Preservation at Champion Hill, Mississippi

From the May 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

The fierce clash at Champion Hill, Mississippi, was the largest, bloodiest and most significant battle of the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863.

On land owned by Sid and Matilda Champion, Grant's army drove the Confederates back to the relative safety of their fortifications at Vicksburg and set the stage for a game-changing siege.

Today, the Champion family still calls this historic spot home but has kindly worked with the Trust to ensure that their ancestral lands are preserved for generations to come.

--Old Secesh

Preservation at the Battle of Shiloh

From the American Battlefield Trust 2023 April Calendae.

SHILOH, TENNESSEE

The Battle of Shiloh began on the morning of April 6, 1862, when Confederate soldiers poured out of the nearby woods and struck a line of Union soldiers encamped near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River.

The resulting carnage was unprecedented, causing both sides to realize the magnitude of thye war.

The Trust has protected more than 1,300 acres of the battlefield, including land that witnessed the initial Confederate assaults against the Union camps.

--Old Secesh

Preservation at North Carolina's Bentonville Battlefield

From the American Battlefield Trust 2023 March calendar.

BENTONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

The March 1865 Battle of Bentonville, the largest battle ever fought in the Tarheel State, was the catalyst for the last series of standoffs between Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, as Federal forces closed in around the Confederate army.

The Trust has saved more acreage at Bentonville -- nearly 2,000 acres -- than at any other battlefield outside of Virginia.

I was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, which was a major goal for Sherman's army.  The city is close to the battlefield, so appreciate the Trust's efforts.

--Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Shepherdstown to be Preserved-- Part 4: Raising Funds

"Far Away Farm is likely one of the last parcels needed to achieve our ultimate goal of turning the battlefield properties over to the National Park Service for their management and protection," Nickerson said.

The West Virginia state government has recently donated a $300,000 Outdoor Grant to American Battlefield Trust.

The only thing holding all this up is the need for around $50,000 in fund, which the SBPA is hoping the community will be willing to donate.

The purchase price of Far Away Farm is $2 million.

--Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Shepherdstown to Be Preserved-- Part 3: To become a NPS Site?

Continued from December 13.

"Since the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association's establishment some 18 years ago, with our partners, we've raised more than $1.4 million and helped save 107 acres of the original battlefield.   And soon will be added another 122 acres, with the purchase of the Far Away Farm, where the core of the battle took place," Mike Nickerson said.

According to Nickerson, while the grant money was awarded through the National Park Service (NPS), it will also inadvertantly be returned in the form of the entire battlefield to the NPS, after all the battlefield is acquired.

The NPS is firmly in agreement withn this decision, after completing a Special Resources Study in 2015, which recommended the Shepherdstown Battlefield, in particular, become a part of the NPS.  Currently the NPS is leaning toward incorporating the Shepherdstown Battlefield into the Antietam Battlefield, due to the two events being interconnected (Shepherdstown Battle took place following Antietam as Lee's Army retreated back to Virginia).

--Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Shepherdstown Preserved-- Part 2: The Battle, September 19-20, 1862

"A little over 160 years ago, on September 19-20, 1862,  Shepherdstown's churches, businesses and homes were overwhelmed with wounded and dying Confederate soldiers from the aftermath of the Battle of Antietam," Michael Nickerson said in an e-mail.  

"As the town's people frantically scurried to save lives, Union and Confederate forces entered a deadly clash just southeast of town, near the Potomac River and the bluffs and fields along present-day River and Trough Roads.

""By the close of the battle, some 677 soldiers were killed or wounded, and Confederate  General Robert E. Lee, now blocked from advancing his troops back into Maryland at Williamsport, called off his campaign [the Antietam Campaign], retreating deeper into northern Virginia.

"In 2004, another conflict ensued -- the battle to preserve  the Shepherdstown Battlefield," Nickerson said, mentioning  the newer battle was  waged between land developers and local citizens.

"Plans had begun  to develop a large portion of the site, by building 125 houses [on Shepherdstown Battlefield].  Residents and concerned citizens banded together to protect the historic integrity of the area."

--Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Sherpherdstown to Be Preserved

This article is of particular interest to me since I wrote a lot about this little-known battle earlier in the year. 

From the November 25, 2022, Shepherdstown Chronicle 'Save the Battlefield':  Civil War location to be preserved, thanks to National Park Service grant" by Tabitha Johnston.

Last Friday, the National Park Service announced that it would be awarding a $1.9 million American Battlefield Protection Program Battlefield Land Acquisition  Grant to the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, so the organization can use it to preserve more than 200 acres of the Civil War battlefield.

According to  Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association  President Michael  Nickerson, the preservation of a 121-acre farm has been the recent focus of his organization's Save the Battlefield campaign.

Great News.  --Old Secesh

Kentucky Campaign, 1862, Part 3: Future WW II Generals

8.  Two officers who fought at the Battle of Perryville were fathers of significant World War II generals.  Simon Buckner commanded a third of the Confederate Army and the 24th Wisconsin Infantry had Arthur McArthur.

Simon B. Buckner, Jr. was killed in WW II and the Wisconsin regiment had the father of Douglas MacArthur.  They were the only two father/son duos to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

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9.  Perryville Battlefield has maybe the first monument dedicated to Confederate dead paid for by the U.S. government.

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10.  Perryville State Battlefield Site was established on October 8, 1954, 92 years after the battle.  By 1952, the battle site had deteriorated badly and the Perryville Lions Club rehabilitated the small Confederate cemetery and surrounding area.

They got the Kentucky State Conservation Commission to create a state park that opened on October 8, 1952.

--Old Secesh

American Battlefield Trust's Vicksburg Battlefield Preservation

From the June 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

VICKSBURG, Mississippi

46 Acres Saved

Consuming the entire month of June 1863, the 47-day siege of Vicksburg came to an end on July 4.  Approximately 30,000 Confederates surrendered the firtress city, giving Union forces, commanded by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, full control of the Lississippi River for the first time.

This feat helped turn the tide of the Civil War in favor of the North.  (Well, in addition to the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863.)

The Trust and its partners, including the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign, have saved 46 acres at Vicksburg.

--Old Secesh

 

Ten Facts About the Battle of Ball's Bluff-- Part 9: 'A Preservation Success Story'

FACT #9:  The Ball's Bluff Battlefield has been called by historian  Jim Morgan, a "preservation success story."

Despite the fact  that the site of the early morning skirmishing took place on October 21, 1861, has been lost to development,  a portion of the battlefield remains well preserved today.  The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NOVA Parks) owns 223 acres of the original battlefield along with the Ball's Bluff Battlefield National Cemetery, all of which has become Ball's Bluff  Battlefield Regional  Park.

NOVA Parks has cleared trees  to give the battlefield much the same appearance as it would have been 158 years ago, and new improvements, including interpretive trails, guided tours,  and updated signs have made it a significant preservation site.

In addition,  Ball's Bluff Battlefield Park  has begun the practice of commemorating the battle annually in October by holding by holding  battlefield illuminations.

In 1984,  the U.S. Department of the Interior designated 76 acres around the battlefield as a National Historic  Landmark.  In 2017,  the boundaries of   that landmark designation were expanded  to include over  3,300 acres of waterfront land on both sides of the Potomac River and including Harrison Island, Maryland.

--Old Secesh

Leeds Iron Foundry, New Orleans-- Part 2

During the Reconstruction, the Leeds Foundry functioned as a base for operations for a subgroup called the White League, a  militant white group who were against the Blacks and Northerners.  It produced arms  for the White League, including one cannon.

An arms shipment sent from Leeds Foundry prompted New Orleans police to clash with the White League members in the city and ended with a violent takeover of the city for roughly three days.  Leeds support of this group helped lead to his election as mayor in 1874.

Today, the area that once housed the foundry is home to the Preservation Resource Center.  This particular building in the foundry complex was built to serve as storage space and showrooms, so it is ideally suited for the new center.

This organization was founded  in order to help preserve the architecture of the City of New Orleans.  It is open to the public.  The site of the Leeds  Iron Foundry is on the National register of Historic Places.

--Old Secesh

American Battlefield Trust & Fort Blakely, Alabama

From the American Battlefield Trust April 2022 calendar.

FORT BLAKELY, ALABAMA

126 acres saved

The battlefield at Fort Blakely (located east of Mobile) is a history-laden landscape in which 16,00 Federals, composed of nearly one-third U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) overran Confederate defense in a raging contest on April 9, 1865 -- the same day Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered  the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse.

The Trust and its partners, including the Conservation Fund and Historic Fort Blakely State Park, have saved 126 acres at Fort Blakely.

(The Union forces numbered 45,000 against 4,000 Confederate defenders.  Not too surprising how this ended.)

--Old Secesh

Battle of Shepherdstown-- Part 3: The Aftermath and Proclamation

AFTERMATH

The total Union dead and wounded at the Battle of Shepherdstown makes it the bloodiest battle fought in what would become the state of West Virginia.

The battle convinced both commanders that the Maryland Campaign was over.  George McClelland decided that an active pursuit of the enemy was not possible at this time and established a defensive line along the Maryland side of the Potomac River. 

And, for the Confederates, Robert E. Lee chose to abort his army's movement back into Maryland.

With the Confederates  driven from Northern soil, President Abraham Lincoln used the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation  on September 22, 1862.

BATTLEFIED PRESERVATION

As of December 2021, the American Battlefield Trust  and its partners have acquired and preserved 621 acres of the battlefield in more than ten acquisitions since 2004.

--Old Secesh

Battle of Peeple's Farm, Virginia

From the American Battlefield Trust September 2021 Calendar.

I missed writing about this last month.  Oops.

PEEBLE'S FARM, Virginia

481 acres saved

Photo of Peeple's Farm Battlefield, part of Petersburg Battlefield Park, Petersburg, Virginia, by Chris Landon.

Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant's Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was the longest active campaign of the Civil War, lasting almost 300 days.

The Battle of Peeble's Farm (September 30, 1864) and the Battle of the Breakthrough (April 2, 1865) were fought on this same land.

This is one of the many battlefields in this region that the Trust works to protect amid increased industrial and commercial development.

--Old Secesh

Antietam Group Purchases Historic Land

From the August 16, 2021, Herald-Mail media  "Antietam preservation group purchases land outside  national battlefield" by Sherry Greenfield.

The Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, left nearly 23,000 men dead, wounded or missing.  It is still considered America's single bloodiest day.

For the first time, the preservation group Save Historic Antietam Foundation (SHAF) has bought land outside the national battlefield park.  It is located along Harpers Ferry Road.  The half-acre property is one-half mile south of Sharpsburg and was bought for $132,000.

An abandoned house sits on the property and will be removed.

It is on high ground inside Confederate lines that overlooks the final assault of Union General Ambrose Burnside's  attack in the afternoon where Southern artillery occupied this spot and pounded Burnside's assault.

SHAF will be fund raising to pay for it.  An anonymous donor will be matching everything raised one-for-one.

-Old Secesh

McHenry Co. CWRT-- Part 3: Preserving the Past: John Brink's Notebook

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) has also spent money for repairs to two items in the McHenry County Historical Society Museum in Union (where we met) and we had the opportunity to see where our money went.

One was the Civil War diary of John Brink notebook.  He served from 1862 to 1863 and took a trip to Murfreesboro, Tn. after the Battle of Stones River.  He was from McHenry County.

The other is also a Brink notebook which has the names of about 400 soldiers from McHenry County.

Both are now preserved and in the museum's Civil War exhibit, which also has a lot of GAR artifacts.

The topic for June's MCCWRT discussion group will be Civil War Veterans Organizations and will be held at the Panera Bread Company restaurant in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

--Old Secesh

Battle of Brice's Cross Roads

From the June American Battlefield Trust 2021 Calendar.

BRICE'S CROSSROADS, Mississippi

1,500 acres saved

Brice's Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, Baldwyn, Mississippi

With 1,500 acres saved, Brice's Cross Roads is the Trust's largest preservation success at a battle field outside of the Eastern Theater.

The Trust and its partners -- including te Brice's Cross Roads National Battlefield Commission -- plan to protect the entirety of this battlefield in the coming years.

--Old Secesh

Palmito Ranch, Texas

From the American Battlefield Trust 2021 Calendar, May

PALMITO RANCH, Texas

3 acres saved.

Palmito Ranch battlefield National Historic Landmark, Brownsville, Texas.

On the banks of the Rio Grande River, near Brownsville, Texas, Palmito Ranch looks much as it did  at the time of the battle 156 years ago.

On May 11, 1865, 300 men of the 62nd Regiment United States Colored Troops and the 2nd Texas Cavalry set out on an expedition to attack reported rebel outposts and camps, leading to what many historians consider the final land battle of the Civil War, which began the next day.

The trust's three-acre acquisition there in 2001 remains our lone victory in the Lone Star State.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table's Prisons Discussion 3/27/21-- Part 4: Talking About Camp Douglas Today and John Yates Beall

**  There is a Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation that has a primary mission "To provide  active leadership in the development,  delivery, and preservation of  educational and  historic information regarding  the Upper Midwest, especially Illinois and Chicago during the Civil War."

**  And then there was an interesting character by the name of John Yates Beall, who led attacks on Union shipping on the Chesapeake Bay, was captured, released, then was involved in a scheme to release Confederate officers at the prison on Johnson's Island on Lake Erie.  That failed.  But then was captured trying to derail a train near Buffalo, New York.

Jailed again, and after a questionable trial and Abraham Lincoln declining to extend leniency, was hanged at Fort Columbus on Governor's Island in New York Harbor.

**  Abraham Lincoln and Sec. of War Edwin Stanton once visited Point Lookout in Maryland to view Union black soldiers.

**  One of the people at the meeting said he had an ancestor die at the Confederate prison at Danville, Va.

**  Libby Prison was in an old tobacco warehouse.  Prisoners there experienced horrible conditions.

--Old Secesh

Fort Donelson

From the American Battlefield Trust 2021 calendar, February.

FORT DONELSON,  Tennessee

370 acres saved.

Ulysses S. Grant received a promotion to major general for his success at capturing Forts Henry and Donelson in February of 1862.

To save land at Fort Donelson and other Tennessee battlefields, the Trust has gratefully drawn upon the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Fund, the state's own dedicated, annually recurring source of grant funding for battlefield preservation.

Thank You Tennessee.  --Old Secesh