Americans for Battlefield Preservation is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to historic battlefield
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There’s a battlefield tour coming up!
Join the Princeton Battlefield Society for a tour on hallowed ground.
Spend a Sunday afternoon at the Princeton Battlefield State Park and learn more about the Battle of Princeton, a battle that ended the “ten crucial days” of 1776-1777. Walk in…
It wasn't just people who fought on battlefields!
Jack the dog started his life, allegedly, as the dog of a Confederate jailor in Front Royal. Switching sides, he would serve as the mascot of the 102nd PA Infantry during the Civil War.
Today is National Dog Day! We honor Dog Jack! Jack served as the beloved mascot for the 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry and became a prisoner at the Battle of Salem Church. Later formally exchanged, Jack unfortunately went missing near Frederick, Maryland, during the regiment’s time in the area in 1864.
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Did you see?
The Wyse Fork Battlefield will be receiving a preservation grant!
With support from an ABPP Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant, the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources in partnership with the American Battlefield Trust will permanently preserve a portion of the Wyse Fork battlefield.
After the fight for Fort Stedman, Private Henry Armand London, Company I 32nd North Carolina State Troops, wrote home to tell about the battle.
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"Fearing you would see an account of our fight this morning in the papers and would naturally be anxious to hear of me, I will drop you a line or two only to inform you that under the merciful protection of a good God I have escaped unscathed the many dangers by which I was surrounded and still live owing to His wonderful guidance. At 1 oclock we arose and marched out to the trenches to the left of our Division and in front of the cemetary, and the Sharpshooters pushing on rapidly we captured the works in our front without scarcely firing a gun so completely were they taken by surprise. We captured two Brig Gens (one commanding a Div) nearly a thousand men and turned half a doz or more of their own pieces upon them as they retreated.
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It was daylight by the time the body of the troops got into action and after an obstinate fight of three or four hours, the Yankees flanking us with overwhelming numbers, we were compelled to fall back to our original position, when the battle ceased. I have heard the shells shriek and the minnie balls whistle and I can assure you it is rather unpleasant. When the troops retired from the works they had taken, I did not know it and only escaped capture by running as hard as I could a quarter of a mile through an open field swept by their fire, expect every moment to be knocked over as the dead lay in a long line being killed attempting to get away as I did, and I can assure you I drew a long breath of relief when I jumped into our works, for it is was a miracle almost that I got through safe. Two of my Co were either captured or killed behind me as we left the works together and they have not been heard of since, but I think they went back and were captured as it seemed almost certain death to attempt to run the gauntlet. I could have gotten any amount of plunder, but I got some crackers and eat them as complacintly under an awful shelling as I would at breakfast table.”
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Today, Fort Stedman and the surrounding Petersburg Battlefield is preserved by the National Park Service, American Battlefield Trust, and other countless partners in battlefield preservation.
"The four Confederate soldiers were buried almost side by side. One still had the bullet that killed him embedded in his spine. Another was buried with his toothbrush and porcelain s***f bottle. And another was buried with two gold coins."
More discoveries are being made every day at Colonial Williamsburg's Powder Magazine. Recently, the remains of Confederate soldiers mortally wounded at the Battle of Williamsburg were uncovered.
To read more about the ongoing investigation and archaeological discoveries, check out:
Archaeologists in Williamsburg, Va., have uncovered the remains of four Confederate soldiers.
Trenches still dot the landscape around the Wilderness Battlefield.
To stop a data center from ruining this historic area forever, visit: https://www.battlefields.org/give/save-battlefields/dont-let-data-centers-destroy-wilderness
THE WILDERNESS (Virginia) — Located at the edge of Saunders Field, these trenches were built by Southerners of General Richard Ewell’s Corps.
📸 Photo by Matthew Holzman
Preservation victory at Cedar Mountain!
Amount: $429,372.50 Acres: 7.36 In the summer of 1862, the Union Army changed its strategy for marching on the Confederate Capital of Richmond, Virginia. After enduring the setback of the Seven Days’ Battles, northern forces shifted the focus of their renewed advance from the Virginia Peninsula, l...
The Battle of Wilson's Creek occurred yesterday, August 10, 1861.
Today, the National Park Service interprets the battle and educates the public about what happened there.
🌿 in 1861, 6 hours changed the lives of thousands at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. At first light, the Union’s Army of the West attacked Confederate forces 12 miles south of Springfield, Missouri, in the first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River.
Federal troops took advantage of this surprise attack, overran enemy troops, and occupied the high ground that would come to be known as “Bloody Hill.” By late morning, US General Nathaniel Lyon died from a shot to the heart. Union supplies and morale were running low and Federal forces were in retreat. Casualties—approximately 1300 killed, wounded, or missing—were nearly equal for both armies. At the end of battle, thousands of soldiers and their families began the slow and often halting road back to wellness.
The National Park Service’s Wilson's Creek National Battlefield protects the site of the battle and today commemorates the event that left a lasting imprint on the lives of those who served here and those who loved them. On almost every day of the year, visitors to the park and the six other NPS sites in Missouri can find their own road to wellness through the unique resources that invite, inspire, and exercise physical, mental, and learning wellness. The NPS Wellness Challenge stands firmly in the conviction that parks can be gateways to good health for people and the planet.
👟Challenge yourself to wellness today! Check out information about Wilson's Creek wellness challenge, here: https://go.nps.gov/WCwellness
📸: Riders on horseback through Wilson Creek's trails. Image courtesy of NPS.
Gilbert Gaul: “Between the Lines During a Truce”
This unique engraving shows a burial party consisting of both Union and Confederate soldiers. After the battle of Antietam, both sides declared a truce on the 18th of September, 1862, to collect and bury dead soldiers.
Union surgeon, Dan Holt, wrote about the battlefield in the days following the great clash, "I have seen, stretched along, in one straight line, ready for interment, at least a thousand blackened, bloated corpses with blood and gas protruding from every or***ce, and maggots holding high carnival over their heads. Then add the scores upon scores of dead horses, sometimes while batteries lying along side, still adding to the commingling mass of corruption and you get a faint, a very faint idea of what you see, and can always see after a sanguinary battle. Every house for miles around is a hospital and I have seen arms, legs, feet and hands lying in piles rotting in the blazing heat of a southern sky unburied and uncared for, and still the knife went steadily in its work adding to the putrid mess."
Today, Antietam National Battlefield is one of the best preserved in the National Park Service. Thanks to land acquisitions by the American Battlefield Trust, much of the story has been reclaimed for the public to study.
"The National Park Service has awarded a $172,133 grant to preserve just over four acres of Civil War forest at the Chickamauga Battlefield in Catoosa County."
"The Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant is being funneled through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It’s one of seven — totaling $2,218,056 — awarded Thursday to protect 238 acres at sites in Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia."
To continue reading about the new grants awarded for battlefield preservation, check out the full article by Northwest Georgia News.
The National Park Service has awarded a $172,133 grant to preserve just over four acres of Civil War forest at the Chickamauga Battlefield in Catoosa County.
Antietam Battlefield is looking as beautiful as always! Today's landscape truly contrasts with what occurred there in 1862.
Check out this panorama from Burnside's Bridge.
ANTIETAM (Sharpsburg) — A panoramic perspective from the Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge). Not only for its scenic grandeur and tranquility mixed with the historic events does this make it my very favorite Civil War battlefield location and structure, but on an even deeper and more personal level, this setting is forever enhanced because my Great-Great-Grandfather would have crossed this span with the 123rd Pennsylvania Infantry on October 30, 1862. He was heading toward Harpers Ferry and inevitably, charging Marye’s Heights at Fredericksburg. This was taken on the 160th anniversary of his very crossing last year. There’s no replacement for standing exactly where history happened and especially, when it is personal and reflective of time and place.
“Hark! There's one of my comrades, Johnny Brayerton, praying, too, perhaps for the first time in his life. It was a short one:
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"Oh, Lord, dear, good Lord!" he cried.
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But Johnny at that trying moment was as brave as he was devout, and kept his place in the front rank. Not a gun was fired until the brigade reached the crest of the hill, when, like a burst of thunder, the roar of musketry became almost deafening. It seemed to me every soldier, after firing his piece, had thrown himself flat upon the ground to avoid the enemy's bullets, and I did not see how I could possibly load and fire by lying down in that crouching column of men. To stand up boldly along that firing line—the dead line—was almost certain death.
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I know not for what reason, but I stopped firing a few moments, and stood over the lifeless form of the unknown soldier with a sort of fascination, wondering who he could be; wondering what mother's boy had been added to the roll of the dead…”
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Benjamin Borton's account of the attack on Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg with the 24th New Jersey Volunteers in Nathane Kimball's Brigade. Today, much of the battlefield at Fredericksburg has been lost to development. Thankfully, the American Battlefield Trust and local partners have preserved much of the surrounding battlefield, especially the Slaughter Pen Farm.
Artwork: A.C. Redwood
Looks like a great time!
To find all educational programs at Guilford Courthouse, visit: https://www.nps.gov/guco/index.htm
Another battle anniversary?
An excellent video from the great team at Culpeper Battlefield Tours about the 160th commemoration of the battle at Brandy Station.
A special moment on Henry Hill!
This past weekend, Manassas National Battlefield Park observed the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of First Bull Run/Manassas.
For the first time in 162 years, the havelock of Sergeant Edward Brackett, 5th Massachusetts Infantry, returned to Henry Hill.
The regiment was one of nearly a dozen federal regiments that fought on this landscape during the battle. Later reenlisting in the 10th Maine infantry, Brackett was killed in the early morning fighting in the Battle of Antietam.
Thank you to Nick Picerno, Vice Chairman of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District for bringing this artifact to the battlefield
Battery 4, Yorktown, Virginia.
Weighing in at nearly 10 tons, the 13 inch Seacoast Mortar was a fearsome weapon of war. From their position at Wormley’s Creek, the men of the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery could shell Confederate works from Newport News to Gloucester Point. After months of building infrastructure and earthworks, these mortars were brought up just in time to watch Joe Johnston’s army retreat towards Williamsburg on May 3rd, 1862.
These impressive scenes became props for some of the most detailed photographs of the war. The photographer James Gibson would arrive to take a series of photographs of the impressive Union field works and heavy artillery set up near Yorktown for the crushing bombardment that never was. Today, Battery 4 is underwater behind the United States Coast Guard’s officer club.
There are some new signs in Rappahannock County thanks to Civil War Trails, Inc.
"A couple of weeks ago, Drew Gruber and Chris Brown, executive director and assistant director, respectively, of Civil War Trails, came through town to repaint and update the story panels. Their pickup truck helps them cover the “world’s largest open air museum,” offering more than 1,400 sites across six states from Memphis, Tenn., to Wheeling, West Virginia."
Continue reading below!
When driving from Ben Venue to Massies Corner, it’s not uncommon to feel that you are somewhere special, with the hilltop views of foothills leading up to the Blue Ridge.
Have you been to Saratoga?
"The American victory at Saratoga marked the first time in world history that a British Army had surrendered and would go on to change the course of history around the world."
Check out the article below and some of the things the battlefield offers to visitors
By ACHP Intern Amelia Gordon, Rutgers University
Lutheran Theological Seminary, July, 1863
The famous theological seminary of Gettysburg was witness to all three days of the battle. On the morning of July 1st it proved an excellent command and observation post for General Buford. The seminary witnessed the arrival of Reynold’s corps and the mighty fighting in the Herbst Woods to its front. Late in the afternoon of the first day, Heth and Pender’s divisions broke the Union line on McPherson’s Ridge. The Union troops fell back to Seminary Ridge, but before they could fully rally Pender’s men broke the seminary line, sending the Union Army streaming back through town.
Today, the Lutheran Theological Seminary is interpreted by the Seminary Ridge Museum. To explore more, visit: https://www.seminaryridgemuseum.org/
Anywhere near the site of "Braddock's defeat?" Come check out some of the interpretive programming going on this weekend!
From the article: "This weekend marks the 268th anniversary of the “Battle of the Monongahela. People can visit several free events at the Battlefield History Center in North Braddock. The battle, also known as “Braddock’s defeat” is considered the most widely recognized battle of the French and Indian War in 1755."
This weekend marks the 268th anniversary of the “Battle of the Monongahela.”
A Lone Confederate Columbiad Overlooking the James River at the Drewry’s Bluff defenses, Virginia.
A observer with the Richmond Dispatch gives us a vivid description of the Naval Battle that occurred on May 15, 1862:
“The enemy came up within six hundred yards of our works to-day with the iron-clad steamers Monitor and Galena, together with three other gunboats, and opened fire upon us. The action soon became general on both sides, and raged for about four hours. The enemy fired rapidly, many of his shot striking our works, his shell flying over and bursting around us, cutting down quite a number of trees near us, but doing our guns no injury, and killing and wounding only some thirteen or fourteen of our men. We struck the Monitor and Galena again and again, and I think from the manner with which they seemed to recoil at our heavy shot that something about them must have been put out of place.
The Galena began to run first, apparently much crippled. We continued to fire upon them as they retreated, amidst loud cheers from our boys. It is reported here, by our pickets, that the Galena has since sunk. Our men stood to their guns with the greatest bravery and determination. Captains Tucker and Barney, of the Patrick Henry and Jamestown, and Capts. Drury, Jordan and Preston, of Chesterfield, Bedford, and Lynchburg, have command of the guns here. They have seen something of the enemy’s Chinese gongs before, and, I presume, will not be easily driven from the position by the loud noise the enemy can make with his big guns. Let the good citizens of Richmond be quiet. We do not intend the enemy to reach Richmond this way.”
In this report, the observer says the Galena may be sunk; that is not the case. The Galena survived the engagement, battered, to fight another day. Today, the hallowed ground at Drewry's Bluff is preserved and interpreted by the National Park Service.
What's new at Gettysburg this year?
If you missed it, the Gettysburg National Military Park is undergoing some major renovations after receiving federal funding. For some more information and local insight, continue reading below.
GETTYSBURG — It’s been 160 years since Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia ventured into the Pennsylvania crossroads town of Gettysburg in what became the largest battle ever fought
The Fourth of July is approaching fast. Have you been able to make plans yet?
The American Battlefield Trust has put together a handy list of local celebrations all over the country. Activities range from watching fireworks at Fort McHenry, where the National Anthem was written, or following in the footsteps of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Celebrate the birth of our country with some history near you!
(Washington, D.C.) — On July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 American colonies gathered during the Second Continental Congress to unanimously adopt the...
Union General Nelson Miles described Union and Confederate bands on the Rappahannock River:
“Late in the afternoon our bands were accustomed to play the most spirited martial and national airs, as "Columbia," "America," "E. Pluribus Unum," "The Star-spangled Banner," etc., to be answered along the Confederate lines by bands playing, with equal enthusiasm, "The Bonny Blue Flag," "Southern Rights," and "Dixie." These demonstrations frequently aroused the hostile sentiments of the two armies, yet the animosity disappeared when at the close some band would strike up that melody which comes nearest the hearts of all true men, "Home, Sweet Home," and every band within hearing would join in that sacred anthem with unbroken accord and enthusiasm.”
Another Confederate soldier, Frank Mixson of the 1st S.C. Infantry, also wrote of this scene:
“During the afternoon we and the enemy were very near together, with the Rappahannock River only between us, but no fighting going on. Just before sundown the Yankee band came down to the river bank and commenced to play. Very soon our bands were on the bank on our side. The Yankee band would play the popular airs of theirs amid much yelling and cheering; our bands would do the same with the same result. Towards the wind-up the Yankee band struck up “Yankee Doodle.” Cheers were immense. When they stopped our band struck up “Dixie,” and everything went wild. When they finished this, both bands, with one accord and simultaneously, struck up “Home, Sweet Home.” There was not a sound from anywhere until the tune was finished and it then seemed as if everybody had gone crazy. I never saw anything to compare with it. Both sides were cheering, jumping up and throwing up hats and doing everything which tended to show enthusiasm. This lasted for at least a half hour. I do believe that had we not had the river between us that the two armies would have gone together and settled the war right there and then.”
The painting, “Home Sweet Home” by Winslow Homer is one of his most iconic works; it manages to show the emotions brought forth by sides not dueling in combat, but dueling in music.
To view the painting in detail, visit: https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.79933.html
"A diverse group of individuals gathered on a bright and sunny June morning at the Gabrial’s Creek Baptist Church’s cemetery in Madison County. While some attendees dressed in attire reminiscent of the 1700s, their purpose was not to mourn the departed but to pay homage to two valiant patriots from the Revolutionary War."
Thank you for preserving their memory! Preservation is important from battlefields to graveyards.
Resting just a few feet apart in the cemetery behind the church on a scenic ridge are the graves of James Anderson (1740–1814) and Edmond Palmer (1747–1835), both distinguished soldiers of the War of Independence.
Got canned goods?
Braddock's Battlefield History Center is collecting canned goods to feed its local community. Donations go towards the "free fridge" program, where those facing food insecurity can get food, no questions asked.
Thanks for being a pillar of the community and preserving local history!
After the terrific Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864, Private Andrew Morlan of the 107th Illinois Infantry sat down to put his experiences on paper. The letter below was written to his mother:
“I suppose ere this reaches you that you will have heard of the last big battle which our corps and one division of the 4th Corps fought on the eve and night of the 30th. I thank God that through his merciful providence I came out all right—safe and sound without a scratch. But it was the hardest battle I ever saw. They attacked us about 4 P.M., just as we had got our works done. They charged us with three lines and fought with the most determination I ever saw. There were seven or eight stands of colors planted on our regt’s works, and the top of the works was lined thick with Rebs three or four times. But we shot, bayoneted, and knocked them off with the butts of our guns.
They made three separate and distinct grand charges, but we drove them back every time. And they rallied and came back 20 or 30 times, but did not reach our works but three times. There were 2 killed and 6 wounded in our company, and 1 missing…I sent you this morning’s paper containing a partial acct. of the fight, but they are mistaken about the fight closing at dark, for it lasted seven hours; five of them were the longest, hottest hours I ever saw. I will send you a list of the killed and wounded as soon as published.”
Leading one of the Confederate divisions that day was Major General Patrick Cleburne. Leading his men from the front, Cleburne was last seen charging on horseback into the Union lines; Confederate soldiers found his body a day later, stripped of his sword, boots, and pocket watch.
Today, the story of Franklin is preserved and interpreted by the Battle of Franklin Trust. Set amidst the southern outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee, recently reclaimed portions of this historic landscape and interpretive centers at the Carter House, Carnton Plantation, and Cotton Gin Park provide visitors a unique window into this bloody 1864 battle. A museum is located one block west of the Carter House.
Photo: Confederate cemetery at Carnton Plantation
"The National Park Service is giving a $492,000 grant to preserve farmland that was part of the Civil War battle of Shepherdstown. The Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board will use the funding to preserve 149 acres that played a role in the lesser-known battle that took place days after Antietam in September 1862."
On September 19, 1862, two days after the bloodletting at Antietam, elements of Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter's V Corps pushed across the Potomac River at Boteler's Ford and attacked the Confederate rearguard commanded by Brig. Gen. William Pendleton. Gen. A. P. Hill's division counterattacked while many of the Federals were crossing the river, inflicting heavy casualties.
The Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board will use the funding to preserve 149 acres that played a role in the lesser-known battle that took place days after Antietam in September 1862.
Preservation victory in the Shenandoah Valley! The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District and partners have successfully preserved 107 acres at The Coaling on the Port Republic Battlefield, locking in a key portion of the interpretive landscape.
On June 9, 1862, the day after his victory at Cross Keys, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson concentrated his army east of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River near Port Republic and attacked the brigades of Brig. Gen. Erastus Tyler and Col. Samuel S. Carroll. Initial Confederate assaults were repulsed with heavy casualties. A Confederate flank attack, including a brigade of the Louisiana Tigers, overtook an artillery emplacement on the Union left at The Coaling.
Read more below!
The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation has announced the preservation of 107 acres of “The Coaling” on the Port Republic battlefield.
Bring your kids, grandkids, neighbors, and friends and march in the footsteps of the past and help to instill in young people a lifelong passion for history.
Join the American Battlefield Trust and its partners at the Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center for an event at Lee's Headquarters on the Gettysburg Battlefield. This special “Generations” event, is designed to help adults share their passion for history with younger people. This event kicks off Gettysburg160 activities with American Battlefield Trust on the evening of June 30, 2023.
Get in step with history as attendants learn to march, fire cannons, wear a kepi, gaze at historic photographs through 3D glasses, explore how Civil War doctors saved lives, and re-discover the three days of July 1863 that mark a turning point in American history. The event will take place at Lee's Headquarters, adding to the opportunity to stand where history really happened and battle-changing decisions were made!
Bring your kids, grandkids, neighbors, and friends and march in the footsteps of the past and help to instill in young people a lifelong passion for history. ...
“At this moment, Washington appeared in front of the American army, riding towards those of us who were retreating, and exclaimed, ‘Parade with us, my brave fellows! There is but a handful of the enemy, and we will have them directly.’”
-Sergeant Nathiel Root, 20th Continental Line
After destroying the Hessian garrison at Trenton, General George Washington looked to capitalize on his newfound success. He was to wage a campaign against all odds; more victories could revitalize the American cause and resupply his army. Eight days of marching and skirmishing culminated on January 3, 1777, outside the sleepy town of Princeton, New Jersey.
The night before, Washington’s army had slipped away from a larger British force under Lord Charles Cornwallis. The next day, a new British force collided with Washington. As neither army had planned to fight that day, the first hours were chaos. Two consecutive American attacks ended in failure as British bayonets made many inexperienced soldiers flee in terror. At a critical moment, General Washington personally led a renewed effort to stop the attacking British.
Emboldened by their commander’s bravery, the American attack succeeded. The British regulars were, in turn, forced to flee as their lines collapsed. William Ranney later immortalized the battle in his famous “Washington Rallying the Americans at the Battle of Princeton.”
Today, Princeton Battlefield State Park, just a mile southwest of Princeton University, maintains and interprets the scene of George Washington's 1777 victory. The famous Mercer Oak, not far from where General Hugh Mercer fell during the battle, still stands. So does the Thomas Clarke House, built in 1772, which witnessed the fierce fighting. The house contains period items and Revolutionary War exhibits. The Ionic Collonade and a stone patio and mark the grave of 21 British and 15 American soldiers killed in the battle. Several trails cross the battlefield. The American Battlefield Trust and its members have saved more than 24 acres at Princeton Battlefield.
(Gettysburg, Pa.) — History enthusiasts with an affinity for exploration and thirst for knowledge can help satisfy their cravings this summer by adding an...
On April 15th, Beyond the Battle Museum will open to the public, telling the remarkable story of ordinary eyewitnesses and their extraordinary experiences before, during, and after the Civil War. Through twelve interactive exhibit galleries packed with rare artifacts, the museum explores the story o...
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