News Release
Photo courtesy of American Battlefield Trust.
News Release Date: April 30, 2020
Contact: NewsMedia@nps.gov
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service today announced $923,314 in grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) to protect 207 acres of America’s Civil and Revolutionary War battlefields. The grants will be used to acquire portions of Vicksburg Battlefield in Mississippi, Fort Ann and Newton Battlefield in New York, Bentonville Battlefield in North Carolina, and Cedar Mountain Battlefield, Trevilian Station Battlefield and Peebles' Farm Battlefield in Virginia.
“Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants create partnerships among state and local governments and nonprofit organizations to act quickly and proactively to preserve and protect nationally significant battlefields,” said National Park Service Deputy Director David Vela, exercising the authority of the director. “This grant program leverages local community commitments and provides opportunities to experience our shared heritage.”
The Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant program, administered by the American Battlefield Protection Program, provides up to 50% in matching funds for state and local governments to acquire and preserve threatened Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War Battlefield land through the purchase of land in fee simple and permanent, protective interests in land. Eligible battlefields are listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s 1993 “Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields” and the 2007 “Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States.”
Mississippi - Vicksburg Battlefield
Grantee: Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Land Acquired: 1.87 acres
Project Partner: Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park
Amount: $144,812.50
Funds will be used to acquire a portion of Vicksburg Battlefield; a significant Civil War battlefield in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The property will be protected in perpetuity with a conservation easement held by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The Siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War.
New York - Fort Ann Battlefield
Grantee: Town of Fort Ann, New York
Land Acquired: 40.84 acres
Project Partner: American Battlefield Trust
Amount: $49,473.00
This grant will fund the acquisition of 40.84 acres of the core and study area of the Battle of Ft. Ann in Washington County, New York. The property will be protected in perpetuity with a conservation easement held by the Agricultural Stewardship Association. This battle, fought on July 8, 1777, was an engagement between Continental Army forces in retreat from Fort Ticonderoga and the British Army early in the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary War.
New York - Newton Battlefield
Grantee: Chemung County, New York
Land Acquired: 63.90 acres
Project Partner: American Battlefield Trust
Amount: $112,850.00
The American Battlefield Trust will partner with Chemung County to acquire 63.90 acres of Newtown Battlefield for inclusion in Newtown Battlefield State (New York) Park. The battle was part of the Continental Army’s Sullivan Campaign, ordered by General George Washington, on Aug. 29, 1779, during the American Revolution. British troops and their Native allies retreated from the region following their defeat on this frontier.
North Carolina - Bentonville Battlefield
Grantee: North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Land Acquired: 3.24 acres
Project Partner: American Battlefield Trust
Amount: $21,875.00
Funds will be used to acquire 3.24 acres of Bentonville Battlefield for inclusion in Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site. Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston were forced to withdraw after three days of fighting the Union Army under General William T. Sherman’s command. The Battle of Bentonville (March 19-21, 1865) was one of the last battles of the Civil War.
Virginia - Cedar Mountain Battlefield
Grantee: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Land Acquired: 88.47 acres
Project Partner: American Battlefield Trust
Amount: $429,000.00
Funds will be used to acquire a portion of Cedar Mountain Battlefield in Culpeper County, Virginia. The property will be protected in perpetuity with a conservation easement held by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Confederate forces under General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson were nearly routed from the field of battle on Aug. 9, 1862 and rallied to victory in this first major combat in the Northern Virginia Campaign of the Civil War.
Virginia - Trevilian Station Battlefield
Grantee: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Land Acquired: 5.66 acres
Project Partner: American Battlefield Trust
Amount: $65,825.00
This grant will fund the acquisition of 5.66 acres of Trevilian Station Battlefield in Louisa County, Virginia. The property will be protected in perpetuity with a conservation easement held by the Land Trust of Virginia. The Battle of Trevilian Station was the largest all-cavalry battle of the Civil War.
Virginia - Peebles’ Farm Battlefield
Grantee: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Land Acquired: 2.67 acres
Project Partner: American Battlefield Trust
Amount: $99,509.00
Funds will be used to acquire 2.67 acres of the Peebles’ Farm Battlefield near Petersburg, Virginia. The property will be protected in perpetuity with a conservation easement held by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 1864, Union forces mounted simultaneous attacks on Confederate defenses as part of the Siege of Petersburg.
Learn more about these grants and the American Battlefield Protection Program at https://www.nps.gov/orgs/2287/index.htm.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: April 30, 2020