America Battlefield Trust
Originally published July-August 2025 · pp. 20–21
Trust Launches Historic $125 Million Battlefield Preservation Campaign In recognition of the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday, the Trust has launched the most ambitious effort in battlefield preservation history: a $125 million capital campaign that will revolutionize the organization’s ability to pursue its mission. Titled “Our Enduring Legacy: The Campaign to Preserve, Educate and Inspire,” the initiative will enable the Trust to safeguard our nation’s historic battlefields for future generations by providing resources needed to expand preservation efforts, meet today’s challenges and seize tomorrow’s opportunities. With more than 80% of the campaign goal already secured through early donor support, the Trust aims to reach its full target by July 4, 2026. This campaign comes at a pivotal moment as historic battlefield landscapes are disappearing at an alarming rate due to relentless development pressure and a generational shift in land use patterns. Demand for huge swaths of land for massive solar farms, data centers, and distribution infrastructure is driving land prices up exponentially, threatening to price preservation groups out of key markets. At the heart of the campaign is the creation of a Battlefield Readiness Fund, which will enable the Trust to move quickly and compete effectively against deep-pocketed developers who make compelling cash-forward offers. The Fund will also support cutting-edge educational efforts that blend traditional storytelling with modern tools like augmented and virtual reality. “Our Enduring Legacy” will focus on creating interpretive bundles for 40 prioritized battlefields, combining digital resources with on-site experiences tailored to each location. It also seeks to connect 10 million students to these historic sites, either through in-person field trips or the Trust’s award-winning virtual programs. For more details on the campaign, please visit www. ourenduringlegacy.org.
Introduced in the House by Rep. Houston Gaines and championed in the Senate by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Sen. Bill Cowsert, H.B. 454 passed the Georgia House of Representatives in March. The Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund Act establishes a competitive matching grant program to encourage federal and private sector investment in Georgia’s battlefields. The program mirrors similar state-level programs in Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi, which have collectively preserved hundreds of acres of battlefield land. Since 1997, the Trust has protected nearly 2,400 acres in Georgia. It has identified more than 200 acres across numerous battlefields that could be preserved if the state were to invest in the new program. The Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund will enable a swift pursuit of preservation opportunities at Kettle Creek, a Revolutionary War battlefield recently named a National Park Service Affiliated Site, as well as Rocky Face Ridge, Kennesaw Mountain, and Ringgold Gap, among others.
New App Maps Stories of Medal of Honor Recipients This March, the American Battlefield Trust and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society put valor on the map with a new mobile app that provides access to a global network of sites tied to the lives and legacies of those 3,528 individuals who have received the nation’s highest military honor. From hometowns and battlefields to namesake buildings and monuments, these places tell a fuller story of recipients’ lives beyond the combat action they were recognized for. The Medal of Honor Valor Trail App is an immersive visualization of the Medal of Honor’s full story and impact. The app is centered around an interactive map that allows users to virtually follow in the footsteps of recipients by discovering battlefields, memorials, museums, and more. Sites can be viewed by category, and pages for specific recipients show an individual’s journey, from birth to enlistment, citation action, death and burial, plus listings for namesake sites. The app was designed by the Interactive Knowledge team and is available for free download via the App Store and Google Play. More sites are being added to the Trail regularly and future curated collections of recipients with parallel stories and experiences will deepen the connections between heroes across time.
Georgia Legislature Passes Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund A bill to establish the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund (H.B. 454) is now headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after passing the Georgia State Senate in early April with unanimous support in a 47-0 vote. Named in honor of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, the measure creates a state matching grant program aimed at preserving Georgia’s historic battlefields, a cause close to the late coach’s heart.
The Medal of Honor Valor Trail App is available now on the App Store and Google Play.
The Trust and the Society have collaborated since 2018 to highlight the connections between recipients across eras and the significance of the landscapes where those heroes fought. Through the Medal of Honor Valor Trail, the organizations created the first-ever map of all 3,500 citation locations across the globe, a featured exhibit at the Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, the $3.5 million redesign received a nomination for USA Today’s “Best New Museum” in 2024.
National Park Service Awards Grants to Preserve Chickasaw Bayou The National Park Service awarded two Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants, totaling more than $110,000 to preserve nearly five acres of Mississippi’s Chickasaw Bayou Battlefield. The grants, made to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History through the American Battlefield Protection Program, to protect nearly five acres of the core battlefield north of Vicksburg in Warren County, Miss. One grant for $73,000 will preserve 4.5 acres of battlefield land, while a $36,000 grant will preserve a parcel of nearly half an acre. The Trust is the nonprofit entity facilitating the public-private preservation accomplishments. In the past three years, the Trust and its partners, including the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and ABPP, have made several preservation successes at the Chickasaw Bayou battlefield. Since December 2022, preservationists have saved more than 25 acres in 15 acquisitions. With many of those projects being further supported by the state-level Mississippi Historic Site Preservation Grant Program. The American Battlefield Protection Program’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants promote the preservation of America’s most historically significant Civil War, War of 1812, and Revolutionary War battlegrounds and is the Trust’s most active partner.
Trust Visits Historic Gettysburg in Latest Entry of Virtual Field Trip Series In mid-March, the Trust published the latest entry of its Gold Telly Award-winning virtual field trip series to its YouTube channel. Hosted by Emerging Civil War Editor-in-Chief and Copie Hill Civil War Fellow Dr. Chris Mackowski, the production takes viewers on an energetic and engaging journey through the most famous battle of the Civil War, combining historical narration, scenic footage, and a revolving cast of Gettysburg experts and historians. From Gettysburg’s iconic locations, such as Devil’s Den and Little Round Top, to General Eisenhower’s post-war home, the video highlights Gettysburg’s unique place-based historical resources in a free and accessible manner. The latest installment of the Virtual Field Trip series comes after the success of the Trust’s first iteration with a visit to Baltimore’s 1812 sites, and later locations including Boston, Charleston, New Orleans, and Vicksburg. These productions were made possible thanks to grants awarded through the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program and in partnership with Acowsay, an award-winning film company.
Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center, one of the stops on the virtual field trip of Gettysburg. (Photo by Jeff Griffith.)
Ulysses S. Grant
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Chickasaw Bayou Battlefield. (Photo by Mike Talplacido.)
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Photographs from the Original Article
Captions and credits appear in the article text as originally printed.