American Battlefield Trust

🎉 SWEET VICTORY! As we wrap up our annual Victory Week, we are thrilled to announce and celebrate the preservation of more than 250 acres across five battlefields in four states! These victories can only happen with the support of our members and partners. THANK YOU for making this possible! ⭐ Bentonville Battlefield in Bentonville, NC | 193 Acres Saved ⭐ Boydton Plank Road Battlefield in Boydton, VA | 12 Acres Saved ⭐ Brown’s Ferry at Chattanooga Battlefield in Chattanooga, TN | 31 Acres Saved ⭐ Gettysburg Battlefield in Gettysburg, PA | 19 Acres Saved ⭐ Seven Pines Battlefield in Henrico County, VA | 12 Acres Saved Learn more about these sites here: battlefields.org/preserve/celeb…

This week, we were honored to welcome New Jersey state officials to the Princeton Battlefield! Trust President David Duncan joined our friends from the Princeton Battlefield Society and New Jersey State Historic Sites and Parks to showcase the incredible work underway at the battlefield that saved the American Revolution. During the tour, Lt. Gov. Dr. Dale G. Caldwell, First Gentleman Jason Hedberg, Assemblyman William F. Moen Jr. and Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Lauren Zyriek Enriquez had the chance to see the exciting restoration work being done to prepare the park for the battle's 250th anniversary in January 2027, including new interpretive markers, restored historic features, battle windows and immersive augmented reality experiences! You can be a part of this exciting new chapter at Princeton. A gift of any size helps ensure this pivotal piece of American history is preserved and fully realized ➡️ battlefields.org/give/save-batt…

Few of the 104 Englishmen and boys who set sail from England knew what to expect from their new home when they disembarked from their ships, the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery #OnThisDay May 14, 1607. Under a charter granted by King James I, these first English colonists to Virginia named their settlement Jamestown after their king, and the nearby river the James. Explore the everyday life in the Jamestown Colony below ⬇️ battlefields.org/learn/articles…

It was early in the morning #OnThisDay May 14, 1781. At an outpost in Pines Bridge, New York, elements of De Lancey’s New York Volunteers struck Colonel Christopher Greene’s Rhode Island Regiment. The ensuing fight brought disaster to the Continentals, with many of them taken prisoner. Greene, however, lay among the dead, unable to fend off a number of bayonet attacks in fierce hand-to-hand combat. "Here the gallant veteran singly received them with his drawn sword", wrote Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee in his memoirs. "Several fell beneath the arm accustomed to conquer, till at length overpowered by numbers, and faint from the loss of blood streaming from his wounds, barbarity triumphed over valor." Learn more about Christopher Greene with The American Revolution Experience: bit.ly/4lRALh1 🖌️ Illustration by Dale Watson

The winner is in 🏆 Congratulations and thank you to Noel Kline for capturing such a magical moment at Gettysburg Battlefield in dawn light that will grace the cover for the 2027 American Battlefield Trust calendar! Want a copy of the 2027 calendar? Then become a member today! You’ll not only be saving a crucial part of our nation's heritage for future generations to appreciate and enjoy, but you will also receive four issues of our award-winning quarterly magazine Hallowed Ground and a 2027 calendar. Learn more and become a member today: bit.ly/3NuCb2K

For 25 years, the American Battlefield Protection Program’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Program (BLAG) has been the cornerstone of public-private efforts to save America’s battlefields—leveraging more than $250 million in federal funding, matched many times over, to preserve 40,000 acres nationwide. Today, that funding is more critical than ever as skyrocketing land prices—driven by data centers and large-scale development—put irreplaceable historic landscapes at risk. The American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act (S.3524 and H.R. 7618) would reauthorize BLAG through 2035, strengthen related interpretation and restoration programs, and explore protection for additional conflicts like the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War. This legislation needs visible, broad support to advance. Use our online form to urge your federal legislators to cosponsor the bill: bit.ly/4djRSFo Want to learn more? Visit this page for more information related to this campaign: bit.ly/3O9jRym

In the summer of 1864, Union General William T. Sherman campaigned to capture the vital city of Atlanta, Georgia. Starting #OnThisDay May 13, 1864, Sherman’s Federal armies fought Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s entrenched army in the first large-scale fight in the Battle of Resaca. battlefields.org/learn/civil-wa…

Born in 1843, John Jefferson Williams mustered into the Union Army in the fall of 1863. Two years later, he would be considered one of the last soldiers to be killed in action during the Civil War during the Battle of Palmito Ranch that ended #OnThisDay May 13, 1865. Learn more about Palmito Ranch here: bit.ly/4trYcQX

Did you know that Continental soldiers during the American Revolution were supposed to receive a quart of beer daily? Join Trust Historians as they sat down with @MashedHQ to talk about all things food and drink during the American Revolution! mashed.com/2166252/what-s…

Join Dennis Frye and Garry Adelman as they traverse a rapid on the Antietam Creek during a Battle of Antietam tour. Watch the full tour on our YouTube Channel!

In the latest episode of our "Civil War Curious" podcast, historian Aaron Sheehan-Dean answers several questions relating to the non-combat lives of Civil War soldiers. Sponsored by @Battlefields. Listen here: tinyurl.com/564au7df

Opened in early 1864, the L’Ouverture Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, was established by the U. S. Army to treat sick and wounded United States Colored Troops (USCTs) during the Civil War. Alexandria was a logistical center for Union forces during the war, and the army operated roughly 30 temporary hospitals in the city to provide care for thousands of sick and wounded soldiers. Named in honor of the prominent Haitian revolutionary leader and general Toussaint L’Ouverture (c. 1743-1803), L’Ouverture could accommodate around 600 patients at a time. Today, the only building that still stands from the hospital is a residence on S. Payne Street that served as an administrative headquarters. Explore the quartermaster map showing the layout of the hospital below ⬇️ This site is part of our “Road to Freedom: VA Tour Guide” app that highlights Virginia’s Civil War-era Black experience. Learn more about Road to Freedom here: bit.ly/3WW4smU

The lone sentry is quickly pushed aside. Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and a few other men charge up the stairs toward the officers' quarters at Fort Ticonderoga in New York. When the British commander asks under whose authority he is acting, Allen allegedly replies, “In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress,” and demands the British surrender the fort, which they promptly did. However, the great prize for the American cause wasn’t the capture of the fort #OnThisDay May 10, 1775, but the vast trove of artillery it held. This artillery would be transported by Henry Knox to Boston later that year and would be instrumental in forcing the British out of the city. battlefields.org/learn/revoluti…

#DidYouKnow that Pensacola, Florida, changed hands twice on May 10: once in 1781 during the American Revolution and in 1862 during the Civil War? On May 10, 1781, the Siege of Pensacola ended with the Spanish wresting control of the city out of British hands. Allied with the Patriots, Spain took up arms to defend the colonies against the British and to further its gains on the competitive world stage. Learn more about the siege here: bit.ly/48LybVA On May 10, 1862, after a year-long engagement, Union forces took control of Pensacola from the South. With the city now under their control, they used Pensacola as a base to launch operations into Western Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Learn more about the Union fight for Pensacola here: bit.ly/4uvJoSm

Our class of 2025-2026 Youth Leadership Team is on the steps of Capitol Hill! This rotating group of 10 young people is chosen to participate in leadership training, advocate for battlefield preservation in Washington, DC, and create education, preservation, and visitation projects in their local communities. Interested in joining? Then apply for next year’s class at Battlefields.org/YLT! Applications are due June 30.

Any visit to Texas is incomplete without a visit to the Alamo! Recently, our Education Team headed down to Texas to film our first videos from the Lone Star State. While in the "heart of Texas," we had access to a unique private collection of Civil War artifacts, were able to travel to San Jacinto Battlefield and Galveston, and, of course, visit the Alamo! Thanks to everyone who helped make this trip a possibility, and stay tuned for videos coming out later this year!

The forgotten members of both the Continental and British Armies during the Revolutionary War are the musicians! From drum and fifers to buglers, they served a vital role in morale amongst the men and also served as the army’s communication system on the battlefield. Learn more with Mark Maloy of the National Park Service and Emerging Civil War ⬇️ youtu.be/03uRjm_klGs

Fought from May 5-7, 1864, the bloody Battle of the Wilderness, in which no side could claim victory, marked the first stage of a major Union offensive toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, ordered by the newly named Union general-in-chief Ulysses S. Grant in the spring of 1864. battlefields.org/learn/civil-wa…

By early May 1864, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s army group had crossed southward into Georgia and advanced toward Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s army defending Atlanta, a major manufacturing center and railroad hub. Johnston had entrenched, facing west, along Rocky Face Ridge, between the Western & Atlantic Railroad and Dalton. #OnThisDay May 7, 1864, Sherman attacked Johnston’s position, beginning a five-day confrontation between the two sides. By the end of the Battle of Rocky Face Ridge, Johnston had retreated towards Resaca, and the first battle of the Atlanta Campaign had concluded with a Union victory. battlefields.org/learn/civil-wa…

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, join the American Battlefield Trust and Rippon Lodge Historic Site for an inspiring afternoon of family-friendly activities. Commemorate the 250th anniversary of 1776 and the United States' road to independence with learning and hands-on experiences! This event is free, but registration is encouraged for planning purposes. Details below ⬇️ battlefields.org/events/1776-ge…