American Battlefield Trust

As the Civil War got underway, Harriet Tubman traveled to South Carolina to provide badly needed nursing care for black soldiers and newly liberated slaves. Working with General David Hunter, Tubman also began spying and scouting missions behind Confederate lines. In June of 1863, she accompanied Colonel James Montgomery in an assault on several plantations along the Combahee River, rescuing more than 700 slaves. battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

In early 1865, William T. Sherman’s army moved out of Georgia and into the Carolinas, with the goal of destroying railroads and supply lines before joining with Ulysses S. Grant's armies near Richmond. To oppose this action, Confederate President Jefferson Davis tasked Joseph E. Johnston with assembling what remained of Confederate forces in the Western Theater and moving them north to confront Sherman and, hopefully, join Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. However, Johnston's army would never make it to Virginia. Instead, clashed with Sherman at Bentonville, starting #OnThisDay March 19, 1865, resulting in the last large-scale battle of the Civil War.

After her appointment as Superintendent of Army Nurses in June of 1861, Dorothea Lynde Dix began rigorously vetting candidates to become nurses. She required nurses to be between the ages of 35 and 50, and to be “plain-looking.” Nurses were also required to wear long black or brown dresses with no jewelry. For her strict hiring practices and for firing nurses that she did not personally train, she quickly earned the nickname “Dragon Dix.” Although strict, she was recognized for her unfatiguable service. Throughout the Civil War, Dix and her nurses often treated both Union and Confederate soldiers. After the Battle of Gettysburg, Dix and her nurses helped care for approximately 5,000 Confederate soldiers who were left behind. #WomensHistoryMonth Learn more about Dix here: bit.ly/3DDe0wF

Fort Stanwix in Rome, New York, is one of the older forts in American history, seeing action as early as the French & Indian War and into the American Revolution. Explore the fort with Dan Davis!

In spring 1861, Rose O’Neal Greenhow became a Confederate Spy. Living as a socialite in Washington, DC, only four blocks from the White House, put Rose in the prime position to overhear news of the emerging war effort. Through her connection, she had heard that the Union army was consolidating its forces around Manassas, Virginia. With the help of a local young woman, she notified the nearby Confederate forces of this maneuver and helped them defeat Union forces at the First Battle of Manassas. #WomensHistoryMonth Learn more about Rose and her espionage below ⬇️ battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

@outsidemagazine and RE:PUBLIC Lands Media just published their list of America’s Most Endangered Public Lands for 2026, spotlighting the imminent threat the Prince William Digital Gateway poses to Manassas National Battlefield Park. The looming data center project would permanently alter the historic Manassas Battlefield, raising concern from both heritage and environmental advocates. “Outside and RE:PUBLIC have joined the ranks of national groups and local citizens sounding the alarm to this dire threat on an irreplaceable historic landscape,” said American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan. “The inclusion of Manassas National Battlefield Park on their endangered public lands list underscores the catastrophic effect the Prince William Digital Gateway would have on this treasured hallowed ground.” Read more ➡️ battlefields.org/news/data-cent…

She was asleep. Or at least the British soldiers conducting a confidential meeting in Lydia Barrington Darragh’s home believed on December 2, 1777. Instead, Darragh was listening in and secured important information about the British plan to lead a surprise attack against Continental forces at Whitemarsh in two days’ time. The next day, she was able to warn the Patriots of the impending attack and save them from a devastating defeat. When questioned by British soldiers after the battle, Darragh assured them that she was asleep throughout the whole meeting. #WomensHistoryMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

Want to help support bees, butterflies, and other wildlife this spring? Then join the American Battlefield Trust for a volunteer workday this Thursday, March 19, from 10 AM to 1 PM, to help establish a pollinator meadow at the former site of the Gettysburg Military Museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania! To RSVP, please email Mallory Rosenfeld at mrosenfeld@battlefields.org; for more details, check out the link below ⬇️ battlefields.org/events/volunte…

The Battle of Averasboro was fought on the 8,000-acre Smithville Plantation along the Cape Fear River, 20 miles northeast of Fayetteville, North Carolina, #OnThisDay March 16, 19865. On the battlefield, a small museum, visitor center, some monuments, and marked trails interpret the fighting that led to the Battle of Bentonville three days later. battlefields.org/learn/civil-wa…

In the Summer of 1813, as the War of 1812 waged across the United States, Major George Armistead expressed a desire for a flag measuring 30 by 42 ft, made of the “finest quality bunting,” to intimidate any foreign invasion of Baltimore Harbor. Commodore Joshua Barney, a subordinate of Armistead, knew just the person to make such a large and impressive flag: Mary Young Pickersgill. She accepted the job, and her flag flew above Fort McHenry as the Battle of Fort McHenry raged. #WomensHistoryMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

Spring Break is almost here! Join Kate Egner at Yorktown Battlefield as she talks about how you can use The Liberty Trail to plan your upcoming history-filled vacation! Learn more at TheLibertyTrail.org

As the Battle of Bladensburg raged just northeast of Washington, DC, bedlam reigned in the city as people scrambled to secure all of their possessions before the impending arrival of the British. Panic ensued at the Executive Mansion as well. A self-possessed Dolley Madison took control of the situation, her demeanor cracking only with anxiety over the Washington portrait. “Save that picture!" were her orders barked out to those around her. “Save that picture if possible. If not possible, destroy it. Under no circumstances allow it to fall into the hands of the British!” And the painting did not fall into British hands; Dolley was able to successfully orchestrated its removal and safekeeping. #WomensHisotryMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

The previously believed impregnable Fort DeRussy fell to Union forces under Brig. Gen. A. J. Smith #OnThisDay March 14, 1864. This defeat opened up the Red River from New Orleans to Alexandria and led the Union one step closer to its target: Shreveport, the capital city of Confederate Louisiana. Shreveport was not only the headquarters for the Army of the Trans-Mississippi but also a potential gateway for a Union invasion of Confederate Texas. battlefields.org/learn/civil-wa…

Before she was First Lady of the United States, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe supported her husband, James Monroe, in other political roles. In 1794, the family moved to Europe when Monroe became American Minister to France. Arriving at the height of the French Revolution, Elizabeth worked hard to immerse herself in French culture to help increase her husband’s prestige as an ambassador. #WomensHistoryMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

Right now, there is an opportunity to protect 838 acres of sacred battlefield land at Gaines’ Mill–Cold Harbor and White Oak Road — three sites where the nation’s fate once hung in the balance. These important battlefields are prime targets for development — subdivisions, commercial projects, even data centers — permanently erasing landscapes where American soldiers fought, fell and altered the course of history. $431,350 must be raised to secure these irreplaceable tracts. For more than 40 years, the American Battlefield Trust has acted decisively when history was at risk. Thanks to steadfast supporters, preservation efforts have secured: 🔵 More than 1,200 acres at Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor 🔴 963 acres previously saved at White Oak Road 🔵 More than 60,000 acres nationwide Preservation succeeds only when action is taken in time. This is one of those moments. These 838 acres — still bearing surviving earthworks, artillery lunettes, infantry parapets and rifle pits — must not disappear beneath pavement and concrete. With generous support, the unthinkable can be prevented. Learn more and donate today. battlefields.org/give/save-batt…

Rebecca Motte supported the Patriot cause by allowing her plantation to be used in a siege, even offering a bow to set her house on fire, which led to the British surrender at Fort Motte in May 1781. #WomensHistoryMonth thelibertytrail.org/history/biogra…

📣 Calling managers of battlefields and historic sites 📣 If you register your site within the next week for #ParkDay2026, then your site will be listed in the Trust-led national media outreach highlighting this annual volunteer event. Taking place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, Park Day brings together thousands of history enthusiasts, community-minded citizens, families, Boy and Girl Scouts, ROTC units, and more to come together in an effort to help keep our nation’s heritage not only preserved, but pristine. Sign your site up today to be a part of this nationwide event! battlefields.org/parkday

While her husband served as George Washington’s aide-de-camp, Esther de Berdt Reed helped spearhead the Ladies’ Association of Philadelphia and raise money for the Continental Army. Through her efforts, she helped raise $7,000, almost $30,000 in today’s capital, to purchase linen and cloth so volunteers could sew shirts and other clothing for the soldiers. By the end of their effort, the Association had sewn more than 2,000 shirts. #WomensHistoryMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

Not unlike women eighty years later who disguised themselves as men to serve in the Union and Confederate armies of the Civil War, women of the Revolutionary Era also itched to get into the fight. One such woman was Deborah Sampson from Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Serving from spring 1782 until the signing of the Treaty of Paris, she fought with the light infantry Company of the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment under the alias Robert Shurtliff. #WomensHistoryMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

Benjamin West, who died #OnThisDay March 11, 1820, inspired the first generation of early American artists. West worked in the neoclassical style, which emphasized Greek and Roman ideals and became the style of most art produced during and after the Revolutionary War. He created multiple iconic works familiar to us today, including The Death of General Wolfe (1770), William Penn's Treaty with the Indians in 1683 (1772), Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (1816), and the unfinished Treaty of Paris (1783). ➡️ Click through the photos below to view these historical paintings.