American Battlefield Trust — January 2024

Originally published January 2024 · pp. 24–25

The American Battlefield Trust has launched a campaign to preserve 184 acres of hallowed ground associated with two of the most important battles of the Civil War’s Western Theater: Shiloh and Stones River. With more than $8 million anticipated in government grants and pledged gifts, the Trust is left to raise $421,000 to ensure the perpetual preservation of this hallowed Tennessee ground. Each donation will be matched $20-to-$1. At Shiloh, the critical 1862 battle allowed Union troops to penetrate the Confederate interior within Tennessee. The battle, marked by nearly 24,000 casualties, crushed any aspirations of blocking the Union advance into Mississippi. Here, the Trust is seeking to preserve 152 acres, adding to the 1,400 acres already preserved by the Trust at the battlefield. The protection of this large tract would not only safeguard the history ingrained in its soil but also facilitate public access, enabling visitors from around the world to fully appreciate and comprehend the events that transpired at Shiloh. At Stones River, the battle unfolded on New Year’s Eve 1862 and culminated in a Union victory. This triumph granted the Federals control over central Tennessee, providing a much-needed morale boost and Lincoln the confidence to officially sign the Emancipation Proclamation. With only about 76,400 men engaged, it had the greatest percentage of casualties of any major battle in the Civil War, even more than at Shiloh and Antietam earlier that year. Here at Stones River, the 32acre property, surrounded by commercial, industrial, and residential development, is one of the largest undeveloped tracts remaining on the battlefield. With developers eyeing these properties, the targeted tract at Stones River was recently listed for sale as prime commercial property, threatening the historical integrity of the land. To learn more about this exciting Tennessee preservation opportunity, visit www.battlefields. org/184AcresTennessee.

Trust Launches ‘Prize for History’ Calling attention to the integral connection between the grounds on which the nation’s formative conflicts were decided and the fundamental role these landscapes play today as primary resources by which scholars and historians come to more deeply understand the past, the nation’s leading battlefield preservation nonprofit has launched the $50,000 American Battlefield Trust Prize for History. The Prize will be made annually to a work of military history or biography that underscores the essential role of the nation’s military conflicts within the founding, formation and perpetuation of our exceptional country. In creating this award, sponsored entirely by a generous donor, the Trust is encouraging authors to create works that showcase the rich research potential of historic battlefields. The award will be presented to a work published in the previous calendar year focused on history or a biography related to the three conflicts central to the Trust’s mission: the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and the Civil War. The winner and two runner-up finalists will be announced this spring and award presented in the fall. Nominations must be made by December 31, 2023. Publishers inquiring about submission guidelines and official rules may email [email protected].

Restorations Continue Across Trust-Preserved Land The Trust recently completed several projects to restore historic landscapes at Gettysburg, Pa., Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Eutaw Springs, S.C. One of the Trust’s most highprofile restoration projects includes the demolition of Mulligan McDuffers Adventure Golf & Ice Cream Parlor in Gettysburg. Entering Gettysburg National Military Park from the east, visitors have for years driven past the shuttered minigolf course. In September and October 2023, the Trust removed the dilapidated structures, hauled away old concrete, graded the land and laid down soil and grass seed to restore the earth at the site of an important position on the Union right flank during the 1863 battle. Likewise, in Tennessee, for decades, an increasingly run-down 1940s travel motel blemished approximately an acre of land next to the ChickamaugaChattanooga National Military Park, on ground that played an important role in the Battle of 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. In June 2023, the Trust was able to demolish the motel and lay down sod to restore the field. In South Carolina, the Trust cleared the surroundings of a centuries-old oak—a witness to the Battle of Eutaw Springs on September 8, 1781, the last major engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Carolinas. Until this summer, it stood alongside modern features like a house, car port and chain link fence. With the generous help of the Trust’s members, donors, and partners, especially the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust, its surrounding landscape has been restored to a grassy field reminiscent of 1781. Photo by Tom Nank.

Protect 29 Acres in the Quickly Developing Suburbs of Richmond As the demand for land in EastCentral Virginia, in and around the capital of Richmond, continues at a steady pace, the Trust is in a battle against developers who threaten hallowed battlefield acres. Hence, the nonprofit is once again targeting the protection of 29 acres in this region to expand upon preserved lands at Glendale and Gaines’ Mill/Cold Harbor. The cost to purchase these tracts is more than $1.1 million. Thanks to anticipated help from federal and Virginia state grants, every dollar donated will be matched more than five times in value — precisely, $1-to-$5.40. At Glendale, the approximately 12-acre property witnessed brigades from Confederate General James Longstreet’s Division advance from west to east in an assault against General Philip Kearny’s Division. The historical integrity of the land is largely intact and appears much as it would have at the time of the battle, and preservationists today can help to protect it and tell a more complete story of the Battle of Glendale. But we must hurry, as this land runs along an important roadway, making it prime for residential development; the landowner is facing pressure to sell. Meanwhile at Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor, a 17-acre tract that spans critical territory from both battles and has been long sought by the Richmond National Battlefield Park, is the next piece of the Trust’s “Gaines’ Mill/Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign” puzzle. Here during the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, Lee’s 57,000 men attacked and mauled General Fitz John Porter’s isolated V Corps, inflicting nearly 7,000 casualties and forcing Porter and his survivors across the Chickahominy River. This tract is also important to the story of Cold Harbor;

CivilWarNews.com it contains excellent II Corps entrenchments on the property’s southern edge, plus lunettes farther to the north. The lunettes likely represent mortar positions; the 4th New York Heavy Artillery operated those weapons from positions just behind General Joshua T. Owen’s Brigade. As it was once part of the Union line, it is critical to save for posterity. To learn more about this opportunity in the Old Dominion, visit www.battlefields. org/29VirginiaAcres.

Video Content Connects Students of History With Wonders of America’s Past During the fall of 2023, the Trust released five virtual driving tours and field trips that unleash understanding through the presence of enthusiastic experts, visually striking landscape footage, behind-the-scenes access to museum collections and more. Locations include the Chickamauga Battlefield (Ga.), Yorktown Battlefield (Va.), as well as cities like Charleston (S.C.), Vicksburg (Miss.) and New Orleans (La.). The Virtual Field Trip series expanded beyond its initial Baltimore and Boston iterations with the continued support of an interpretation grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program. The film company acowsay journeyed to Charleston, Vicksburg, and New Orleans to capture host and Trust Copie Hill Fellow Chris Mackowski as he visited a variety of historic sites and local institutions. In the latest virtual driving tours, historians steer audiences through the Chickamauga Battlefield and Yorktown Battlefield with the use of mounted GoPro cameras and minds molded by years of dedicated study. For more free educational resources, visit the Trust’s YouTube channel.