'Pivotal' parcel in Culpeper, Va., preserved

Virginia officials joined the Civil War Trust  on Thursday in announcing the preservation of a scenic ridge in Culpeper County, the Free-Lance Star in Fredericksburg report. The 400-foot-high Hansbrough Ridge is where 800 Confederate soldiers barred a Union cavalry division from the main fight at Brandy Station, a massive cavalry battle in June 1863. • Article

'Core battlefield': Civil War Trust acquires 37 acres on Barlow's Knoll at Gettysburg

(Photos courtesy of Civil War Trust)

Thirty-seven acres on Barlow’s Knoll, the site of a successful Confederate attack on the first day of fighting at Gettysburg, has been acquired by the Civil War Trust. The property eventually will be transferred to the National Park Service, officials said Monday.

Early on the afternoon of July 1, 1863, Union Brig. Gen. Francis Barlow placed his division of the Union 11th Corps on an overexposed small rise north of the Gettysburg Almshouse. 

Confederates under Brig. Gen. John B. Gordon attacked Barlow’s position, “steamrolling the Federals off the knoll and across the Almshouse property below,” the Trust said in a news release.

“Pockets of Yankees made short, desperate attempts to stem the tide, only to be washed away by Gordon’s impetuous men. Hundreds of men fell on the ground between the Almshouse and Barlow’s Knoll, including Gen. Barlow himself, who was captured. Half of Barlow's men became casualties at Gettysburg,” The Trust said. 

Battlefield photo taken early 20th century (Library of Conrgress)

The Trust raised $400,000 to buy the land from Adams County. It runs adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park near a monument to Barlow. The trust said acreage is used for crop farming, and the land use will not change.
 
"This is without a doubt one of the most important unprotected properties at one of the most hallowed places in America," said Trust President James Lighthizer. "Barlow’s Knoll saw crucial and costly fighting on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and this land will now be preserved for generations to come." 

Area in yellow was targeted property (CWT)

With this purchase, the Trust has helped save nearly 1,000 acres at Gettysburg, the group said.

In a video produced by the Trust during its campaign to acquire the land, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Jim Hessler said the 37 acres were “core battlefield.”

As a side note, Gordon after the war wrote that he personally assisted the badly wounded Barlow at Gettysburg and wrote to the latter’s wife that she would have safe conduct if she could visit the general.

On a Gettysburg park blog, D. Scott Hartwig wrote in 2012 about Gordon’s debatable account of aiding the enemy commander. Gordon said he and Barlow met in 1879 at a dinner, neither suspecting the other survived the war. It makes for interesting reading.

Rocky Face Ridge: Civil War Trust announces preservation of Atlanta Campaign site

Charlie Crawford/Georgia Battlefields Association

A 2,000-foot long continuous entrenchment and pristine earthworks at the Rocky Face Ridge battlefield will be preserved and become a historic and recreational site in northwest Georgia, Civil War Trust and local officials announced Tuesday at the end of a national campaign.

“This acquisition is one of the most important pieces of land we have ever saved in Georgia, and is one of those priceless few places where not one but two Civil War battles were fought on the same hallowed ground,” Trust President James Lighthizer said in a statement.

The Trust said the 301 acres known as Grant Farm will be transferred to the park system of Whitfield County, which has an adjoining 625-acre tract. Fortifications were built by Confederate troops trying to halt the advance of Sherman’s Federal legions. Whitfield County is believed to have the most surviving Civil War fortifications in the country.

The 301 acres that were purchased for $1.38 million were part of the May 1864 Battle of Rocky Face Ridge and the February 1864 Battle of Dalton.

“The transfer will create a seamless interpretive experience, giving visitors a greater understanding of both the battle and the movements of the opposing armies during the opening days of the decisive Atlanta campaign,” the Trust said. 

“I hope Whitfield County will become a benchmark on bringing divergent interests together to help preserve our environment, history, and health,” Commission Chairman Mike Babb said in a statement.

(Courtesy of Whitfield County)

Plans for the site have not been without some controversy.

The Georgia Battlefields Association withdrew its offer of $45,000 to help in the recent property purpose because of concerns about possible damage from proposed mountain biking trails. Officials said trails would be installed under supervision of a historic preservation planner to avoid rock trenches and entrenchments, the GBA noted in a newsletter in September.

“In a discussion among the GBA trustees, we were especially influenced by a trustee who had seen off-road bike trails attract not only responsible bikers but also those who view earthworks, rock formations, and ecologically sensitive sites as challenges on which to hone their biking skills,” said the GBA. “We concluded that damage to the rock trenches on the top and the slope of Rocky Face Ridge was likely and would be impossible to reconstruct accurately, despite the existence of conservation easements requiring the repair of any damage.”

Mitch Talley, communications director for Whitfield County, told the Picket plans are still on for the bike trails, “but they will not be allowed in the actual battle areas to prevent damage to the historic features.”

The trails will likely be on both tracts, he said.

A Whitfield County park will bring new synergy to the northwest corner of the state as a Civil War tourism market.

More fortifications on preserved property (GBA)

Upon the opening earlier this year of Resaca Battlefield Historic Site to the south, Jim Ogden, historian with Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, told the Picket he could direct those interested in the Atlanta Campaign to a well-preserved site between Chickamagua and Pickett's Mill or Kennesaw in suburban Atlanta. Now it looks like Whitfield County will be adding another site.

“This also means, for Civil War round tables or other history-based groups, particularly if they'll do a little walking, there's now … enough in the Tunnel Hill-Dalton-Resaca area to make a multi-day tour of just that part of the campaign,” Ogden said in the spring. 

The Whitfield County site was purchased for $1.38 million using a grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, along with private donations by Trust members and other groups, officials said.

Local historian Greg Cockburn contacted the county in 2014 and took  Babb on a tour of the property to point out the reasons it was important to local Civil War history, said Talley.

(Courtesy of Charlie Crawford)

A recent wildfire (above) covered a large portion of the 625-acre tract, and the GBA has expressed concern about damage to historic features, including sections of rock trenches of both Federal and Confederate lines. The smaller Grant Farm also had fire damage.

“Other than vegetation very little damage was done by the fire,” said Talley. “The fire breaks did cross some Confederate trenches but (did not do) much damage because they were blading, not plowing.”

On May 4, 1864, Sherman led 100,000 men into northwest Georgia against the Army of Tennessee camped at Rocky Face Ridge. The general ordered one quarter of his men to strike a railhead at Resaca, cutting the Confederate supply line, while the rest of his forces acted as a diversion.

“The fighting began in earnest on May 7, with Union columns pressing toward Mill Creek and Dug Gap. Hurling rocks when they ran out of ammunition, the deeply dug-in Confederates held their position, and the Federals moved to meet Southern forces at nearby Resaca," the Trust said.

There is no current timetable for the site's opening and its name, Talley said.

Civil War Trust photo contest winners

A moody photo of the Chancellorsville battlefield in Virginia is the grand prize-winner in the 2015 Civil War Trust photo contest. A dozen submitted images will grace the organization’s 2016 calendar, which helps support land preservation. • See this year’s and previous winners.

Easier to visualize back-forth battle

The southern part of the Fredericksburg battlefield in Virginia is starting to look more like it did in December 1862. Not as in mid-battle, but in a pastoral way. Some of Slaughter Pen Farm’s post-Civil War buildings are being razed to give the property, held by the Civil War Trust, a more authentic feel. • Article

There's an app for Appomattox

The Civil War Trust is rolling out its latest app for smartphones. The Appomattox Battle App culminates with the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865. • Article

Trust buys Franklin, Tenn., shopping center

The Civil War Trust has finalized purchase of a shopping strip center in Franklin to eventually restore the land to its battlefield appearance. This site along with the 110-acre Eastern Flank will expand upon the battleground near the historic Carter House, which is overseen by the Battle of Franklin Trust. •  Article

Trust rolls out app for Second Manassas

The Civil War Trust, a battlefield preservation group, on Tuesday marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Second Manassas with the release of its latest free smartphone "battle app."

"Like its predecessors, which explore the battles of Bull Run, Cedar Creek, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg and Malvern Hill, the new Second Manassas Battle App includes video segments from top historians, period and modern imagery, and detailed topographical maps, all of which help bring the battlefield to life," the Trust said in a statement.

Principal tour stops include Brawner’s Farm, the Unfinished Railroad position and Longstreet’s attack.

The apps are underwritten with grant funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation and created in partnership with NeoTreks, Inc. • Additional details

Resaca re-enactment celebrates land buy

More than 1,000 re-enactors are expected at the Battle of Resaca in north Georgia this weekend (May 19-20), maneuvering near Civil War property that recently got a preservation boost.

The Civil War Trust, along with the Georgia Battlefields Association and the Friends of Resaca Battlefield, last month closed on the $153,000 purchase of 51 acres near Chitwood Farm, site of the re-enactment.

The parcel contains the site of the battery led by Capt. Max van den Corput, whose four guns were captured by the Federals on May 15, 1864. The Trust for Public Land was instrumental in the preservation.

The 28th annual event, hosted by the Georgia Division Reenactors Association, features battle re-enactments at 2 p.m. Saturday and Saturday.

"The spectator line is closer to the battles allowing spectators to better view the battles while seeing the smoke and hearing the thunder of history unfold," said event spokesman Ken Padgett.

On May 13-15, 1864, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s army and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate Army of Tennessee bloodied each other at Resaca. There was no clear winner. Sherman continued his march toward Atlanta, which he took several months later. ( Battle summary)

The fighting at Resaca demonstrated that the outnumbered Confederate army could only slow, but not stop, the advance of Union forces, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

The event is located on the historic Chitwood Farm just north of Resaca off U.S. 41.

Camps open to the public each day at 9 a.m. A Saturday memorial service and Sunday church service are planned. Period sutlers and food vendors will provide services.

Battle of Resaca. Admission: $5 adults, $2 children under 12, free for infants. Parking is free. The Gordon County Antique Engine and Tractor Club will provide free transportation from the spectator parking area to the battle site each day. Visitors are encouraged to bring portable chairs and dress for warm weather.

• Click here for directions and schedule.

Trust releases Malvern Hill app

A multimedia, GPS-enabled guide to Virginia’s Battle of Malvern Hill, the final clash of the Seven Days campaign, is now available for free download. And that’s regardless of whether you’re an Apple acolyte or prefer the Android system. • Article

Trust's 2011 report card

The Civil War Trust says it protected more than 2,000 battlefield acres during the first year of the sesquicentennial commemoration. • Article

Country singer supports preservation

Country music star Trace Adkins has joined a national Civil War Trust effort to help preserve 20,000 acres of land over the next five years in Gettysburg and at other historic sites. • Article

Preservationist honored, dedicates marker

The Civil War Trust recently honored Charlie Crawford, president of the Georgia Battlefields Association, and two other battlefield advocates in Georgia.

Crawford, of Atlanta, (left, in photo) received the trust's Chairman's Award last month in Savannah.

"Charlie Crawford is an indispensible source of information on all aspects of the preservation movement in the state," the trust said of the honor.

Also honored were Fort McAllister interpretive ranger Talley Kirkland and Rossville, Ga., history teacher Robert Stinson.

The GBA has assisted in the research and writing of historical markers, including one unveiled in downtown Savannah after the awards ceremony.

On January 16, 1865, Union Gen William T. Sherman issued his Special Field Order No. 15. The short-lived order redistributed roughly 400,000 confiscated acres of land from South Carolina to Florida to newly freed black families in 40-acre segments.

On January 12, Sherman met with 20 black leaders of the Savannah community, mostly Baptist and Methodist ministers, to discuss the question of emancipation, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

The meeting helped convince him many of the slaves could operate their own farms, says Crawford.

"Sherman had an immensely practical orientation," Crawford added. "He knew very well that his orders would be effective only until the president and Congress addressed the issue, but he was unwilling to leave all these people unable to provide for themselves. As the last sentence of the marker explains, President Johnson rescinded the orders a few months later."

Photo by Cindy Wentworth, GBA vice president

• More on awards | • History of Sherman's order