Preserving Civil War Preserving Civil War Battlefields: A Legacy for Battlefields: A Legacy for

Virginia’s FutureVirginia’s Future

Presentation to the Civil War Sesquicentennial Presentation to the Civil War Sesquicentennial CommissionCommission

November 17, 2008November 17, 2008By By

Kathleen S. KilpatrickKathleen S. KilpatrickDirector and SHPODirector and SHPO

Virginia Department of Historic ResourcesVirginia Department of Historic Resources

Preserving a LegacyPreserving a Legacy

Gift to future Gift to future generationsgenerations

Broad public benefit:Broad public benefit:• Tourism/EconomyTourism/Economy• Environmental—Open Environmental—Open

space, water qualityspace, water quality• EducationEducation

Defining chapter in Defining chapter in national struggle for national struggle for freedomfreedom

Cedar Creek

The Process: Ensuring Public The Process: Ensuring Public BenefitBenefit

Established rigorous Established rigorous criteria based on criteria based on significance, threat, significance, threat, public benefit, willing public benefit, willing seller seller

Affirmative Affirmative recruitmentrecruitment• Encouraged the “best of Encouraged the “best of

the best”—significant the best”—significant battles; high battles; high preservation and preservation and education impacteducation impact

• Discouraged unlikely Discouraged unlikely competitorscompetitors

Brandy Station –Then & Now

The Results: Protection for 1571 The Results: Protection for 1571 Acres of Important Battlefield LandsAcres of Important Battlefield Lands

21 tracts on 15 different 21 tracts on 15 different battlefields battlefields • 3 easements and 19 fee 3 easements and 19 fee

simple purchasessimple purchases Distributed around the Distributed around the

CommonwealthCommonwealth Partnerships with 4 non-Partnerships with 4 non-

profit organizationsprofit organizations 2-1 Match means a cost 2-1 Match means a cost

to the Commonwealth of to the Commonwealth of less than $3,500 per less than $3,500 per acreacre

Battlefields Protected Show the Battlefields Protected Show the Scope of the WarScope of the War

Spans the War from Cross Spans the War from Cross Keys in the Shenandoah Keys in the Shenandoah Campaign in June 1862 to Campaign in June 1862 to the War’s end at the War’s end at Appomattox in April 1865Appomattox in April 1865

Cavalry charges at Cavalry charges at Brandy Station, Cedar Brandy Station, Cedar Creek and Trevilian Creek and Trevilian stationstation

Lines of defense (Fisher’s Lines of defense (Fisher’s Hill, Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, 1Hill, 1stst and 2 and 2ndnd Deep Deep Bottom)Bottom)

Avenues of retreat Avenues of retreat (Sailor’s Creek, (Sailor’s Creek, Appomattox Station)Appomattox Station) Confederate artillery crews dismantle

their own guns at Appomattox Station

Cross Keys looking toward the Union position from the 15th Alabama lines

Taking the Next StepsTaking the Next Steps

Confirm match and Confirm match and award funds for lands award funds for lands already purchasedalready purchased

Ensure prospective Ensure prospective purchases completed purchases completed within 6 monthswithin 6 months

Negotiate and execute Negotiate and execute easements to protect easements to protect the Commonwealth’s the Commonwealth’s long term interestlong term interest

First Deep Bottom

Dunn’s Farm/Trevilian Station

Milestones Along A PathMilestones Along A Path Nationwide 30 acres of Nationwide 30 acres of

Civil War battlefield Civil War battlefield land are lost every dayland are lost every day

Threats are unrelenting Threats are unrelenting (e.g. “Wilderness (e.g. “Wilderness Walmart”, Chemstone Walmart”, Chemstone Quarry)Quarry)

Roughly 50,000 acres Roughly 50,000 acres identified as “left to identified as “left to save”save”

Continuing studies Continuing studies broaden the field (e.g. broaden the field (e.g. Buckland and Unison)Buckland and Unison)

Cold Harbor

Reenactment of the Battle of Unison