245 Years after Battle, State Historic Site at Bennington Grows by 23 Acres!

The American Battlefield Trust’s most recent success story speaks volumes about the process that goes on behind the scenes in the preservation process. Our acquisition opportunities arise from many places — through long term relationship building with landowners, from tips provided by eagle-eyed members and even out of through encounters Trust staff on their own vacations. In short, that is how the Trust initiated its first-ever project at the Bennington Battlefield — which concluded in the protection of 23 acres of core battlefield land and its successful transfer to New York State.

In 2017, the Trust was truly starting to fire up its efforts to save Revolutionary War battlefields and Kathy Robertson, our director of project management, had her eyes set on the possibilities afoot in New York. So, while vacationing that summer, she arranged to visit the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site and introduce herself to those charged with operating it. That’s when Robertson met David Pitlyk, historic site assistant at Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site, and Alane Ball Chinian, director of the Saratoga-Capital Region for New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. From that point on, Pitlyk and Chinian knew they could call on Robertson if there was ever a chance for the Trust to lend support at Bennington.

That call came in January 2019, after Pitlyk learned that a 23-acre property within the battlefield’s core had been sold through a tax sale.

The property was unquestionably significant. On August 16, 1777, during the first engagement of the Battle of Bennington, this was part of the area where Crown forces retreated to and surrendered, evidenced by artifacts found on adjacent, state-owned battlefield land. The defeat of General John Burgoyne’s forces here was only the precursor for his disastrous loss at Saratoga two months later, which signaled the growing strength of the American cause.

With a notable impact on the trajectory of the war, Bennington is defined as a “Class A” battlefield in the Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the U.S.

The Trust recognized the historic weight this property carries and the potential that New York State saw in the land. While the owner was at first reluctant to selling, he soon learned the history of the land. Upon an appraisal and following a few offers, a deal was struck in late 2019 — with the promise that the owner would remove the single-family structure on the property.

The Trust officially closed in June of 2020, and although the bulk of the modern buildings were gone, further clean-up remained for the Trust to complete before the land was state-park ready. In June of 2022, the process was completed with the 23-acre tract’s transfer to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, expanding the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site and opening the door to a world of recreational opportunities.

Protect the Site of the Second Largest Battle Fought in North Carolina

When Union Gen. John M. Schofield ordered Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox to move his XXIII Corps to Goldsboro in February 1865, he was blocked by Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg just east of Kinston, North Carolina. Despite an initial Confederate success, Union reinforcements — arriving March 9 — were able to repulse Confederate troops forcing Bragg to withdraw. The four-day long struggle is the second-largest battle ever fought in North Carolina and engaged over 20,500 troops.

Now, hallowed ground at the Wyse Fork Battlefield — just outside the city of Kinston — is facing a threat that would perpetually destroy the site. The proposed highway interchange would sit at the heart of the battlefield, causing significant and irreparable damage to the historic site, hindering interpretation efforts, and impeding future preservation attempts.

A map of the proposed highway interchange at Wyse Fork Battlefield. Click to enlarge. 

Join us in signing our letter of opposition against this horrendous threat to one of our nation’s most important Civil War conflicts.

Sincerely,
Jim Campi
Chief Policy and Communications Officer
American Battlefield Trust

P.S. Signing this letter to protect Wyse Fork Battlefield may seem like a small action on your part, but we know that it has an impact. Last month, after thousands of preservationists spoke out through the Trust and its partners, local officials near Gettysburg UNANIMOUSLY rejected a proposed zoning amendment with long-term consequences for the battlefield. Your voice matters!

No. Not now ... not ever ... not for any amount of money. Period.

From the American Battlefield Trust:

Many of our nation’s still-unprotected hallowed grounds are facing an alarming new generation of aggressive threats. Big-tech companies with billions to spend are racing to build huge warehouse-style data centers and distribution facilities in places where young men fought and died for country and for freedom.

We receive solicitations asking if we’ll sell the lands we’ve purchased and protected! Can you believe their gall?

My response to any developer who might write to me to try to convince me that I should give up and let them destroy our history:

No. Not now ... not ever ... not for any amount of money ... and I’m backed up by an army of nearly 45,000 Americans who stand with me and will do whatever it takes to preserve irreplaceable history!

Click here to see the solicitations that come across my desk.

But I can’t promise other landowners will do the same. Not with all-cash offers — many coming in well above appraised value — pouring in almost every day! If we want to protect battlefield lands from unrelenting developers, we must act immediately ... and I need your help!

Right now, we have the opportunity to purchase and permanently protect 52 acres of prime Virginia Civil War battlefield land: in Manassas, Reams Station, and Cumberland Church (Farmville). 

The total transaction value is just over a million dollars, but if we can raise just $145,000 in the next 30 days, we can multiply your impact by $7- to-$1. With your help, we’ll purchase all three parcels, and keep them out of the hands of developers forever!

We cannot let the opportunity to preserve these 52 acres of prime Virginia Civil War battlefield land pass us by. Please join us in helping to preserve battlefield land at Manassas, Reams Station and Cumberland Church by making a gift today.

Thank you for everything you do to support battlefield preservation.

'Til the battle is won,
David Duncan, President
American Battlefield Trust

29 Acres Saved at Cold Harbor Tavern!

We all know of Independence Hall or the U.S. Capitol building as structures with a defining role in our American story. The emotions and actions tied to these landmarks cement their place in our minds. But we also often apply this way of thinking to the battlefields we seek to preserve! On these lands, we remember the daring charges made, the striking way in which artillery was positioned, the flank attacks launched, the heartbreaking losses experienced, the deeds that went above and beyond the call of duty and so much more.

Chances are, most Americans haven’t heard of the “Old Cold Harbor Tavern” — a building that, despite burning down in the early 1900s, maintained a myriad of Civil War memories due to its position in the southeastern corner of the intersection of the Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor Battlefields. It was such a prominent local landmark that it even gave its name to the 1864 battle that unfolded on the surrounding landscape!  

Now, thanks to your enduring passion for protecting the past, the American Battlefield Trust is proud to announce a preservation victory on the 29-acre property that once housed this bustling tavern. But Trust donors were not alone in recognizing the historic significance of the site and entities including the HTR Foundation, the National Park Service and the Commonwealth of Virginia all stepped forward to support our efforts to preserve these crucial acres, right next to 50 acres you saved from becoming a sportsplex in 2019!

Here’s a quick overview of what the Cold Harbor Tavern witnessed: 

• In late May 1862, Union Gen. George McClellan made his headquarters at the tavern, likely working from tents set up within the tavern yards.
  

• A month later, in late June 1862, Confederate forces had taken control of the crossroads. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson also made camp at the tavern and remained in the vicinity for the duration of the fighting that took place in the area. On the night of June 27, 1862 — following Confederate victory at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill — Jackson and Confederate cavalry chief Gen. J.E.B. Stuart reportedly slept beneath a tree in the tavern’s yard.
  

• From May 31–June 12, 1864, combat raged across the tavern’s surrounding acres in the Battle of Cold Harbor, with the climax of battle sweeping over this exact 29-acre tract! Gen. James B. Ricketts, who earned a medal for meritorious service during Cold Harbor, also made the tavern his headquarters at least once over the course of the battle.
  

• In the days following the Union defeat at Cold Harbor, Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock oversaw the progress of the 2nd Corps from a spot near the tavern, a 6th Corps physician set up a field hospital “among the trees in the yard” and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant himself stopped at the site on June 3 while surveying the state of his troops.

But you don’t need to imagine what this area would have looked like as these events unfolded. Thanks to this virtual animation full of details vetted by our expert historians, you can see the Cold Harbor Tavern “brought back to life”! OR place the tavern in your own environment with augmented reality filters available on Instagram or Snapchat. 

And while this announcement is a long time coming, we deliver it with more good news: we’ve torn down the dilapidated, semi-modern structure that blemished this acreage. I’m happy to share that I got the first swing at it!

This is a reminder that “victory” doesn’t always mean our work is done! At times, it’s just the beginning of enacting a new vision for a property. 

I continue to be amazed by the dedication you deliver to this cause time and time again, allowing us to make a tangible impact on these hallowed grounds. Thus, my gratitude will never cease!  

‘Til the Battle Is Won,
David N. Duncan
President
American Battlefield Trust

Celebrating 35 Years of Preservation at ABT

On the evening of July 18, 1987, about 30 people gathered in the banquet room of Arbuckle’s Restaurant on Sophia Street in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. They came together through a shared interest in the plight of Civil War battlefields in the face of expanding urban development and the near-complete loss of battlefields like Salem Church and Chantilly. They felt it was important to take concrete steps to save those sites that remained, and to do so they believed the time had come to establish a nonprofit organization that would actively pursue these goals through the outright purchase of those landscapes.

By the time the salad, stuffed chicken and rice pilaf, dessert and drinks (cost of the dinner: $10 per person, including tax and tip) was cleared away, they had, by unanimous consent, named themselves the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites.  In that first membership meeting, the very nature of battlefield preservation changed forever. Today, exactly 35 years later, we should all be proud to be a part of that continuing legacy.

From the meeting minutes, we know that from Day 1, this organization had five main goals — all of which we continue to live by today.

1. Become a recognized force for preservation of Civil War sites. 

A goal we clearly exceeded, responding to a clear need and the urging of the National Park Service to expand our scope into other conflicts and evolve into today’s American Battlefield Trust. Our current footprint would have been unimaginable to that early group – 350,000 members and supporters, 11 million website visitors and 22 million video views annually.

2. Raise money to achieve the organization’s ends. 

Not only do generous members donate directly to our work, but we have mastered mechanisms to unlock matching grant funds that multiply their gifts manifold. The fair market value of the 1,273 acres we protected in 2021 topped $33 million, but we were able to create a 20.6-to-1 leverage factor on private donations.

3. Buy or otherwise protect military sites associated with the Civil War. 

In 35 years, we have permanently protected more than 55,000 acres of hallowed ground at 150 separate sites across three wars and are on the verge of completing work in our 25th state. Nobody at that first meeting dared dream so big!

4. Establish solid liaison with other historical groups to further the organization’s goals. 

Working in partnership with a variety of national, regional and local preservation groups (some of whom we helped establish) has become a hallmark of our success.  In addition to being our partners, these organizations facilitate our advocacy efforts and even participate in fundraising projects. 

5. Eventually support a small professional staff.

Our staff has grown as we have expanded our reach and mission to include outstanding and award-winning education initiatives, but the Trust remains incredibly lean. More than 80 percent of the money we raise goes directly toward land acquisition and education programs, a ratio that earns us the highest ratings for efficiency by independent evaluators of nonprofit organizations.  

Today, I hope you’ll join me in thanking everyone who attended that first membership meeting, but particularly the eight men who served on its first Steering Committee: Dennis E. Frye, Gary W. Gallagher, A. Wilson Greene, Robert K. Krick, Donald C. Pfanz and Edward T. Wenzel, who remain part of our community, plus John P. Ackerly III and Brian C. Pohanka, whose memory we honor. Without their vision and — more importantly, their conviction to take positive action — all that we have achieved together would have been impossible.

We are also keenly aware that the threat of lost battlefield land is higher now than ever before. Our founders could have never imagined the futuristic threats of data centers and industrial-scale solar farms, in addition to the growth in residential and commercial development in formerly rural areas. We must remain vigilant and focused on continuing the legacy that was created 35 years ago.

May the future bring our mission an equal measure of success!

David N. Duncan
President
American Battlefield Trust

P.S. You can read more about the origins of the modern battlefield preservation movement on our website. Take a look here.

Antietam, Harpers Ferry, and Fredericksburg—three iconic battlefields need your support!

From the American Battlefield Trust…

A visit to an American battlefield is a sacred one. You approach it with the respect, honor, and reverence it deserves because you know that lives were lost here and a nation forever changed on this hallowed ground. 

Imagine then, emerging from a stand of trees or looking into the distance, and seeing an out of place building on the verge of collapse. Is it historic? Integral to the stories of the men who fought there? NO. It is a reminder that if American Battlefield Trust, with your support, had not saved this land, it would have been a forgotten page in our history.

With the 160th anniversary of these major battles this year, it’s time to take the next step in our preservation efforts and finish the job we committed to doing and restore three battlefield sites to their authentic war-time appearance. 

Will you join us in these next steps to preserve and protect hallowed ground forever?

When we purchased each of these properties, we promised to restore them within 3-5 years. We now have until the end of the year to accomplish these tasks:

• Battle of Fredericksburg Restoration—we have 5 modern houses to tear down and remove, clearing the way for an unrestricted view of this historic battlefield much like it looked in 1862. Removing the buildings will make it easier to reach the famous Meade Marker—a stone pyramid 23 feet high and 30 feet square marking the location where Union General Meade penetrated Stonewall Jackson’s lines in December 1862. Estimated cost: $125,000.
  
  

• Battle of Harpers Ferry Restoration—Preserved property located on Bolivar Heights was an important thoroughfare for Union forces and a Confederate military target. An unused real estate office, auto repair shop, and former gas station mar the landscape where Union forces delayed Confederate forces in their attempt to lay claim to the site. These need to be torn down and debris removed. Estimated cost: $90,000
  
  

• The Battle of Antietam Restoration—In full sight of the Antietam Visitor Center is a deteriorating, postwar home and outbuildings. We need to restore the land to its authentic appearance where it was fought over, marched on, and fired over on the bloodiest day in our history. Estimated cost: $25,000

Preservation does not end with the purchase of an historic property. It is just the beginning. When you support American Battlefield Trust, you make a promise to preserve and protect land where battles were fought and ensure that they are restored to their authentic appearance—for all to enjoy. 

These crucial restoration projects are not huge in scope, but we need to complete them by the end of the year. We need $240,000 to do so. 

Your gift today is a promise to not only save historic land from development, but to continue to be a steward of each site and fulfill a promise to protect and preserve it for future generations.

Please donate today so we can begin these projects in earnest.

Thank you. ‘Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan, President

American Battlefield Trust

P.S. If you want to make a contribution to our Battlefield Restoration Fund online, please do so. The sooner we raise the needed dollars, the sooner we can put them to work, restoring these hallowed landscapes at places like Antietam, Harpers Ferry, and Fredericksburg. Thank you again!

Slaughter Pen Farm is Saved Forever!

From Civil War Trust/American Battlefield Trust:

There are a handful of preservation projects that I would categorize as organization defining, and the $12-million effort to protect the Slaughter Pen Farm at Fredericksburg tops the list. Today, at long last, it is a singular honor to declare victory on this 16-year fundraising campaign! 

No, you’re not dreaming: After 16 long years of asking for your help to pay off the largest and most complex private battlefield preservation effort in the nation’s history, the American Battlefield Trust owns the 208-acre site deemed by historian Frank O’Reilly as “the very heart and soul” of the Fredericksburg Battlefield free and clear. Thanks to your outpouring of support and the generosity of an anonymous major donor, we made the final payment on our loan in May, two years early.

Although the Battle of Fredericksburg is most famous for the doomed Union assault on Marye’s Heights, the fight was won and lost further south, as troops in blue and gray struggled across an undulating farm field and toward the slopes of Prospect Hill. The intense fighting on the south end of the Fredericksburg battlefield produced some 9,000 casualties, many of whom fell on a piece of ground dubbed "the Slaughter Pen" by soldiers and locals alike.

Over the years, the Trust was able to successfully discourage inappropriate development proposals targeting the site until, in early 2006, 208 acres of farmland were put up for sale on the open real estate market, advertised as the “prime light industrial development site in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” They carried an alarming purchase price of $12 million. But with a history as rich as this, we couldn’t let the lofty price tag scare us away, nor could we bow to a seller adverse to preservationists. 

It was time to be bold and get creative. The tale of how we secured and ultimately paid for this land is dramatic and unexpected, involving preservation-friendly housing developers actively working on our behalf, a groundswell of dynamic local activism and bankers willing to offer remarkably generous financing terms. Truly, the story occupies an entire chapter of Fighting the Second Civil War, the book that tells the history of the modern battlefield preservation movement.

Plenty of people thought we were in over our heads! Closing occurred in June 2006, and we proceeded to use all available resources to pay off the loan — from federal matching funds via the American Battlefield Protection Program to a noteworthy contribution from the Commonwealth to the sale of Virginia tax credits to a remarkable $1 million pledge from our friends at the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust. We even took advantage of the ups and downs in the economy to refinance our loan, saving us several percentage points — and tens of thousands of dollars in interest.

But the key to our success has always been you! Nearly half of the $12 million raised for Slaughter Pen Farm was through private funds, with many donors expressing their passion and generosity in the form of recurring gifts that chipped away at the loan. Tens of thousands of individual donors contributed to this project and I am thankful to each and every one.

Manassas National Battlefield Park Considered Threatened By Proposed Data Center

From National Parks Traveler - By Kurt Repanshek - May 11th, 2022

Manassas National Battlefield Park is considered one of Virginia's most endangered historic sites by Preservation Virginia/Kurt Repanshek file

A proposal to build a sprawling digital data center next to Manassas National Battlefield Park has landed the park on the 2022 list of Virginia's "Most Endangered Historic Places."

The listing by Preservation Virgina was spurred by a decision by local county officials to rezone land next to the Civil War battlefield for a "mega data center" complex that would impact the historic landscape just outside the park boundary.

"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 annual list of endangered sites.

The digital data center planned to go in next to Manassas would cover more than 2,000 acres. Filmmaker Ken Burns has called the proposal the "single greatest threat to Manassas National Battlefield Park in nearly three decades."

The First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) was fought near Manassas, Virginia, on July 21, 1861. The Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas) was fought over nearly the same ground during August 28-30, 1862. 

Back in 2008, Professor Emeritus Robert Janiskee wrote in the National Parks Traveler that concerns were growing over threats development posed to the battlefield.

The two battles commemorated at the 5,100-acre park, both Confederate victories, were fought less than 30 miles southwest of our nation’s capital in an area of northern Virginia that has experienced tremendous economic growth over the past few decades. Fast-growing Prince William and Fairfax counties are now so heavily developed that green space and large trees have become comparatively scarce in many areas. Locals fear that few mature trees will be left unless development is checked and strict tree protection ordinances are enforced. Another concern at Manassas and other Civil War battlefield parks is encroaching development that obscures historic sightlines. ... Some battlefield parks, such as Fredericksburg and & Spotsylvania National Military Park, are almost completely surrounded by development and exist as historic islands in a modern milieu. In such cases, historic sightlines extend only as far as the park boundary.

In reviewing the current proposal, 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."

In discussing her group's list of endangered historic sites, Preservation Virginia CEO Elizabeth S. Kostelny said the list "reflects the resilience of the Commonwealth's many historic places that have persisted for generations in support of their communities. The dedication of organizations, local governments, and individuals currently working to preserve these places reflects the very nature of the historic preservation movement- the ability to adapt to challenges and retain relevance in an ever-changing world."

The Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places program has a track record of success. This past year, previously listed sites including Rassawek, historic capital of the Monacan Indian Nation, River Farm, headquarters of the American Horticultural Society, and the Warm Springs Bathhouses, the oldest spa site in the United States, were saved from insensitive development and neglect. Since the program began, more than 50 percent of sites listed have been saved, 10 percent were lost, and the remaining 40 percent are still being monitored.

Help Save 48 acres at Cedar Creek and Cedar Mountain

Combined, these 48 acres of hallowed ground at Cedar Creek and Cedar Mountain in Virginia have a transaction value of $939,153 — nearly $1 million. Thanks to a combination of state and federal grants and major gifts, each $1 you give will be multiplied by a factor of $29!  

The first tract of this preservation opportunity consists of 3 acres at Cedar Creek, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the site of the savage, bloody battle that Confederate and Federal troops both won and lost in the same day. Both sides saw victory and defeat within the same battle. It’s also one of the most threatened battlefields in America.

The second tract is 45 acres at Cedar Mountain, in the Virginia piedmont, where Confederate General Stonewall Jackson rode into the heart of the battle to rally his faltering troops ... and when his rusted saber refused to come out of the scabbard, Jackson wielded it, scabbard and all, to turn the tide of battle.

This land is also targeted by both residential and utility-scale solar developers — just imagine this piece of history lost forever, buried under modern, close-set, single-family houses or baking beneath endless rows of solar panels! 

Please help the American Battlefield Trust do that with your most generous gift right away. Remember, each $1 you give will be matched and will have the impact of an incredible $29 multiplier. 

Donate Now

Help Preserve 311 Acres Where Four Prominent Generals Fought

Unprotected battlefield land all across America has never been more threatened, it has never been more expensive, and the competition to buy it has never been more intense. We need your help today!

  Already this year, we have tremendous opportunities that simply cannot wait: four tracts of land available for purchase totaling 311 acres with a $13-to-$1 matching gift opportunity. We need to raise $206,207 to secure the land, and we need to do it within the next two months.

  Three of the four tracts will be “first acre” purchases, meaning that neither the Trust nor any other organization has had an opportunity to save hallowed ground on these sites… until now.

  We invite you to support the land preservation where four Civil War generals honed their battlefield experience… suffering victories and losses… returning to battle again and again… and securing their place in Civil War history.

Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle of Belmont (1861)

With just a little more than one acre available for purchase, it will be the first preservation acre saved where the Battle of Belmont was fought. It’s here in Belmont, Missouri, that General Grant got the combat and large-unit command experience that he would use later in the war.

William T. Sherman and the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou (1862)

In the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign, General Sherman disembarked his soldiers at Johnson’s Plantation to oppose Confederate forces. In the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, General Sherman launched repeated attempts to outflank Confederate defenses, only to suffer eight times the losses of the Confederates and fail at the Union’s first attempt to capture Vicksburg.

  We are hoping to save three acres in Mississippi where the battle was fought—the first preservation effort on this property.

John Hunt Morgan and the Battle of Buffington Island (1863)

At the site of one of only two Civil War battles fought in Ohio, we hope to secure a 17-acre tract threatened by large-scale residential development near the battlefield and adjacent state memorial park. Here, Confederate General Morgan hoped to retreat from Ohio but was outgunned by 3,000 Union artillery, infantry, and cavalry, accompanied by U.S. Navy gunboats.

  Securing this property for preservation will be a first, and we hope to acquire the land and transfer it to the Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation.

J.E.B. Stuart and the Battle of Upperville (1863)

The last parcel of land—191 acres of nearly pristine land very much like it was in 1983—was where the Battle of Upperville was fought. This broad open land was ideal for close-action cavalry fighting between Confederal General Stuart and Union General Pleasonton.

  We have the opportunity to save four tracts of sacred ground on four separate battlefields—three of them “first acres” in the preservation battle with developers. Valued at $2,694,207, we can secure this land for just $206,207 — but only with your help!

Will you answer the call to protect and preserve 311 acres of hallowed ground—irreplaceable lands that breathed life into the legends of four great generals?

Til the battle is won,

David N. Duncan
President, American Battlefield Trust

P.S. Your gift today will be worth 13 times its value thanks to the generosity of landowners, our partners, and special friends of the Trust. Help us preserve these 311 acres before it’s too late. Donate today!

Saving Todd's Tavern with Central Virginia Battlefield Trust

Help Us Save 141 Acres of Todd's Tavern

Dear Preservation Partner,

Battlefield preservation usually works best with cooperative endeavors and efforts resulting in win-win situations. Today, I’m writing to you with a special opportunity to join a collaboration to save core battlefield land at Todd’s Tavern.

In early 2021, the owner of the Todd’s Tavern tract reached out about preserving the land. It was important to the family to save the land from being developed, and to remain so in order to help tell the history of our unique American story. For years both the CVBT and ABT have had our eyes on this important property, but the owners were not yet willing to sell, until now. The American Battlefield Trust took the lead and asked us here at the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, if we could work with them to save Todd’s Tavern forever.

A ramshackle tavern sat at the intersection of the Brock and Catharpin Roads, an important road junction connecting the Wilderness to the county seat of Spotsylvania County, Spotsylvania Court House. The tavern carried the name of Charles Todd, who died about 1850. The Todd family had sold the property to Flavius Josephus Ballard about 1845. The tavern was no longer operating as a business in May 1864, and the buildings were deteriorating rapidly. But for the fact that a significant cavalry battle was about to rage there, there was little of interest about this unremarkable place. However, the arrival of the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac put this otherwise ordinary tavern on the radar screen of history.

The Battle of the Wilderness began on May 4, 1864, when Maj. Gen. George G. Meade’s 122,000-man Army of the Potomac blundered into Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in Saunders Field in the Wilderness adjacent to the Chancellorsville battlefield of a year earlier. The battle, fought primarily on May 5 and 6, was a bloody slugging match that ended largely as a draw. Lee believed that Grant would continue moving toward Richmond and shifted his army southward toward Spotsylvania Court House to block him.

Lee gave his cavalry chief, Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, the task of delaying the Union advance. Grant instructed Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, commander of the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry Corps, to cut the route that the Confederates would take to Spotsylvania and to seize and hold the crossroads at Todd’s Tavern. The opposing cavalry forces clashed at Todd’s Tavern at about 4:00 p.m. on May 7 and fought a severe engagement until after dark, when the Confederates retired. The battle resumed the next morning, with heavy losses on both sides and with the Confederate horsemen being slowly shoved back upon Spotsylvania. They were about to abandon the crossroads when the first elements of Lee’s infantry arrived, using a bridge that Sheridan had ordered his cavalry to destroy, ending the battle. The Confederates won the race to Spotsylvania Court House as a result.

The Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, in partnership with the American Battlefield Trust, has a unique opportunity to save nearly the entirety of the Todd’s Tavern battlefield, which remains largely pristine. At stake is a 141-acre tract of land that was the site of the tavern, and which saw the bulk of the cavalry battle. The CVBT has agreed to raise $15,000 and join our resources to the grants and fundraising already in place.

I hope you’ll examine the map that I’ve enclosed, and I’m sure you’ll agree this is a unique opportunity. Let’s make sure the land can be preserved forever to tell the story of the fighting at Todd’s Tavern.

With your generous support, I am confident that Central Virginia Battlefields Trust will quickly rally and raise our portion of the amount to help close on this tract of hallowed ground. We need to raise $15,000 to fulfill this commitment, making the difference between “history saved forever” or land lost to continued development.

Sincerely,

Tom Van Winkle

CVBT President

Help Preserve 245 Acres at Williamsburg

Civil War Trust write of this incredible opportunity…

We have an amazing opportunity to save the 245-acre property that includes the James Custis Farm, part of the 1862 Battle of Williamsburg — making this the second-largest private-sector transaction in the history of the battlefield preservation movement!

Back in 2006, the Trust saved the Slaughter Pen Farm at Fredericksburg for an astounding $12 million — but to do so, we carried millions of dollars in debt for more than a decade, which we’re close to paying off. The difference today is that with Williamsburg, our debt will be $0! 

This is possible thanks to an historic confluence of opportunities: 

1. The American Battlefield Protection Program, our federal partner, awarded the largest-ever grant in its history to the Trust — $4.6 million — because they recognize the significance of this land and the threat of losing it to residential or commercial development;

2. The Department of Defense awarded a grant to the Trust because the land we seek to preserve is adjacent to a Navy base and will help secure a buffer zone of safety around it;

3. The Commonwealth of Virginia awarded two grants to save this property in recognition of both its historical and environmental importance.

All told, these grants and other commitments to the Trust total over $9 million, making this a $163-to-$1 match of your donation dollars and enabling us to secure the largest number of acres ever preserved at the Battle of Williamsburg. Nearly a decade of hard work has gone into bringing this deal together.

The History

The Battle of Williamsburg, the first pitched battle of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, was fought in almost unceasing rain, turning roads into streams of mud, and rivers and creeks into bottomless swamps.  

Union forces, led by McClellan’s second-in-command, Edwin V. Sumner, and aided by General Winfield Scott Hancock, attacked Confederates as General Joseph E. Johnston withdrew his southern army from their Yorktown defenses to Richmond.  

The opposing forces met near Williamsburg, the old historic Virginia capital and college town, where 14 redoubts (or field forts as they were sometimes called), constructed across the Virginia peninsula bolstered the city’s defenses.  

The James Custis Farm witnessed some of the most desperate fighting during the battle. The farm made up part of the left flank of a three-mile-long Confederate line defined by the 14 redoubts. A significant and important part of the history of this land are the redoubts that were built by African American slaves and their role in fighting for their freedom. 

“This land desperately needs to be preserved because it tells a largely neglected story in American history. Namely, the role that African Americans played in winning their own freedom during the Civil War, even before they were allowed to serve in the United States Army.” - Dr. Glenn Brasher, historian, University of Alabama 

Redoubt 11 and a second similar earthwork, Redoubt 12, were the focus of a bold effort to outflank the Confederate defenses of Williamsburg on May 5, led by General Hancock, and accompanied by none other than Lieutenant George A. Custer, a “volunteer aide” of Hancock’s, who kept notes about the battle. 

The morning before, two enslaved individuals told Hancock that the Confederates left Redoubts 11 and 12 completely unoccupied. Hancock and five regiments moved cautiously, cutting their way through woods, to cross a mill dam and occupy both redoubts. From Redoubt 11, Hancock’s artillery began shelling the Confederate’s flank and rear. 

Hancock knew a sharp attack could turn the Confederate line and capture Fort Magruder. His superiors promised reinforcements for the task but, instead, he received orders to fall back. Dumbstruck, Hancock sent couriers back to confirm this puzzling order. 

Finally, at 5:10 p.m., as he was about to begin his withdrawal, Hancock saw enemy reinforcements arriving. Soon, regiments from Virginia and North Carolina, under the command of Confederate generals Jubal Early and D. H. Hill, launched a ferocious, gallant, and, ultimately, doomed charge against the Union line. 

According to Glenn Tucker, author of the notable biography Hancock The Superb: “Custer observed Hancock as the enemy advanced. He rode along the line saying, ‘Aim low, men. Aim low. Do not be in a hurry to fire until they come nearer.’ … When the action was joined, [Hancock] galloped along the line, his hat off, indifferent to the hail of bullets.” 

In the face of fierce Federal fire, the Confederates’ assault stalled. Sensing this, Hancock ordered a counterattack. 

What began as an organized Confederate retreat turned into a rout. Early’s men suffered some 500 casualties, while Federal losses numbered about 130. The wounded languished in the Custis barns, which served as field hospitals. The dead were buried in the field where they fell meaning that this ground is truly sacred for those who fought there. 

General Hancock’s effort became legendary. His determined stand at the two redoubts, along with his brilliant counterattack, earned him the sobriquet “Hancock the Superb.” In the end, both sides claimed victory with the casualties numbering 1,703 for the South and 2,239 for the North. 

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Virginia Governor Calls for Creation of Culpepper Battlefields State Park

American Battlefield Trust applauds Governor’s request to create a historic and recreational park in the heart of Virginia’s Piedmont region
American Battlefield Trust

January 22, 2022

(Richmond, Va.) — The American Battlefield Trust applauds Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s announcement on Friday, requesting $4.93 million for land acquisition to create a Culpeper Battlefields State Park. The announcement was part of a package of legislative initiatives and budget amendments submitted by the Governor to the General Assembly on January 21, 2022. 

“Friday’s announcement marks an important step in the effort to create a Culpeper Battlefields State Park,” noted Trust President David Duncan. “Culpeper’s battlefields are among the most pristine and historic in the nation. Transforming this landscape into a state park will produce a heritage tourism destination in the heart of Virginia’s Piedmont, with educational, recreational, and economic opportunities that will benefit visitors and local residents alike.” 

The Culpeper Battlefields State Park initiative is a proposal to create a state park from a critical mass of more than 1,700-acres of preserved lands on the Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain Battlefields. While this landscape’s overarching national significance is associated with famous Civil War battles and events, the region is rich in history and culture. The pristine countryside visible today retains the imprint of its first native people and the generations that followed.  

State Senator Bryce Reeves, long a champion of a state park in Culpeper County, urged the Governor to make a Culpeper Battlefields State Park a priority for the new administration. He worked tirelessly with the Governor’s team to craft the budget amendment submitted to the General Assembly on Friday. According to Reeves, “Culpeper is the ideal location for Virginia’s next state park. I look forward to the day when Virginians and visitors from throughout the country can learn about our nation’s history by visiting these hallowed grounds.” 

Joining Senator Reeves in support of a Culpeper Battlefields State Park is a long-standing and bipartisan coalition of state legislators, national and local preservation organizations, and Culpeper government officials. In 2016, the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors and the Culpeper Town Council both passed resolutions endorsing a state battlefield park in Culpeper County. 

As submitted, the Governor’s budget amendment sets aside $4.93 million in FY2023 for the state park. The amendment indicates the funding “[p]rovides for the purchase of land to create a new state park in Culpeper County that will have multiple recreational and educational opportunities.” 

Nestled in the Virginia Piedmont, Culpeper County is widely recognized for its scenic character, natural beauty, and abundant history. Its pristine rivers, rolling landscape, recreational opportunities and unparalleled historic resources make it a desirable location for a state park. Its location between the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers made it an area of strategic importance during the Civil War, and thousands of enslaved peoples crossed its rivers, heading northward to Freedom; some returned as free men to fight for their country on this very soil.  

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 54,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War.  Learn more at www.battlefields.org. 

Save 99 Acres at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor

The Opportunity 

A year ago, we announced a fundraising campaign to protect 108 acres of property where two significant Civil War battles were fought, and where men on both sides, Federal and Confederate, stood their ground, engaged in fierce firefights, and lost their lives. We called this project “Pickett’s Charge Five Times as Large.”  Thanks to your support we can now move to next phase of this landmark effort.

There are few opportunities to save the hallowed ground where two battles occurred. But given the support and generosity of fellow Trust members, were we able to raise sufficient funds for the one-acre tract where fighting occurred two years apart. Now we have the opportunity to secure 99 additional acres at what we call “The Intersection,” around the site of the original McGhee farmhouse that will allow us to unite these properties. This is an unprecedented opportunity to preserve contiguous battlefield property for prosperity.

Because of the size of the property that encompasses these two battles, the Trust has divided up the project into a multi-year campaign we are calling the Gaines’ Mill & Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign. Our efforts to secure the 99 acres at the property amount to Phase Two. We now need to raise $529,429 to match the $1,192,430 that has already been committed by generous benefactors.

While engaging in Phase Two, we were also alerted to the opportunity to secure 51 acres where Second Deep Bottom was fought southeast of Richmond. This purchase opportunity will help us unite already protected land  encompassing at this important battlefield site also known as Fussell’s Mill. The funds needed for Phase Two of the Saved Forever Campaign include the cost of the Second Deep Bottom site because the opportunity to get these properties at the same time is too enticing to miss.

The significance of the land where so many pertinent battles were fought north of Richmond cannot be understated. And the threat that we face — the loss of historic property where men fought and died — to encroaching suburban development, retail, and other projects is very real.

We are in a race against time and deep pockets to ensure that America’s hallowed ground is preserved for current and future generations to enjoy. Please make your most generous gift today to help us raise $529,429 and save 150 critical acres of land where two hard-fought battles provided temporary victories to Confederate forces.

The Background

Over the course of two years, two battles were fought on land near Richmond — the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, the third of the Seven Days Battles, and the Battle of Cold Harbor, part of a series of Overland Campaign battles fought as the Union Army made its way south toward the Confederate capital.

The Battle of Gaines’ Mill 

At the Battle of Gaines’ Mill Union forces established an especially strong position, but not quite so strong as to achieve a victory there. The gentle slopes, open fields, and heavy woods, gave the Union a strong defensive position, where soldiers employed the full force of their infantry and artillery. The Confederates had a numerical advantage — 22,000 more men — and tested the limits of Federal skill and endurance.

Eventually, the Union lost its stronghold, and the woods were seized by the Confederates. As fighting continued, the McGhee House was captured by General Samuel Garland’s North Carolinians and used as a blockhouse where the Southerners sent the Northerners fleeing toward the river. The day ended as the bloodiest of the Seven Days Battles with more than 90,000 soldiers engaged and a combined casualty count of 15,000.

The Battle of Cold Harbor

Two years later, in the spring of 1864, the Union Army of the Potomac was fighting its way south toward Richmond in a series of battles known as the Overland Campaign. Despite heavy casualties (50,000 Union soldiers), the Federals were able to force Robert E. Lee’s army to relinquish much of northern and central Virginia. Cold Harbor erupted on May 31, 1864, with the Union army led by General Ulysses S. Grant. Only 10 miles from Richmond, fighting occurred on the same land as the Battle of Gaines’ Mill. Grant ordered repeated attacks against the Confederates, opening a large hole in their lines. Colonel Nelson A. Miles’ Union brigade pushed through the gap, and this time, the McGhee House, was secured by the Northerners. This advantage only lasted a short time, as a Confederate counterattack pushed Unions forces away in an intense firefight around the McGhee property.

This video shows the transformation of the land where the battle of Cold Harbor took place from history at great threat to hallowed ground saved.

American Battlefield Trust

The history surrounding the McGhee property and the intense fighting that ensued there and loss of life, make it one-of-a-kind in the history of the Civil War. One of very few battlefields where more than one major battle occurred, “The Intersection” here, where both sides established lines of battle and both sides suffered a breakthrough, is unique to the history of the War and well worth the effort to preserve it.

The Battle of Second Deep Bottom

The 51 acres at Second Deep Bottom in neighboring Henrico County, Virginia, formed a portion of the bloody field where, on August 16, 1864, Union assaults were initially successful, enabling the Federals to take possession of the important Darbytown Road. However, Confederate counterattacks drove the Federals out, where they returned to the south side of the James River to maintain their bridgehead at Deep Bottom.

Protect Five Keys Acres at Gettysburg

The Opportunity

We need your help today so that we can buy and eventually restore these 5 key acres of battlefield land at Gettysburg. The first is a four-acre tract of land near Culp’s Hill that contains the Battlefield Military Museum and the second is a nearly 1-acre tract at the often-neglected South Cavalry Field.

These two special tracts of land have a total value of $2.24 million. That’s a huge number! Luckily, thanks to previously received contributions from generous supporters like you, combined with anticipated government grants and a few large private gifts, about 83% of the needed funds are lined up. But we’re not there yet.

The Trust still needs to raise the remaining $384,720 to save this land forever. That is no easy task, and we must hurry to do it. If successful, we will add key missing pieces of Gettysburg Battlefield to the hallowed ground we have worked together to faithfully protect — through a combination of determination, cultivation, and negotiation — for well over a decade along the roads leading to Gettysburg. 
Please make your most generous gift today to help us raise the remaining $384,720 to preserve forever five key acres of battlefield land at Gettysburg. Your gift will be multiplied by 5.83 for every dollar you contribute to this campaign. 

BONUS: For every gift of $50 or more, you will receive the first-ever American Battlefield Trust Gettysburg Challenge Coin. This special commemorative coin is only the second in the Trust’s series of challenge coins and a wonderful keepsake to honor the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice on this land for our great nation. 

The Background    

The first four-acre tract is an exceptional piece of historic land, which figured prominently on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. This property is known to generations of Gettysburg visitors as the site of the Battlefield Military Museum.

The tract is located on the slopes of East Cemetery Hill, abutting the Baltimore Pike and sitting just below the crest of the Union artillery position on Stevens Knoll. Today, the four acres contain the large, 1960’s-era Battlefield Military Museum. Last year, the family that has owned this property for many years sold an adjacent one-acre tract to the Trust that contained the historic McKnight House. Now, the Trust has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to purchase the four-acre remainder of the family’s property for preservation and eventual restoration to its 1863 appearance.

Tens of thousands of Union troops marched right in front of, paused on, passed over, or fought on McKnight’s property and the four-acre tract the Trust is now working hard to save.

The National Park Service has restored the historic wood line around Stevens Knoll, making this four-acre parcel we want to save even more visible and important.

Several years ago, a Comfort Suites hotel was built on the Baltimore Pike opposite this property. I fear that if we fail to act now, another name-brand hotel or other commercial structure could be built there. Or maybe a residential developer would scoop up the property and attempt to have it re-zoned for an apartment building or townhouses.

This would be a devastating blow to our years-long preservation efforts along the Baltimore Pike. Take a look at the 2009 and 2021 “then and now” maps to see our work along the Baltimore Pike. Together we’ve completed nine transactions, totaling more than $3.1 million, permanently protecting almost 40 acres! Each acre we preserve along the Pike prevents developers from gaining a foothold to mar this hallowed landscape.

American Battlefield Trust Battle Maps showing the land preserved at Gettysburg Battlefield in 2009 (left) and today (right). The current opportunity is highlighted in yellow. American Battlefield Trust American Battlefield Trust

Our vision is to buy this pivotal piece of battlefield ground and restore it to its near-original condition such that, if General George Meade’s troops were to somehow march up to the site again, they would know exactly where they were.

The second 1-acre tract will add to the 83+ acres we have already preserved together at South Cavalry Field — where infantry and cavalry, North and South, struggled before and after Pickett’s Charge on July 3rd, 1863.

The target tract is not large, but it would be devastating if we weren’t able to save it. Developers are hungry to snatch it up and put a “McMansion” on it. Anything short of protecting this land would ruin the viewshed of that part of the battlefield, which is right where Union General Wesley Merritt’s cavalrymen advanced toward waiting Confederate soldiers.

This was such important land that the War Department erected informational markers and tablets on an adjacent tract more than a century ago, but few people have ever seen them. The problem is access.

There is currently no safe place to park, walk the ground, and read those markers. By saving this one small tract, we can at last provide a safe access point to this part of South Cavalry Field. The Gettysburg National Military Park is interested in providing this access point if they can get the funds to acquire the tract from us.

Will you help save forever these two endangered parts of the Battle of Gettysburg before they fall prey to development?

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Central Virginia Battlefield Trust Announces Preservation Opportunity at Chancellorsville

Today, we can complete the preservation puzzle at a historic intersection

It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to save the last piece of land in the preservation land puzzle. But today is one of those days! For years, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust has been working to save land from Jackson’s Flank Attack at the Chancellorsville Battlefield. In the triangular corner of historic Orange Plank Road and the historic Orange Turnpike (modern Route 3), all that remains to complete the preservation puzzle is a 1.2-acre parcel—and we now have the chance to save it! This is an extraordinary opportunity and the history connected to the land is quite unique.

The current owners of this small tract approached CVBT and are supportive of preservation. The price tag is $310,000, but we anticipate a 4-to-1 dollar match through preservation grants, leaving $60,000 for us to raise to save this piece of hallowed ground and secure the final acreage in this historic triangle of Flank Attack land. Will you join the fight to save this land and help tell the accounts of Beckham’s guns during Jackson’s Flank Attack?

I hope you’ll examine the map and historical details, and I’m sure you’ll agree this is a unique opportunity. Let’s make sure the land can be preserved forever and there won’t be a gas station or convenience store placed at the heart of Chancellorsville’s Flank Attack Fields.

Sincerely,

Tom Van Winkle

CVBT President

Help Save 150 Endangered Acres at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor

The Opportunity 

A year ago, The American Battlefield trust announced a fundraising campaign to protect 108 acres of property where two significant Civil War battles were fought, and where men on both sides, Federal and Confederate, stood their ground, engaged in fierce firefights, and lost their lives. We called this project “Pickett’s Charge Five Times as Large.”  Thanks to your support we can now move to next phase of this landmark effort.

There are few opportunities to save the hallowed ground where two battles occurred. But given the support and generosity of fellow Trust members, were we able to raise sufficient funds for the one-acre tract where fighting occurred two years apart. Now we have the opportunity to secure 99 additional acres at what we call “The Intersection,” around the site of the original McGhee farmhouse that will allow us to unite these properties. This is an unprecedented opportunity to preserve contiguous battlefield property for prosperity.

Because of the size of the property that encompasses these two battles, the Trust has divided up the project into a multi-year campaign we are calling the Gaines’ Mill & Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign. Our efforts to secure the 99 acres at the property amount to Phase Two. We now need to raise $529,429 to match the $1,192,430 that has already been committed by generous benefactors.

While engaging in Phase Two, we were also alerted to the opportunity to secure 51 acres where Second Deep Bottom was fought southeast of Richmond. This purchase opportunity will help us unite already protected land  encompassing at this important battlefield site also known as Fussell’s Mill. The funds needed for Phase Two of the Saved Forever Campaign include the cost of the Second Deep Bottom site because the opportunity to get these properties at the same time is too enticing to miss.

The significance of the land where so many pertinent battles were fought north of Richmond cannot be understated. And the threat that we face — the loss of historic property where men fought and died — to encroaching suburban development, retail, and other projects is very real.

We are in a race against time and deep pockets to ensure that America’s hallowed ground is preserved for current and future generations to enjoy. Please make your most generous gift today to help us raise $529,429 and save 150 critical acres of land where two hard-fought battles provided temporary victories to Confederate forces.

The Background

Over the course of two years, two battles were fought on land near Richmond — the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, the third of the Seven Days Battles, and the Battle of Cold Harbor, part of a series of Overland Campaign battles fought as the Union Army made its way south toward the Confederate capital.

The Battle of Gaines’ Mill 

At the Battle of Gaines’ Mill Union forces established an especially strong position, but not quite so strong as to achieve a victory there. The gentle slopes, open fields, and heavy woods, gave the Union a strong defensive position, where soldiers employed the full force of their infantry and artillery. The Confederates had a numerical advantage — 22,000 more men — and tested the limits of Federal skill and endurance.

Eventually, the Union lost its stronghold, and the woods were seized by the Confederates. As fighting continued, the McGhee House was captured by General Samuel Garland’s North Carolinians and used as a blockhouse where the Southerners sent the Northerners fleeing toward the river. The day ended as the bloodiest of the Seven Days Battles with more than 90,000 soldiers engaged and a combined casualty count of 15,000.

The Battle of Cold Harbor

Two years later, in the spring of 1864, the Union Army of the Potomac was fighting its way south toward Richmond in a series of battles known as the Overland Campaign. Despite heavy casualties (50,000 Union soldiers), the Federals were able to force Robert E. Lee’s army to relinquish much of northern and central Virginia. Cold Harbor erupted on May 31, 1864, with the Union army led by General Ulysses S. Grant. Only 10 miles from Richmond, fighting occurred on the same land as the Battle of Gaines’ Mill. Grant ordered repeated attacks against the Confederates, opening a large hole in their lines. Colonel Nelson A. Miles’ Union brigade pushed through the gap, and this time, the McGhee House, was secured by the Northerners. This advantage only lasted a short time, as a Confederate counterattack pushed Unions forces away in an intense firefight around the McGhee property.

The history surrounding the McGhee property and the intense fighting that ensued there and loss of life, make it one-of-a-kind in the history of the Civil War. One of very few battlefields where more than one major battle occurred, “The Intersection” here, where both sides established lines of battle and both sides suffered a breakthrough, is unique to the history of the War and well worth the effort to preserve it.

The Battle of Second Deep Bottom

The 51 acres at Second Deep Bottom in neighboring Henrico County, Virginia, formed a portion of the bloody field where, on August 16, 1864, Union assaults were initially successful, enabling the Federals to take possession of the important Darbytown Road. However, Confederate counterattacks drove the Federals out, where they returned to the south side of the James River to maintain their bridgehead at Deep Bottom.

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Land Transferred at Harper's Ferry

Dear Friends,

While I always enjoy adding new locations to the Trust’s roster of successes, some sites are so significant they merit returning to time and again over the course of years and decades.

  One such place is Harpers Ferry, where we’ve succeeded in saving 542 acres of hallowed ground over 29 years — most of which has been incorporated into Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Today, as our preservation story continues at the West Virginia site, we’re wrapping up a big chapter and celebrating the transfer of the last of four tracts — totaling almost 17 acres — that were saved in 2013-2014.

  The 0.61-acre tract now transferred to the National Park Service was once the proposed site for a new gas station and mini-mart, but we’ve ensured that such a fate will never fall upon this sacred terrain. Along with 3.28 adjacent acres (across two tracts), the property was protected in 2013 through a partnership between the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Park Service and the Bank of Charles Town, all of which recognized its profound role in history.

  The small-but-critical parcel sits along the route of the Harpers Ferry–Charles Town Turnpike on Bolivar Heights.  Charged with capturing the federal arsenal, Stonewall Jackson strategically placed artillery on the heights surrounding the town, and, on the morning of September 15, 1862, proceeded to rain fire upon the turnpike and its bordering fields. The move ultimately opened the gate for a Confederate flanking maneuver that forced a Union surrender.  

  Not only decisive in the largest capitulation of Union troops during the Civil War, the land also witnessed a key moment in abolitionist John Brown’s 1859 raid. This land is close to the Allstadt Ordinary, a landmark of the raid, which we transferred to the park almost exactly two years ago. 

  Because of your unwavering support, we can deliver this memory-packed parcel of battlefield land to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, making for a more complete western gateway to the park. We’ll never stop working to piece together the preservation puzzles at our nation’s battlefields, as each piece represents the unique perspectives engrained in our American story.

With Gratitude,
David Duncan 
President
American Battlefield trust

Kudos to Kay Bagenstose

Kudos to Kay who is mentioned as a member of the Patriot Brigade in the latest issue of "Hallowed Ground" from the American Battlefiled Trust.

She has given the ABT donations over 200 times to be mentioned in this.

As we all know, Kay is a great supporter of preservation and a valued member of this CWRT.

She says preservation is a “passion” of hers.

We and future generation thank her!

Congratulations, Kay. You deserve the recognition.

Help Forever Protect Two Gettysburg Campaign Sites

An incredible opportunity for a $28-to-$1 match to save 158 acres in the Gettysburg Campaign! 

The Opportunity 

Today, we have the chance to secure a $28-to-$1 match to ensure the preservation of two key parcels of hallowed battlefield ground that figure prominently in the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863 — one of which you may know and have seen and the other sits on a new-to-us battlefield.

Together, the parcels add up to nearly 158 acres, the equivalent of 119 football fields, if you can imagine that. And this is truly essential battlefield land, having a combined value of $9.8 million!

Thanks to expected federal and state government grants, a generous landowner donation, a grant from the HTR Foundation, and a great local partner organization, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, 96.4% of the total has been raised.

We need to raise the final $350,000 to help save this land and that any dollar you can commit today towards our goal is the equivalent of $28 — all the way up to a total value of $9.8 million!

If successful, we will add key missing pieces of two must-have battlefields to the hallowed ground we have worked together to faithfully protect — through a combination of determination, cultivation, and negotiation — for well over a decade along the roads leading to Gettysburg.

The Background  

Let’s take these battlefields in chronological order, starting in Northern Virginia...  

Ewell vs. Milroy: The Battle of Second Winchester 

The first parcel, almost 154 acres, is a site at Winchester where three different battles raged, but let's focus on the Battle of Second Winchester, June 13-15, 1863.  

After the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered the Army of Northern Virginia’s Second Corps, under the command of General Richard Ewell, to attack several thousand Federals, led by General Robert Milroy, occupying Winchester, Virginia — a key transportation hub for several roads and a branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad that ran along the east side of the property we and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) have partnered to save. 

Ewell, who succeeded General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson as commander of the Second Corps, was under pressure to perform well against Milroy and cement his standing as Jackson’s replacement. Also, if Ewell could neutralize Milroy’s force, it would bolster Lee’s ambitious plan to take the war to the North for a second time. 

Ewell’s three divisions totaling 22,000 men converged on Winchester’s garrison, held by about 7,000 Union troops. Milroy’s superiors urged him to abandon his position in the face of such overwhelming odds, but Milroy was confident he could hold off the enemy for at least five days, until reinforcements arrived. He was mistaken. 

After part of the town’s fortifications fell, Milroy attempted to retreat, but Confederate General Edward “Allegheny” Johnson’s division marched before daylight along the Shenandoah Valley Turnpike — part of which also aligns with the property — to cut off Milroy’s retreat. Blocked, Milroy then attempted to break out by attacking Confederates positioned to the east. 

The southern portion of Milroy’s force attacked across the target tract shown on this map, only to be repulsed by the Confederates. One Union soldier described the intensity of the battle: “A long line of fire streamed from thousands of rifles, interrupted now and then by the blaze of the battery.” Another Federal lamented, “It would have been folly for us to stand there to be butchered up without any mercy.” 

Ewell won the day decisively. Milroy’s army suffered more than 4,400 casualties with about 2,500 of his men surrendering. The defeat destroyed Milroy’s army as a fighting force for the remainder of the war, and the Shenandoah Valley was cleared for Lee’s northward march (and we know where that led!). 

A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity at Gettysburg 

The next tract is a four-acre, exceptional piece of historic land, which figured prominently on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. This property is known to generations of Gettysburg visitors as the site of the Battlefield Military Museum.

The tract is located on the slopes of East Cemetery Hill, abutting the Baltimore Pike and sitting just below the crest of the Union artillery position on Stevens Knoll. Today, the four acres contain the large, 1960’s-era Battlefield Military Museum. Last year, the family that has owned this property for many years sold an adjacent one-acre tract to the Trust that contained the historic McKnight House. Now, the Trust has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to purchase the four-acre remainder of the family’s property for preservation and eventual restoration to its 1863 appearance.

Tens of thousands of Union troops marched right in front of, paused on, passed over, or fought on McKnight’s property and the four-acre tract the Trust is now working hard to save.  

The National Park Service has restored the historic wood line around Stevens Knoll, making this four-acre parcel we want to save even more visible and important. 

Several years ago, a Comfort Suites hotel was built on the Baltimore Pike opposite this property. I fear that if we fail to act now, another name-brand hotel or other commercial structure could be built there. Or maybe a residential developer would scoop up the property and attempt to have it re-zoned for an apartment building or townhouses. 

This would be a devastating blow to our years-long preservation efforts along the Baltimore Pike. Take a look at the 2009 and 2021 “then and now” maps to see our work along the Baltimore Pike. Together we’ve completed nine transactions, totaling more than $3.1 million, permanently protecting almost 40 acres! Each acre we preserve along the Pike prevents developers from gaining a foothold to mar this hallowed landscape. 

American Battlefield Trust Battle Maps showing the land preserved at Gettysburg Battlefield in 2009 (left) and today (right). The current opportunity is highlighted in yellow. American Battlefield Trust

Our vision is to buy this pivotal piece of battlefield ground and restore it to its near-original condition such that, if General George Meade’s troops were to somehow march up to the site again, they would know exactly where they were. 

Our Chance to Forever Protect Two Gettysburg Campaign Sites 

You can be part of our effort to safeguard two pivotal Gettysburg Campaign sites before they fall prey to development, destroying historic grounds where brave men fought and died. 

Will you help secure 158 acres of hallowed land by taking advantage of the incredible $28-to-$1 match before us? And would you please consider adding something extra to your gift to better ensure we reach our $350,000 goal as soon as possible? 

Donate now