near the ruins of the iconic Chancellor House, are looming. Find out how you can help us preserve the heart of the Chancellorsville Battlefield.

Preserve 10 acres at Spotsylvania Court House, Corinth, and Champion Hill

Today, we have the chance to preserve precious hallowed ground at three battlefields — Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia, and Corinth and Champion Hill, both in Mississippi. 

Battlefield land at these historic places is seldom available, and if we don’t save these acres now, we may never get the chance again. While the cost of preserving battlefield land is not cheap, not saving our history is simply a price we cannot afford. 

The battles at Spotsylvania Court House, Corinth, and Champion Hill carried an especially heavy cost. Combined, they resulted in approximately 45,000 casualties — a tremendous number of lives, limbs, and livelihoods lost.  

When the Spotsylvania Court House property came on the market, there were seven bidders on the first day, including the Trust. Fortunately, by the end of that day, the Trust was able to secure a contract on the land. 

Yes, things can move that quickly.  

It’s been that way for a while now and it keeps getting more challenging. The pressure from developers to pay over market price so they can build new houses, data centers, warehouses, and solar farms is intense. 

But we do have something they don’t have — we have fiercely loyal history lovers like you, Paul, who care about the future of our country and want to protect and preserve our past. 

Please make a donation today to help honor the heroes of this hallowed ground in Virginia and Misssissippi.

Many Americans paid the ultimate price fighting on these battlefields, and we owe it to all future generations to preserve their memory and our history. 

As a special gift and a token of my gratitude, if you make a gift of $60 or more today, you will receive a copy of the Trust’s newest book, The Cost of War: A Visual Summary of Civil War Devastation. This is a newly published work exclusively available to American Battlefield Trust members. You won’t want to miss out on this limited-time offer!

'Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

Green Light Given For Massive Data Center Across From Manassas NBP

A Virginia county has given the green light for a massive digital processing center to be built across from Manassas National Battlefield/Kurt Repanshek file

NOTE: See Community News post about lawsuit filed to stop this action.

From National Parks Traveler

Apparently not even Ken Burns could prevent a massive, energy-thirsty data center from being built across from Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia.

Burns, who along with Dayton Duncan in 2009 celebrated the National Park System with their documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, in January 2022 had reached out to the chair of the Prince William County supervisors urging them to oppose allowing the PW Digital Gateway from being built on 2,000 acres next to the battlefield, which was the setting for the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) on July 21, 1861, and the Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas) over nearly the same ground during August 28-30, 1862. 

"As a student and chronicler of American history for more than 40 years, I can attest to how fragile our precious heritage is and how susceptible it can be to the ravages of 'progress,'" Burns said in that letter. "I learned while making my documentary series The Civil War in the late 1980s—and again when I made my 2009 series on the history of the national parks—how crucial the preservation of our historic landscapes is, and I fear the devastating impact the development of up to 2,133 acres of data centers will have on this hallowed ground."

Nevertheless, the county supervisors voted on Wednesday to rezone 2,100 acres for the digital complex, which the National Parks Conservation Association compared to "the size of several Pentagons."

The proposal had prompted Preservation Virgina back in 2022 to list Manassas National Battlefield Park on its "Most Endangered Historic Places" list.

"Locating data centers within technology corridors and away from culturally sensitive areas would convey how local governments value and support the preservation of their irreplaceable historic resources," the organization said in its 2022 list of endangered sites.

In reviewing the proposal in 2022, Justin Patton, the Prince William County archaeologist, wrote that the project would "have a high potential to adversely affect cultural resources in the following forms: indirect effects such as Audio, and Visual; and direct effects in the destruction of the resource. Transportation improvements necessary to implement land use and zoning changes, will likely have an indirect and direct effects on our history as well."

"This vote is a tremendous failure on the part of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors – one that will have lasting consequences for generations of Virginians," said Kyle Hart, NPCA's Mid-Atlantic program manager. "Giving developers the OK to build massive data centers in the shadow of Manassas National Battlefield Park is an insult to the thousands of lives lost here in two of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. It’s a disservice to the hundreds of thousands of people who come from all over the world to visit the battlefield every year, searching for solace and meaning on these hallowed grounds.

“This decision should be a wake-up call for national park advocates and conservationists across the Commonwealth of Virginia," added Hart. "Our leaders failed us here in Prince William, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With common sense reforms and regulations in place, data centers can be appropriately sited and built with far less risk to our priceless history or our climate. That did not happen today."

Help Save 146 Acres at Fisher's Hill in Virginia

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.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Forward to Victory,

Franklin Van Valkenburg, Development Officer

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation 2023 Preservation Victories

In 2023 the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) saved 671 acres, through 8 projects across 7 battlefields.

SVBF completed two different projects at New Market, totaling 74 acres. The two parcels were separated by the Valley Pike. East of the road was a 52-acre project that included the site of the VMI Cadet artillery battery; this preservation project had started in 2019, and the final payment on it was made during 2023's spring. The second parcel, on the west side of the road, totaled 22 acres and was where Col. George S. Patton’s 22nd Virginia Infantry fought Union troops and pushed them northward.

In April, preservation of the 107 acres at Port Republic, known as The Coaling, was completed. Port Republic was the last battle of Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign, and The Coaling was vital position during the battle.

SVBF finalized their largest project of the year during the spring: the 156-acre Carter Farm. On June 15, 1863, Union Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy’s VIII Corps of the Middle Department faced Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s Second Corps as part of the Battle of Second Winchester.

The West Woods were at the center of the fighting during the Battle of Third Winchester. In September, SVBF raised the final funds necessary to complete the preservation of 34 acres.

Other projects completed by SVBF this year include 141 acres at Piedmont; 36 acres at Hupp’s Hill in Strasburg; as well as an easement on 123 acres at Tom’s Brook.

You can learn more about the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and their projects at shenandoahatwar.org.

We cannot lose this irreplaceable history in Virginia

And we know that the Peninsula Campaign was a failed campaign to capture Richmond, while the Overland Campaign is considered a strategic Union victory. But in June 1862 and May-June 1864, there were many moments when the final outcome did not seem assured at all.

In fact, the battlefields we are working to save today, Glendale and Gaines’ Mill/Cold Harbor, were scenes of some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire war, often with inconclusive outcomes.  

Taken together, these Virginia sites bore witness to over 40,300 total casualties.

Now, we too find ourselves amid a battle... not knowing what the future will hold and wondering what our story will be when the history of battlefield preservation is decisively recorded many years from now.

Developers are purchasing pristine battlefield land in Virginia at an alarming rate and price, building houses where soldiers — in blue and gray alike — shed blood and even died. 
 
New residential subdivisions have been popping up close to these tracts. It’s heartbreaking!

We must keep fighting, against all odds, to secure every victory we can, including the hallowed ground in Virginia we have a chance to save today.

If we don’t secure this land, additional houses and other structures can be built on the property and the earthworks bulldozed. Securing this land today is critical to the protection of these historic resources.

Don’t let it slip by!

‘Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

141 Acres Saved at Piedmont in Shenandoah Valley!

Friends,

  I can't tell you how thrilled I am to announce that today, after almost three years, the 141 acre farm in the heart of the Piedmont Battlefield is protected forever. The Shiflett family, who have owned the property for more than a century, were offered a significant amount of money if they would lease their land to be developed into a solar energy production facility. The plan would have put money in their pocket in exchange for ruining the scenic beauty and historic integrity of this pristine battlefield tract. 

But because of your support, we were able to purchase a protective preservation easement on the property which will preserve the property for all time and allow the family to continue to farm the property like they have for generations. This is just one more preservation victory that your support has made possible – and preservation on the Piedmont Battlefield was once thought impossible. You’ve proven that for our small preservation army, anything is possible. 

  What makes this victory even better is that our agreement with the Shiflett family allows for public access to the site. That means not only can we announce this preservation victory, we can start today to open the property to visitors and create the very first interpretive park experience on the Piedmont Battlefield. Let’s celebrate victory at Piedmont by opening what we preserved to the public – and let’s do it right away. 

We have already developed plans for two Piedmont visitor areas: “Tour-stops”, with parking interpretive signage and views of key battlefield landmarks, and we also have cleared the way with the Virginia Department of Transportation to install highway signage to lead visitors to the battlefield. Together, these infrastructure improvements will make this battlefield a visitor destination.

  Please consider making a gift to open the Piedmont Battlefield to visitors. Because of funding that we’ve received from the Commonwealth of Virginia, every dollar of your gift will be matched 5 to 1!  With your gift, you open the Piedmont Battlefield to visitors for the first time since the guns there fell silent more than 159 years ago . . . 

  Thank you for what you’ve done at Piedmont and for considering a gift today . . . we’ve come this far, how can we stop now?

 See you at the front,

Keven Walker, Chief Executive Officer
Shenandoah Valley Battlefield

Help Save 184 Historic Tennessee Acres on Giving Tuesday

A generous donor has stepped up to match dollar-for-dollar every Giving Tuesday gift we receive, up to $50,000. Act today to MULTIPLY your impact at Shiloh and Stones River. 

If you value American history, I hope you’ll participate in this special giving opportunity to MULTIPLY your impact to help preserve land at two of the most important battles of the Western Theater in Tennessee. 
On Giving Tuesday, just next week, people around the world come together to give back to the causes that mean the most to them — like preserving hallowed ground for future generations. And this year, we have a special opportunity. 
Remarkable online-only Giving Tuesday match 
From now through the end of Giving Tuesday (Midnight PT, November 28), a generous donor has stepped up to match dollar-for-dollar every gift we receive up to $50,000 for this hallowed ground in Tennessee.

  The clock is ticking... both for this special Giving Tuesday deal and for our chance to preserve this land at Shiloh and Stones River before the developers get to it.

MULTIPLY YOUR GIFT TODAY

By joining in this special online-only Giving Tuesday opportunity, you will double the $20-to-$1 match we already secured to a $40-to-$1 match of your donation dollar, for up to $50,000! 

MULTIPLY your impact and help save hallowed ground at Shiloh and Stones River in Tennessee.

We are so grateful for everything you have done during the past year to preserve America’s history. Thank you for your support. 
‘Til the battle is won, 

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

P.S. You don’t have to wait until November 28 to make your contribution

Victory in the West

FROM THE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD TRUST

Sometimes big things come in small packages! In August 2021, I asked for your help saving a little more than 400 acres across four sacred battlefields of the Western Theater. The smallest parcel of ground included just six-tenths of an acre in Corinth, Miss. — a small plot of land that played a big role in the Battle of Corinth. Located literally across the street from the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, it was our hope to purchase the land, steward it and transfer it to the National Park Service for incorporation into the Corinth Battlefield Unit of Shiloh National Military Park. I’m excited to tell you that with your help, we’ve done just that!

Culminating Action

The 0.56-acre tract, now part of the National Park Service site, saw significant action on the second day of the Battle of Corinth. In the pre-dawn hours of October 4, 1862, Union skirmishers from the 63rd Ohio took a position that crossed the property and remained there until Confederate forces advanced later in the morning. The left flank of two Confederate brigades made multiple charges against the Union line across the land, with both sustaining heavy casualties in the culminating action of the battle. 

Saving this small parcel of land “is critical to telling the story of one of the more crucial but often overlooked battles in the Western Theater,” says Dan Davis, the Trust’s Senior Education Manager.  

Piecing History Together

The Trust is also working with the National Park Service to transfer about 29 additional acres of land to be incorporated into the Corinth Battlefield Unit of Shiloh National Military Park, land that includes intermittent remnants of the once extensive seven-mile line of earthworks built by Confederate forces in 1862 to defend the strategic transportation hub at Corinth, Miss. That land also later compromised part of the Corinth Contraband Camp, which housed thousands of former slaves and operated under the authority of the Union Army from November 1862 – December 1863. 

Folks, these parcels of land may be small, but the history they hold that we can share with future generations forever is huge. We can’t thank you enough for helping us do so!

‘Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan

President

American Battlefield Trust

Save 184 Acres at Shiloh and Stones River

At the Trust, we’ve spent the last few months working to secure highly-threatened tracts of land and funding for one of our most critical Western Theater campaigns in Tennessee at the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Stones River. 

This is one of the best chances we will ever have to hold the developers at bay and secure two decisive preservation victories! 

Last year, Tennessee had its largest population growth in 15 years, placing a major strain on Western Theater battlefields, including the two I’m sharing more about today. 

For example, in Murfreesboro, where the Battle of Stones River took place, there are new housing tracts and shopping centers sprouting up everywhere in one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

Seeing hallowed ground lost to development rends our hearts.  

Without question, the land at Stones River will be lost to commercial or high-density apartments if it is not preserved. And the acreage at Shiloh is attractive for development, too!

When you give bulldozers to developers, it seems like nothing is sacred. 

The lands where men fought, bled, and died, and the places where America’s history was shaped and defined, are deeply sacred to me, and I know they’re sacred to you, Paul. 

Besides, history teaches that the opening days of a battle don’t always determine the victor. That’s true of Shiloh, and it’s true of Stones River as well.

The two large parcels of land we are working to acquire and preserve right now both played crucial roles in those early hours and days when no one knew what the outcome of the battles, and the Civil War itself, would be! 

We must act now.

With more than $8 million in anticipated government grants and pledged gifts, we have $421,000 to raise to see this land preserved forever. This means your gift to save this at-risk land in Tennessee will be multiplied by a factor of 20! 

Help preserve 184 acres of hallowed ground at two of the bloodiest battles of the entire Civil War by making donation today.

‘Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan

President

American Battlefield Trust

Restoration Victories: Bulldozers on Battlefields!

I’m always eager to share victories with you for battlefield land that we’ve saved forever, but today I’m excited to share some different successes with you, restoration victories, including in Gettysburg, at Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Eutaw Springs, S.C.  

Our mission is to “Preserve. Educate. Inspire.” So, it’s not enough to just save battlefield land, we want to use it to teach and inspire future generations. To do that, we sometimes have to restore the landscape. We can’t just acquire lands that have been compromised and corrupted by decades of neglect and development and leave them as they are. We have to restore hallowed ground. Folks, I’m here to say, “Thank you!” Because together, with the help of our members, donors and partner organizations we have done that at these locations.

Hole in One

Entering Gettysburg National Military Park from the east, visitors have for years driven past glimpses of the abandoned and overgrown Mulligan McDuffers Adventure Golf & Ice Cream Parlor. With the help of our members and donors, this autumn we began removing the adventure park structures, hauling away old concrete and grading the land to lay down soil and grass seed at  the site of an important position on the Union right flank during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Two artillery pieces of the 1st New York Light Artillery Battery M, commanded by Lt. Charles E. Winegar were positioned on the edge of the property, split between here and Power’s Hill, directly across Baltimore Pike. On the afternoon of July 2, 1863, 14 cannons were placed on Power’s Hill. In conjunction with 10 more nearby artillery pieces to the north along Baltimore Pike, the two cannons on this land were positioned to cover the Union right—specifically the low ground to the south of Culp’s Hill known as Spangler’s Spring and Spangler’s Meadow. Collectively, the Union cannons in the area unleashed such a destructive fire during the seven-hour battle near Culp’s Hill on July 3rd that Confederate Gen. George Steuart called his position near Spangler’s Spring “artillery hell.”

When the restoration work is completed here, visitors to the battlefield can once again envision cannons and caissons located on the ground and Lt. Winegar commanding “Fire!” rather than “Fore!” For that, we are grateful to you!  

On Lookout Mountain

For decades, a former 1940s travel motel blemished approximately an acre of land next to the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, hallowed ground that played an important role in the Battle of Lookout Mountain. In June 2023, with the unwavering support of our members and donors, the Trust was able to demolish the motel and lay down sod to restore the field. 

Overlooking the Tennessee River, Lookout Mountain boasted a seemingly strong position for Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee as they kept the Union Army pinned at Chattanooga. On November 24, 1863, after the successful Union capture of Orchard Knob the day prior, Gen. Joseph Hooker ordered his three divisions to attack the Confederate left at Lookout Mountain.

The Wauhatchie Pike, the main road over the mountain during the time of the battle, runs by and through this field, the route of Confederate retreat. Some Union soldiers also crossed over the tract as they began their ascension of the mountain, helping lead to Union success at Missionary Ridge the following day on November 25.

The preservation — and now restoration — of this tract will ensure it continues to tell the story of the Battle of Lookout Mountain for generations to come.  

Eutaw Springs

Upon a roughly four-acre tract of land saved by the American Battlefield Trust — in collaboration with our partner on The Liberty Trail, the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust (SCBPT) — stands a spectacular, centuries-old oak tree, a witness to the Battle of Eutaw Springs on September 8, 1781, the last major engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Carolinas.

While fighting initially erupted a little over three miles west of the site, the morning of September 8 — when General Nathanael Greene’s column surprised a British patrol and foraging party — significant maneuvers and combat unfurled upon this land later in the day. All the while, the young oak tree stood as witness to a well-fought battle, after which the Continental Congress recognized Greene’s exceptional service with one of only seven gold medals given during the war.

The now-imposing tree then saw the nation and its people transform, including its surroundings which until this summer included modern features like a house, car port and chain link fence. Thanks to the generous help of our members, donors and partners its surrounding landscape has been restored to a grassy field reminiscent of September 1781.  

It’s not enough to buy the land and declare “Victory! ... Battlefield saved!” Sometimes, that’s only half the battle. This work isn’t glamorous. It’s roll-up-your-sleeves hard work and it takes time and resources. But it’s absolutely necessary to create authentic battlefield experiences. 

Thank you for the generous support that has helped us do the dirty work and restore this hallowed ground, and with it, share the stories of the history that happened here.  

 David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

Preservation Opportunity on the Anniversary of Cedar Creek

Friends,

October 19th marks the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek and we're within reach of preserving the heart of the historic Hite Farm – 74 acres of core battlefield – the exact point where the center of Kershaw’s Confederate infantry division came screaming out of the early morning darkness and crashed into the Union defenses. This property was unobtainable 10 years ago, but thanks to the generosity of the Brill family (who agreed to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars of the property’s value), grant funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia and the help of many of you – of the total purchase price of $1.4 million, only $152,000 remains to be raised! When we raise these funds, the property will be forever protected, and we will be able to immediately open it to the public. These 74 acres connect two previously preserved tracts, and once preserved, will link all the properties on this end of the battlefield into one visitor experience with a connecting trail that will provide access.

The natural beauty of this site alone would make it worthy of protection, but it’s the significance of the property as it relates to the battle that makes this tract so critical to preserve. This is the place where one of the greatest surprise attacks in military history was made. It is the location of the center of Kershaw’s attacking lines. It was here that the men of Barksdale’s old Mississippi Brigade surged up the slopes above the creek and over the Federal works. The brigade had been commanded by General Humphries (pronounced in Mississippi without the H) until about six weeks before the Battle of Cedar Creek when Humphries was severely wounded at the Battle of Berryville. On the morning of October 19th, 1864, the brigade marched through the Town of Strasburg in absolute silence. They forded the creek sometime after 4 a.m. and as quietly as possible got into position at the base of the slope. Just before 5 a.m., and before first light, the order to advance was given. These soldiers were hundreds of miles from home and before them in the pre-dawn darkness waited victory or death.

As they reached the Federal trenches, they let out the rebel yell – breaking the stillness of the morning and opening the battle that was to be the last best hope for the Confederates in the Valley. The Federal defenders were caught completely unaware. Those who manned the trenches feebly attempted to respond; many were roused from their slumber to scenes of pure terror as their comrades came running for their lives through the camps, followed closely by the Confederate attackers.

I’m sure that you can picture it. It’s the scene that most of us think of when we hear the words, Cedar Creek. The battle will rage on for another twelve hours or more, but it is this first attack that has defined the battle in most of our minds. That stirring, terrible, desperate, heroic, and electrifying scene was played out on this 74-acre tract. That first attack surged across many other parcels of ground as well, but the place where the center of Kershaw’s Division, the division first to attack, hit the unsuspecting Union boys from Ohio is here, on the parcel of ground that you and I have the opportunity to save.

We are almost there. Just like those Mississippi men in October of ’64, we have come so far and now it’s time to make the final attack. Victory is within our grasp and if we come together now and give it everything we’ve got, this ground can be forever protected. We need to raise the final $152,000. Please join this fight to save 74 acres at Cedar Creek. Whether you give a lot or a little, please do all that you can to make the fight successful.

I really can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for all that you do to save our battlefields and I know that because of you, these 74 acres at Cedar Creek are on the cusp of being saved forever.

See you at the Front,

Keven Walker, Chief Executive Officer

Donate to Save 74 Acres at Cedar Creek

Opportunity to Preserve Critical Part of Gettysburg’s First Day Battlefield

AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD TRUST SECURES OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE CRITICAL PART OF GETTYSBURG FIRST DAY BATTLEFIELD

(Gettysburg, Pa.) — The American Battlefield Trust has launched a $3 million national fundraising campaign to acquire the remainder of the former Gettysburg Country Club and remove modern structures, continuing a preservation process begun nearly 15 years ago in partnership with The Conservation Fund and National Park Service. Thanks to a generous major donor and other considerations extending the window for payment, the Trust seeks to raise $375,000 in private gifts by November 20, when it takes ownership of the property.

Located along the Chambersburg Pike between McPherson Ridge and Herr’s Ridge, and just past Willoughby’s Run, this 15-acre property saw intense fighting in the opening phase of battle on July 1, 1863. More recently, this vestige of the Emmanuel Harman Farm was proposed for intensive residential development last summer but won a reprieve following significant local advocacy to save the site. Denied permits for a sprawling apartment complex, the landowner appealed the decision but gave preservation groups an opportunity to purchase the property.

“I am pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with the landowner, a regional development firm, especially given the community support for the addition of this acreage to the battlefield footprint,” said Trust President David Duncan. “This is a significant milestone, but much remains to be done before we can declare ‘victory’ and deem the entirety of the former Country Club property protected forever.”

The site’s preservation journey began in mid-2008, when the Gettysburg Country Club declared bankruptcy after decades in operation. The site was identified as a top acquisition priority for the park and preservationists due to its historic significance: where Union cavalry slowed the initial Confederate advance and later fought over by the famed Union Iron Brigade and Confederate General James Archer’s Brigade of Tennessee and Alabama troops. The first true bloodletting at Gettysburg occurred along the banks of Willoughby’s Run, on and around the Country Club land. After the fighting moved off to the east, a field hospital was established on the banks of Willoughby’s Run and at least 23 combatants were buried on what became the Country Club.

“This is one of the most historically significant properties on the Gettysburg Battlefield,” said Andrew Dalton, executive director of the Adams County Historical Society and author of Beyond the Run, a history of actions on this part of the battlefield. “Between two Confederate attacks passing over the land and the remarkable postbattle history of a nearby mineral spring and resort, the potential for restoring and interpreting this tract is immense.”

An initial sheriff’s sale failed to find a buyer and the entire site was acquired by a housing developer. However, preservationists continued to negotiate behind the scenes and, in March 2011, The Conservation Fund, assisted by the Trust and other allied organizations, successfully transferred 95 acres of former golf course to the National Park Service during an event headlined by then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

However, the portion of the property fronting the road, including modern clubhouses, tennis courts and swimming pool had been subdivided out and was not included in the acquisition. Those amenities have gone unused for several years and the site remained vulnerable to development. The looming threat came to a head last summer, when Cumberland Township considered approving development plans for a large-scale apartment complex. Local residents and preservation advocates came out in force to oppose the plan, and the local Board of Supervisors denied permit approval. Although the developer appealed that ruling and worked to address the specific issues raised in the process, the door was open for preservation discussions.

Through a series of good-faith negotiations, the Trust and the developer were able to reach mutually agreeable terms for the Trust’s purchase of the land in collaboration with other preservation allies. After taking ownership of the property in November, the Trust will also begin envisioning a landscape restoration plan that removes intrusive 21st century elements but retains the original clubhouse currently leased by the Gettysburg Day Spa, which will continue operating as normal for the foreseeable future.

Over the past two-plus decades, the Trust has helped protect nearly 1,240 acres across the Gettysburg Battlefield. Further, it has made significant investments in landscape restoration across the battlefield — both on its own properties and assisting our partners. Through innovative GPS-enabled and augmented reality components, we have advanced place-based interpretive efforts and brought the battle to life in new ways. Learn more about these projects and initiatives on the Trust website.

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened at those sites and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 57,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War across 155 sites in 25 states. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.

Our first chance to save land at Seven Pines

I hope you'll march alongside us as we pursue the next, absolutely crucial phase of our landmark campaign at Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to permanently preserve the more than 332 acres at Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor, plus, the opportunity to save the first 12 acres ever at Seven Pines!

Please, let us explain more about this historic opportunity...

[VIDEO] Click here to join for an overview.

Over the past three years, we’ve steadily reached and surpassed major milestones with this multi-phase project, and now we are closer than ever to permanently preserving a nearly one-square-mile piece of two sacred battlefields! 

Securing this tract would create a 3.5-mile linear swath of protected ground at the Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor battlefields. We can’t let this opportunity slip through our hands.

Please make a generous gift to help us preserve this significant land.

On the battlefield,

Garry Adelman, Chief Historian

American Battlefield Trust

Preservation Victory at Third Winchester!

I’m thrilled to be able to announce that today, on the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Third Winchester, the West Woods has been saved – every dime has been raised – and this priceless piece of hallowed ground is protected for all time!!  

We’ve done it. We have completed one of the largest (valued at over $5 million) and most complicated projects in our history and have forever preserved 34 acres of core battlefield. The West Woods, known as the “Vortex of Battle”, was the scene of fighting for more than ten hours. Thousands of troops were drawn in and flung out of the terrible contest that raged there – making this the most heavily fought over parcel of land in the entire Shenandoah Valley. 

Though not nearly as difficult as the what the soldiers who struggled there faced in 1864, the fight to preserve this property has been uphill all the way and took almost ten years to complete. When we first tackled this project, the property was destined to be developed into a movie complex with multiple theaters and massive parking facilities, but, because of you, the West Woods is preserved and opened to visitors as a part of the Third Winchester Battlefield Park. It was on the cusp of being lost under the blade of the bulldozer but is now a living landscape, an outdoor classroom, where thousands can learn, reflect and remember. 

There were many partners over the last eight years who made the preservation of this property a reality - Our friends at the American Battlefield Trust who contributed $100,000, the folks at United Bank who structured our payments to match the irregularity of grant funding and the staffs at the American Battlefield Protection Program, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and Virginia Land Conservation Foundation who went out of their way bring state and federal funds to the project.   It took all of them, and it took every single one of you to get this done and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve been able to accomplish together.

Today, large projects and long risks are relatively commonplace around here, but when we began the fight to save this woodlot, we were an untested team, flat broke and rolling the dice on a purchase that could have financially ruined the organization. It was a gamble to say the least. In the end, we put it all on the line because we knew that the property had to be saved and that we were the only ones that were going to do it. Today, we announce total victory! Thank you for all that you continue to do to make days like today possible and victories like this one possible. You are making a real difference . . .      

See you at the front,
Kevin

Victory in Antietam: Jacob Avey Farm Saved!

September 17, 2023

Today, as we commemorate the more than 22,000 casualties of the September 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam, 161 years ago on America’s Bloodiest Day, it feels even more meaningful for me to tell you that our most recent victory saves nearly 150 acres of battlefield land associated with the Maryland Campaign, including the Jacob Avey Farm, some of Antietam’s most hallowed ground.

Witness to America’s Bloodiest Day

Just a few short months ago, I asked you to help us save a key 20-acre portion of Antietam’s Jacob Avey Farm, where some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of Antietam took place and where Confederate soldiers were buried after the battle, according to the recently discovered Elliot Burial Map. Folks, you answered our call, and because of you, this sacred ground is saved!

The land also includes the historic Avey farmhouse, where the Avey family lived. Like many civilians in Sharpsburg, Jacob Avey Sr. suffered great financial loss due to the battle. Heavy fighting took place on his land, and an errant Union shell penetrated his house. His claims for reimbursement from the Federal government, like many others in Sharpsburg, were rejected, despite his feeding Union soldiers and caring for them in his house. Now we can share his family’s story through the power of place.

Shepherdstown

After the Battle of Antietam, Confederate forces moved back across the Potomac and into Virginia at Shepherdstown. Part of the Union army pursued and attacked the Confederate rearguard, capturing four guns. The next day, Union forces crossed the Potomac and established a bridgehead, as well.

Gen. Robert E. Lee dispatched Gen. A.P. Hill’s division to counterattack on land we are also claiming victory for today – 122 acres of land associated with the Battle of Shepherdstown. Confederates were able to hold off the Federals and discourage them from further pursuit, and Lincoln was so frustrated with Gen. George B. McClellan’s lack of initiative that in November he relieved him of duty and named Gen. Ambrose Burnside the commander of the Army of the Potomac.

These 122 acres of battlefield land at Shepherdstown, which include the historic Osbourn House, appear mostly as they did during the battle, offering a valuable educational tool for generations to come. Thank you for helping us preserve them and these hallowed grounds at Antietam.  

‘Til the battle is won. 

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

Saving Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor – Launching Phase 4!

From American Battlefield Trust

Three years ago, we launched "The Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign."

Today I'm honored and humbled to report that, because of your tremendous generosity and that of your fellow Trust members, we have raised enough funding to preserve significant parts of the most important unprotected battlefield land in this country. For that, I can't thank you enough! 

Introducing Phase 4: "The Cavalry Charge!" 

Over the past three years, we've steadily reached and surpassed major milestones with this project, and now we are closer than ever to permanently preserving a nearly one-square-mile piece of sacred battlefield at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor! 

There is only one place in America where nearly one square mile of a "double battlefield" can still be preserved. 

And perhaps even more remarkable, there is only one place where nearly one square mile of hallowed ground is essentially as pristine as it was when the two battles raged in 1862 (Gaines’ Mill) and 1864 (Cold Harbor). 

The overlapping ground on which both the battles of Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor were fought is one of the most hallowed battlefields in America. 

This enormous tract on both the Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor battlefields extends from the strategically important Chickahominy River northward to connect with the Richmond National Battlefield Park, as well as the previous tracts we have worked together to save. Securing this tract would create a 3.5-mile linear swath of protected ground.  

Preserving this historic 332 acre tract truly prevents the alarming new types of development which are running rampant in Virginia right now... utility-scale solar farms, huge (and noisy) five-to-eight story data centers, 24-hour warehouse distribution centers which span dozens or scores of acres, and new housing developments. 
 
Plus, preserve 12 acres of the first land ever saved at Seven Pines! 

In addition to historic land at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor, for the first time EVER, we have a chance to preserve land at the Battle of Seven Pines, also known as Fair Oaks. Learn more about the history of this property.

This tract at Seven Pines not only give us the chance, for the first time, to tell the story of the battle that happened there. Just as important, it will remind future visitors that preservation of our nation’s history — specifically of its hallowed battlefields — does not just "happen" on its own. It takes dedicated people who care about our history and money to buy these hallowed grounds from willing sellers to ensure that they will be preserved forever.

The total transaction value for the combined 344 acres we can save at Gaines' Mill and Seven Pines is $1.085 million — certainly a very significant sum. Fortunately, we've already received a few significant gifts from some very generous major donors and expect to receive state and federal grants. Even with those generous gifts and grants, we will still have to raise $506,047.  

Please march alongside us as we pursue the next, absolutely critical phase of this landmark campaign, by making a generous gift today.

 'Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

Save 29 Acres at Gettysburg & Second Deep Bottom

Today, we have the opportunity to permanently preserve 20 new acres at Gettysburg, plus another nine acres at Second Deep Bottom that are adjacent to lands we’ve already saved!

  Please, let me tell you a little more about each of these parcels...

Gettysburg Battlefield

  This 20-acre tract a few miles southwest of Gettysburg that hosted a see-saw action pitting Union cavalry against Confederate cavalry and infantry, during Pickett’s Charge.

  This remarkable tract is immediately adjacent to a parcel we preserved 10 years ago, and across the road from another. It’s a missing piece, and so important to telling the Gettysburg story!

Second Deep Bottom Battlefield

  The second property is a nine-acre parcel at Second Deep Bottom, where a generous preservationist is working with the Trust to preserve this hallowed ground.

  This Confederate victory resulted from a Union thrust toward Richmond, and this tract saw real deal combat on the Confederate left flank and a crumbling Union right, likely where the 9th U.S. Colored Troops made a determined fight.

  We’ve saved 223 acres at Second Deep Bottom already, and now, with your help, we have the chance to save nine more.

The tracts’ owners could have received lucrative offers from developers before agreeing to sign purchase contracts with the Trust but chose to see these acres saved for all time. This is why we can’t hesitate a second!

The total purchase cost of these irreplaceable lands is $1.298 million, but when we factor in anticipated grants from some of our other best partners, including our friends at the HTR Foundation, we’re left with only $43,650 to raise.

  That’s less than 4% of the total cost, which means that every dollar you send today, I can turn into $29.70 of saved hallowed ground! That’s an amazing bargain!

  Our nation’s battlefields have never been more threatened... the land has never been more expensive... and the competition to buy it has never been more intense.

That means your support has never been needed more.

Thanks for doing all you can to help get us over the finish line today!

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

Don't let data centers destroy the Wilderness!

The modern battlefield preservation movement began in response to the tidal wave of suburban development that washed over Northern Virginia in the mid-1980s. Longtime supporters of this organization and its predecessors remember the days of fighting against theme parks near Manassas, NASCAR tracks at Brandy Station, shopping malls at Chantilly and more subdivisions than anyone could possibly count. 
 
The Civil War soldiers who fought those battles – or even the veterans that created the battlefield parks we all still cherish – could not have imagined the scale and scope of development we have spent four decades confronting. Nor could we, at the Trust’s founding, envision the 21st-century threats that now constitute the most pressing danger to historic landscapes.

Worse than the hulking distribution warehouses and industrial solar facilities are the hyper-scale data centers financed by some of the largest corporations on earth – deep-pocketed opponents for whom price is no object. Every day, each of these facilities consumes as much water and energy as a small town… and they’re proposed on or adjacent to significant battlefields, including Brandy Station, Glendale, Manassas, North Anna, Reams Station and more.  

Currently, more than 70% of the world’s internet traffic flows through Northern Virginia – with more data center facilities going online every day!

The most egregious proposal, however, centers on the Wilderness Battlefield...

Incidentally, this is nearly the same area that we successfully fought Walmart from developing 16 years ago. Sadly, this new proposal is worse — far, far worse — than that original big-box plan. 

In the face of overwhelming public opposition, officials approved the building of 5,000 homes and, appallingly, as many data centers and distribution warehouses as they can cram into 750 acres. Originally, that type of hulking, windowless development had been capped at a sprawling five million square feet. However, any semblance of a limit was lifted in the final hours before the Board vote, creating a material difference in the proposal over what had been shared with the public and evaluated by county planning staff. The Wilderness Crossing project and rezoning process had numerous other substantive and procedural flaws.

If ever there was a time to fight, it is now. That’s why we and our preservation allies have filed a lawsuit. We have a strong case, but such legal action is costly and deep-pocketed developers have no problem dragging matters out as long as possible. 

We have an urgent need for $100,000 to help us carry out this legal battle at the Wilderness, on top of the many time-sensitive land preservation projects across the nation we are also now engaged in.

With so much at stake,
please consider making a gift toward this urgent matter 
and help us hold the line at the Wilderness. 

'Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

Join the Fight for the Wilderness Battlefield

Dear Preservation Partner,

By now you are probably aware, and if you are not, please visit cvbt.org for information, that on April 24, 2023, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, in a 4-1 decision, voted to approve the rezoning of the Wilderness Crossing development project in the northeast part of the county. This controversial decision makes possible the creation of a 2,600-acre mixed-use commercial, industrial, and residential complex that developer KEG Associates III envisions including up to 5,000 residential units, 732 acres of towering and noisy industrial buildings, data centers, and warehouse distribution key points.

During the County Board public hearings, numerous concerned citizens and organizations, including CVBT, spoke out opposing the project and expressing a range of concerns, including the negative impacts to the area's ecology, infrastructure, and historic resources. No one spoke in favor of this massive development project.

To counter the potential catastrophic damage this effort could cause, CVBT recently joined with several other concerned organizations and individuals as plaintiffs in a legal challenge to overturn the rezoning ruling. In CVBT's press release on this matter I noted that, "A project of this magnitude is unprecedented for this significantly historical area. Orange County apparently failed to follow proper procedures and also failed to reply to several queries from the National Park Service and other public entities."

CVBT is not opposed to responsible and thoroughly planned development. However, when we see threats to our past and ongoing preservation efforts being undermined by procedural failings, poor choices, and lack of concern for citizens' wishes, we feel we have an obligation to act and protect the Wilderness battlefield and its surrounding historic area.

This legal battle is one that is likely to be drawn out and expensive. Please consider donating and join our efforts to effectively contest the Wilderness Crossing rezoning decision.

Each and every gift is sincerely appreciated and sends a message!

"CVBT will continue to advocate to do the right thing for the area and our nation’s history.”

Sincerely, Tom Van Winkle, CVBT President

Yes, I Want to Support the Wilderness Crossing Fight