xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Historic Preservation

The National Park Service owns just 3% of America's Civil War battlefields.

Every ten minutes, one acre of a Civil War battlefield is bulldozed for what some may call "progress, growth, or development," but in many cases it is simply destruction.

Civil War battles were fought along many of the same road networks modern commuters use; therefore battlefields are being bulldozed at an alarming rate for subdivisions, shopping malls and highway bypasses. If people are not made aware of poor planning and zoning, concrete pavement will soon cover most of our historic resources. The SGLHA is trying to help spread the message or preservation. Below are some links to preservation groups that are trying protect our Hallowed Ground while there is still time left.

What the SGLHA Is Doing About It

The SGLHA is concerned about the plight of America's vanishing Civil War battlefields. The SGLHA has participated in several preservation marches that have generated well over $100,000 for land acquisition that has helped protect portions of the battlefields at Chancellorsville, Franklin, McDowell, Malvern Hill, and the Loudoun Valley. The SGLHA newsletter regularly lists the latest major preservation information.

Several Southern Guard members have been very actively involved with Battlefield Preservation outside of the unit. Some of them are board members of various Civil War Battlefield Preservation groups. One of our members, Robert Lee Hodge, has been at the helm of several living histories and marches which have raised thousands of dollars... all of which went straight into buying the grass and dirt of endangered battlefields. He also writes a monthly column for America's Civil War making all Civil War buffs know about their plight.