American Battlefield Protection Program, NPS

03/15/2023

For , we recognize Dr. Margaret “Mom” Chung, a quick-witted trailblazer who used her unique life experiences to bring people together. The first female Chinese-American physician, an adoptive mom to many, and a fierce individual, she made valuable contributions to the US military during her lifetime.

Born in California in 1889 to Chinese immigrant parents, Dr. Chung was intent on using her medical mind to help people from a young age, despite people’s perceptions of her race and sexuality. In 1937, Dr. Chung volunteered to serve as a front-line surgeon during the Sino-Japanese War. Rejected, she was instead asked to secretly recruit pilots for squadrons that would fly under Chinese colors, known as the “Flying Tigers.” She connected with many of these young men, who came to view her as an adoptive mother. During a dinner with her adopted “sons,” a pilot said to Dr. Chung that she was as “understanding as a mother... but hell, you are an old maid and you haven’t got a father for us.” In typical witty fashion, Dr. Chung shot back, “Well, that makes you a lot of fair-haired bastards, doesn’t it?”

Through World War II, Dr. Chung’s surrogate family grew to over 1500 servicemen, and she supported them from the home front with letters and gifts. She also turned her focus to women in the US military, drawing on her vast network to generate support for the WAVES, a Navy reserve corps for women. She drew on her connections to lobby behind the scenes. Although she succeeded in getting the WAVES established in 1942, she did not get the proper credit for her role in its creation. Her repeated applications to join the corps were rejected because of her race and rumors about her sexuality.

For a more in-depth look at Dr. Chung’s life as a physician, organizer, and member of San Francisco’s q***r community, visit https://go.nps.gov/3khc3s

03/13/2023

You’ve protected a battlefield with a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant: what’s next? Have you been planning for restoration work to help the public understand its history and sense of place? If so, you may be eligible to apply for a Battlefield Restoration Grant! To learn more about these grants, head to: https://go.nps.gov/BARE

Now open through July 6th, these grants offer 50% matching funds to support research, planning, and implementation of historic preservation projects that aim to restore day-of-battle conditions at American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War sites protected with assistance from a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant.

Tribal, State and local governments and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. Grants are available at the scoping level for research and planning, and the implementation level for projects with well-developed plans for hands-on preservation work. All grants will be awarded through a competitive merit review process.

03/10/2023

Conservation at the Crossroads: Preserving Siegen Forest at Chancellorsville (U.S. National Park Service)

👏 Congratulations to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for their recent award of an ABPP Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant to preserve over 150 acres of Siegen Forest at Chancellorsville Battlefield! This grant supports a partnership between The Germanna Foundation and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to expand public access to the forest along the Rapidan River. 🌳🛶

Read more about this grant project, here: https://go.nps.gov/SFBLAG02

📸: The view from Siegen Forest across the Rapidan River near the Germanna Ford in Orange County, Virginia. Image courtesy of Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Recipient: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Amount: $655,070.85 Acres: 163.88 Siegen Forest stands along the banks of the Rapidan River as its winds its way between Virginia’s Orange and Culpeper counties. Human communities have occupied this area for nearly 12,000 years, drawn b...

03/08/2023

📢 Webinar alert! Join NPS ABPP on Tuesday, March 14, at 2:00 p.m. EST, for our Pass-Through Entity Webinar.

What is a pass-through entity? A pass-through entity is a state or local government organization who is eligible for an ABPP Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant, and often partners with non-profit sub-recipients to acquire and preserve the land.

If you are a state or local government organization who has received or is thinking of applying for a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant, or are a nonprofit partner of these entities, this webinar is for you! We will review the grant application process, define eligibility requirements, and clarify the roles and responsibilities of Pass-Through grant recipients, NPS ABPP, and non-profit sub-recipients.

📆 Please RSVP by Friday, March 10 by emailing [email protected].

03/06/2023

The , which happened in 1770, is pointed to as a key moment leading to the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. But the events that took place on this site of conflict have been contested from the start.

A confrontation between British soldiers and a crowd in Boston led to the deaths of five civilians – the culprits and the blame later debated in trials and throughout history. In the grey area between facts, there was political ground to be gained. Paul Revere’s famous bloody depiction of the event was meant to stir anticolonial fervor among colonists and wasn’t historically inaccurate. A large parade carried the dead to their burial sites, calling them martyrs in a “Horrid Massacre.” While the trials of Capt. Preston and the British soldiers were intended to settle the matter, few Bostonians accepted the verdicts (not guilty for the captain and a branding on the thumb for two soldiers charged with manslaughter).

Immediately following the event, Bostonians commemorated its anniversary, ensuring that tensions between colonists and the army continued to burn. The importance of the event changed with the times. Pictured here is an 1856 abolitionist depiction, placing African American Crispus Attucks at the center of the scene as the first casualty of the Revolution.

Learn more about the history of the Boston Massacre, and its interpretations over time, in “Perspectives on the Boston Massacre” from https://masshist.org/features/massacre/visual

📷: “Boston Massacre, March 5th 1770,” Lithograph by J.H. Bufford’s Lith., after W. Champney, 1856, courtesy Massachusetts Historical Society

03/03/2023

💸 The 2023 Preservation Planning Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available on grants.gov! Eligible applicants may apply to this annual competition between now and March 15, 2023. See the full announcement on grants.gov for more details: bit.ly/FY23PPG

Through a competitive merit review process, this grant program provides financial assistance for planning, interpreting, and preserving battlefields and sites associated with armed conflict on American soil. Eligible applicants include Tribal, State, and local governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and other public entities. To learn more, head to: https://go.nps.gov/PPGs

If you have questions about your organization’s eligibility or project proposals, reach out to us at [email protected] with the subject line “2023 NOFO” or call (202) 513-7126.

03/01/2023

📢 Webinar alert! Join NPS ABPP on Tuesday, March 14, at 2:00 p.m. EST, for our Pass-Through Entity Webinar.

What is a pass-through entity? A pass-through entity is a state or local government organization who is eligible for an ABPP Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant, and often partners with non-profit sub-recipients to acquire and preserve the land.

If you are a state or local government organization who has received or is thinking of applying for a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant, or are a nonprofit partner of these entities, this webinar is for you! We will review the grant application process, define eligibility requirements, and clarify the roles and responsibilities of Pass-Through grant recipients, NPS ABPP, and non-profit sub-recipients.

📆 Please RSVP by Friday, March 10 by emailing [email protected].

02/28/2023

During and throughout the year, the NPS reflects on over 400 years of Black history and heritage. African Americans have served in the American military with brilliance and distinction since our nation's earliest days, having fought in every American war since the Revolution. Despite not being allowed to enlist in the Regular US Army during peacetime until 1866, and then only in segregated units until 1948, African Americans have shaped the history of our nation through military service.

Learn more about African American military history from the Revolutionary War to World War II by visiting: https://go.nps.gov/MilitaryHistory

📸: Images courtesy of the Library of Congress.

1- Stereograph photo of the Ninth Cavalry of the Buffalo Solider Regiment, 1898. Read more about the importance of the formation of the Buffalo Solider Regiments here: https://go.nps.gov/NinthCavalry.

2 - The first contingent of African American nurses assigned to the European Theater of Operations, 1944. Only 56 African American nurses were allowed to enlist in the Army Nurse Corps.

3- Sergeant William H. Carney wears his Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded for his valor while serving with the 54th Massachusetts Regiment at Fort Wagner, 1863. For more details on Carney’s military service, check out: https://go.nps.gov/WilliamCarney.

02/23/2023

Core Work: Preserving the Center at the Ream’s Station Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)

🎉 Congratulations to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for their recent award of an ABPP Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant to preserve over 100 acres of the Ream’s Station Battlefield! This grant supports the partnership with the American Battlefield Trust to protect the battlefield lands at the core of two Union army assaults, as well as wetlands and streams vital to the health of human and other natural communities. 🌿🐦

Read more about this project, here: https://go.nps.gov/RSBLAG02

📸: A wooded portion of the Ream’s Station Battlefield. Image courtesy of the American Battlefield Trust.

Recipient: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Sub-Recipient: American Battlefield Trust Amount: $163,251.69 Acres: 101 By the summer of 1864, Union victories at Vicksburg and Chattanooga wrested Federal control of much of the American South and brought the fighting perilously close t...

02/22/2023

📢 Webinar alert! Join NPS ABPP on Friday, February 24th at 1 pm EST for a webinar to learn about the recent updates to our Programmatic Agreement through its second amendment.

This webinar will cover the new Section 106 processes, new roles and responsibilities, and introduce our two new grant programs – Battlefield Interpretation and Restoration Grants. If you’re a prospective grant applicant, a current grant recipient or subrecipient, as well as an easement holder, SHPO, or Tribe – this webinar is for you!

📆 Please RSVP by Wednesday, February 22nd by emailing [email protected].

02/19/2023

In the winter of 1777-78, when defeat seemed near for the Continental Army, dozens of Black and Indigenous men across New England joined the war effort to aid in the Colonies’ struggle for freedom, some hoping to secure their own freedom in the process. in 1778, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment began accepting both free and enslaved Black and Indigenous men into its ranks leading to the creation of the first racially integrated military unit in American history.

The 1st Rhode Island was initially an all-white regiment, but as Washington’s forces dwindled after the loss of New York in November 1777, a conscription call went out to all colonies to recruit more fighting men. Struggling to create new battalions, the small colony of Rhode Island opened their existing regiments to Black and Indigenous men, promising full emancipation to enslaved men upon joining.

The newly recruited Black and Indigenous soldiers fought in segregated companies within the larger regiment, producing a uniquely integrated military unit where men of different social and ethnic backgrounds fought alongside each other from 1778 until the war’s end 5 years later.

📸:French infantry officer Jean Baptiste Antoine de Verger painted this watercolor in his wartime diary during his time in Rochambeau’s army in 1781. De Verger’s painting depicts four types of foot soldiers he encountered during his campaigns in America. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

02/17/2023

🎉 Today we are thrilled to announce over $1 million in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants to the Mississippi Department of Archives & History, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Washington County, Maryland to preserve 272 acres of land at four Civil War battlefields. Congratulations to all on your efforts and partnerships!

Read more about these projects and the historic landscape they will preserve, here: https://go.nps.gov/BLAG02

If you’re interested in this grant opportunity, learn more about eligibility and requirements on NPS ABPP’s website: https://go.nps.gov/abppBLAG

📸: Trails through the Siegen Forest of Chancellorsville Battlefield offer opportunities for recreation and relaxation along the Rapidan River in Orange County, Virginia. Image courtesy of Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

02/15/2023

“He who fights the battle of America may claim America as his own country — and have that claim respected. Thus in defending your country now against rebels and traitors you are defending your own liberty, honor, manhood and self-respect.”

🎈 Today marks the day that , abolitionist, orator and statesman, chose as his birthday.

During the Civil War, Douglass argued that enlisting in the Union Army was an act of self-determination and citizenship on the part of African Americans. During the first two years of the war, Douglass routinely called on President Lincoln to allow African Americans to serve. The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation contained a provision calling for the recruitment of Black men into the Union Army. After that, Douglass traveled around the North speaking and urging his brethren to join the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first Black military unit raised by the North.

“You should enlist because the war for the Union, whether men so call it or not, is a war for Emancipation... Can you ask for a more inviting, ennobling and soul enlarging work, than that of making one of the glorious Band who shall carry Liberty to your enslaved people?”

Douglass’ sons both enlisted in the 54th. Its ranks were filled with more than 1,000 men from across the country who fought bravely for emancipation.

Check out celebratory events across the DC area, here: https://go.nps.gov/FDevents. Or, visit Douglass' home at in Anacostia, DC at Frederick Douglass National Historic Site! You can learn more about the 54th Massachusetts Regiment by checking out Boston African American National Historic Site.

📷: 1864 Portrait of Frederick Douglass, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Quotes are from Douglass’s 1863 “Why Should a Colored Man Enlist,” rbscp.lib.rochester.edu/4396

02/14/2023

💸 The 2023 Preservation Planning Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available on grants.gov! Eligible applicants may apply to this annual competition between now and March 15, 2023. See the full announcement on grants.gov for more details: bit.ly/FY23PPG

Through a competitive merit review process, this grant program provides financial assistance for planning, interpreting, and preserving battlefields and sites associated with armed conflict on American soil. Eligible applicants include Tribal, State, and local governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and other public entities. To learn more, head to: https://go.nps.gov/PPGs

If you have questions about your organization’s eligibility or project proposals, reach out to us at [email protected] with the subject line “2023 NOFO” or call (202) 513-7126.

02/10/2023

📢 Webinar alert! Join NPS ABPP on Friday, February 24th at 1 pm EST for a webinar to learn about the recent updates to our Programmatic Agreement through its second amendment.

This webinar will cover the new Section 106 processes, new roles and responsibilities, and introduce our two new grant programs – Battlefield Interpretation and Restoration Grants. If you’re a prospective grant applicant, a current grant recipient or subrecipient, as well as an easement holder, SHPO, or Tribe – this webinar is for you!

📆 Please RSVP by Wednesday, February 22nd by emailing [email protected].