CW N Civil War News
Vol. 44, No. 4
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America’s Monthly Newspaper For Civil War Enthusiasts
48 Pages, April 2018
Civil War Trust’s Path to Preservation
Volunteers pause for a group portrait during a prior year’s Park Day cleanup on the scenic Cedar Mountain Battlefield in Culpeper County, Virginia. The Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield spearheaded the effort. (Civil War Trust)
The Civil War Trust and our members have saved 48,000 acres in 24 states! From the Civil War Trust In the three defining wars of America’s first century, women have always played key roles, whether out front or behind the scenes. The Civil War Trust, with rich online content on such individuals from the Revolution to the War of 1812 to the Civil War, highlighted significant figures, historic events, and related sites in celebration of Women’s History Month during March. In the American War for Independence, historian Cokie Roberts considers these women our “Founding Mothers.” Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, influenced politics, as did Mercy Otis Warren, wife of Boston patriot Joseph Warren. “Remember the ladies” in the new government, Abigail advised
John, or they too would foment a revolution. During the war, the wives of several generals— Henry Knox, Nathanael Greene, and George Washington—were as helpful in encouraging and caring for sick and wounded soldiers as were the spouses of everyday soldiers. These wars—particularly the Civil War—changed women’s lives, sometimes enabling them to trod paths previously pursued largely by men. Nursing is the best-known example, with Clara Barton (see page 27), Sally Tompkins, and Harriet Tubman being the most famous volunteer practitioners during the Civil War. Consider, too, the contributions of South Carolina memoirist Mary Chesnut, an astute observer of politics, high society, and warfare. Phoebe Pember, an administrator of Chimborazo Hospital at Richmond, had more than 15,000 soldiers under
her care at the largest military hospital in the world. Were it not for Chesnut and Pember’s vivid accounts, historians note, people today would have a far poorer understanding of the nation’s deadliest conflict. Soon, volunteers of another sort will pitch in to beautify battlefields and historic sites across our nation for Park Day, the Civil War Trust’s springtime opportunity for people to express their appreciation for the sites that tell how America began and defined itself. This year’s familyfriendly, hands-on preservation event, scheduled for Saturday, April 7, at most venues, is the Trust’s biggest annual event. At press time, a record 159 sites in 32 states and Washington, D.C., were signed up. They include Civil War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 scenes. Learn how you can help at civilwar.org/ parkday. In other preservation news, 60 acres have been added to Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Missouri by the Trust and the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation. The acquisition allows the park to interpret the initial position of Union Col. Franz Sigel’s troops, preserving this significant landscape of the first major western Civil War battle. The battlefield, located southwest of Springfield, is where the first Union general, Nathaniel Lyon, was killed in the Civil War. The Civil War Trust has recently added a variety of new states to its collection of online “Your State in the Civil War” videos featuring people from those states. They provide a brief guide to the role that each state played in the Civil War. The latest entries include Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky, Connecticut, and California; the latter state’s video features former U.S. Congressman John
Campbell. The collection is at civilwar.org and on YouTube. InVirginia, the commonwealth’s Battlefield Preservation Fund, one of the most effective statelevel battlefield grant programs in the country, was recently in the spotlight as the Virginia General Assembly considered additional funding for it. Opeds by Virginia Delegate Barry Knight and preservation leaders James Lighthizer and Keven Walker, published in several state newspapers, noted the fund’s critical importance to protecting Civil War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 historic sites. For fans of the American Revolution, northeast Georgia got a big shout-out in February from U.S. Congressman Jody Hice, University of Georgia football legend Vince Dooley, and the Trust’s Campaign 1776 initiative,
which saves battlefields from that conflict and the War of 1812. On the ground where history happened, Hice and Dooley announced a 180-acre acquisition that more than triples the size of Kettle Creek Battlefield Park near Washington, Ga. The park interprets a Revolutionary War engagement that was the patriots’ first victory in Georgia, foretelling that backcountry fighters would fiercely resist Britain’s bid to subdue the South. It was a taste of the spirit of resistance that would lead to the battles of King’s Mountain, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, and ultimate American victory at Yorktown. The Civil War Trust is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of America’s hallowed battlegrounds.
Coach Vince Dooley speaking at the Kettle Creek ceremony. (Civil War Trust)
47 – Advertiser Index 26 – Ask The Appraiser 6 – Black Powder, White Smoke 32 – Book Reviews 46 – Classifieds
Inside this issue:
34 – Critic’s Corner 41 – Events Section 18 – Inspection, ARMS! 22 – John Banks’ CW Blog 12 – The Source
7 – The Unfinished Fight 20 – This And That 10 – Through The Lens 35 – Small Talk-Trivia