Q&A: Common Questions
on Battlefield Preservation
Q: What is the mission of the Civil War Preservation Trust?
A: CWPT’s mission is to preserve America’s significant Civil War battlefields by protecting the actual land and educating the public about the vital roles those battlefields played in directing the course of our nation’s history. Read more about our organization.
Q: Haven’t all of the Civil War battlefields been saved already?
A: Actually, only about 20 percent of the actual land upon which the Civil War was fought is currently preserved either by the CWPT or in national, state or local parks – all of the rest of that hallowed ground is either unprotected or has already been destroyed. We are racing the developers to save what is left. Find out about our latest preservation efforts.
Q: Who owns that unprotected land?
A: In most cases, it is held by private landowners. Some families have owned battlefield properties since the War. Until it is officially preserved, that land can be sold to a developer – and destroyed – literally at any moment.
Q: How much hallowed ground has already been lost?
A: According to a study done by the U.S. Congress, fully 20 percent of the hallowed ground of the Civil War has already been destroyed forever, covered by roads, housing developments and other inappropriate development. Battlefields such as Chantilly, in Virginia, Murfreesborough in Tennessee, and the battles around Atlanta in Georgia are gone forever.
Q: How quickly are we losing key battlefield sites?
A: At current rates of development and with rapidly increasing land prices, our nation loses approximately one acre of hallowed ground every hour. We calculate that the fate of the remaining unprotected ground will be determined within the next five to fifteen years, depending on its location.
Q: Does the Civil War Preservation Trust ever get involved with “taking” land, or with eminent domain issues?
A: Never. We deal only with willing sellers and pay fair market value for properties.
Q: Is CWPT “anti-development”?
A: Not at all. We recognize that communities need new economic development to remain strong, and that people need places to live, work and shop. CWPT works to ensure that such development is well planned in such a way as to protect the irreplaceable historic resource that a preserved battlefield represents for a community, as well as for the entire nation.
Preservation is the only viable choice for a battlefield; it cannot be moved or reconstructed somewhere else. Its historic significance is fixed permanently in place by events that happened upon previously unexceptional ground.
Commercial development can be moved, but we cannot change where history happened, not when so much of the story is told by the ground itself.
Q: Does CWPT promote heritage tourism?
A: Absolutely, and we have conducted several economic impact studies which clearly report excellent economic growth for those communities that preserve, protect and promote the existence of a saved Civil War battlefield. Read CWPT’s Economic Impact Studies
Plus, the history-minded tourist has been shown to spend $xx more per day than any other type of tourist, making them a very desirable visitor to any community.
Q: How does the CWPT buy hallowed ground?
A: The Civil War Preservation Trust has been one of the most successful non-profit organizations in America in securing federal, state, local and private matching funds to save battlefields. We then multiply those funds with money raised from our members around the world. What this means to you is that every dollar you, as a member, give to preserve America’s history is multiplied many times over.
In fact, over the past six years, CWPT has multiplied our members’ donations by a factor of 4 – every $1.00 spent for land preservation has been matched by outside grants and turned into $4.00 and, in total, our members have saved more than 25,000 acres of hallowed ground. See Calculations.
Q: Where is the land CWPT has saved?
A: CWPT members have saved more than 25,000 acres at 88 battlefields such as Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history), Fort Donelson (where a future U.S. president earned his nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant) and Manassas (the site of the first major land battle)…plus dozens of other sites in 18 different states. See a list of Saved Sites. Chances are CWPT has saved land at every battlefield you’re familiar with, and maybe even some you’re not!
Q: What happens to the land once CWPT saves it?
A: Whenever possible, we seek to turn the land over to a responsible long-term steward who can properly protect and maintain the land, such as the National Park Service or a state park system. If this is not possible, CWPT will hold and manage the land in trust for the American people, investing significant resources into creating walking trails and safe parking areas, installing interpretive signs and restoring the landscape to its wartime appearance so that visitors get the full benefit of these irreplaceable outdoor classrooms.
Q: Why is it so important to save these places?
A: Can you imagine a fast-food restaurant in the middle of Arlington Cemetery? Can you imagine paving over the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial? Can you imagine destroying the remaining original copies of the Declaration of Independence or The Constitution? Of course not. But with each square foot of battlefield land that is consumed, like whole chapters of America’s history being ripped out of the book of our national memory, another irreplaceable piece of our important heritage is lost forever. CWPT needs you to help save our history!
Saving battlefields not only preserves our history, but also creates valuable open space; in the not-to-distant future, these preserved Civil War battlefields will be the “urban parks” of their communities, just like Central Park is to New York City.
Q: What makes CWPT unique?
A: Several reasons:
1. We are the only national organization of its kind in America.
2. We provide tangible, measurable results.
3. We are here for a limited purpose and time, but our results will last forever.
