American Battlefield Trust

The American Battlefield Trust's mission is to preserve America's endangered Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War battlefields. The Trust also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the wars' history and the fundamental conflicts that sparked it.

Each year the Trust saves thousands of acres of hallowed ground where soldiers fought and died during the American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War. Once we save the land it will be preserved in perpetuity because we put easements on all property we save, and generally we turn the land over to a responsible long-term steward such as the National Park Service. We also work to protect battlefield land that is saved, but may be threatened by nearby development pressures such as a big box store or casino that would be detrimental to hallowed nature of the battlefield. In April 2022, we made a public pledge to save 2,500 acres of Revolutionary War battlefields to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of that conflict, and proceeded to make progress through fundraising campaigns, acquisitions and land transfers.

In addition to preserving battlefield land, the Trust conducts programs designed to inform the public about the events and consequences of the wars, foster an understanding of the need for preservation, and create a personal connection to the past. The goal of our education program is to assist teachers across the country so they can make their lessons about American history more engaging and informative for their students.

To preserve battlefield land, the Trust works with willing landowners to purchase their property at fair market value. In order to determine what to buy and what preservation strategy best suits the project we first consult with the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report (“CWSAC"). The CWSAC Report was completed in 1993 by a 15-member Commission established by Congress to identify the most historically significant Civil War sites. Out of the nearly 10,000 battles and skirmishes of the war the report identified 384 principle battlefields worthy of preservation. For Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields, we consult the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) 2007 Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Historic Preservation Study.

Once the American Battlefield Trust determines whether a prospective property is listed as a CWSAC eligible site, we utilize our Geographic Information System (“GIS") computerized mapping capabilities to locate the potential property in relation to the historic landscape. If a property is within the recognized boundary of a CWSAC eligible battlefield we must next determine how best to preserve the property. Generally, the Trust either purchases a permanent conservation easement or purchases the property outright in order to preserve the integrity of the land.

The Trust has been one of the most successful non-profit organizations in America in securing federal, state, local and private matching funds to save battlefields. We then multiply those funds with money raised from our members around the world to raise the money needed to preserve these historic parcels of land.

Our education department reaches out to teachers, students, and the public by creating first-rate content on our website, interpretive signage, classroom resources, and on a suite of exciting technological educational tools.

When we need to stand up to developers and other pressures that would negatively affect battlefields, we work closely with lawmakers and the local community through grassroots efforts to ensure nothing is done to damage the hallowed nature of the battlefield.

Since 1987 the American Battlefield Trust and its predecessor organizations have saved more than 55,000 acres of significant battlefield land in 23 states. This makes the Trust the most effective and successful land heritage preservation organization in the country. We have successfully pulled together federal and state funds, as well as significant donations from our membership base of 50,000 members. This membership base is so generous that they provide the support we need to successfully save the land we have identified as significant that has come on the market.

Our education program has the capacity to create numerous new educational resources that teachers, students, and the public can access from our website. We have expanded this suite of offerings in the last few years, and have created new resources such as our Battle Apps, Animated Maps, and Battlefield 360 offerings. We work with the best historians and experts to have excellent material in these resources.

The American Battlefield Trust has saved more than 55,000 acres of Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War battlefield land. This number will continue to grow each year as we preserve more acres using our preservation methods. There are still many parcels of privately owned land that we would like to eventually save, and we will work to save them once they become available.

In 2022, the organization recorded its 24th consecutive year saving more than 1,000 acres of hallowed ground, even as it fought to combat a rising tide of modern threats to historic landscapes. Working closely with landowners and preservation partners during 2022, the Trust completed 30 transactions at 23 battlefields in 11 states, amounting to more than 1,281 acres.

Beyond land acquisition, public education is a critical part of the Trust’s mission, whether in the form of classroom resources, on-site interpretation or, increasingly, digital content. The Trust has demonstrated its ability to tell stories gleaned from these historic landscapes through vast video production, which has attracted an impressive audience. In 2022 alone, our Youtube channel amassed more than 50 million views and attracted 172,000 new subscribers, making for a total of 350,000 followers on that social platform alone and generating impactful revenue to contribute to our mission. Bringing viewers to the battlefield, the Trust team set out to provide anniversary coverage at Gettysburg, Antietam and Fredericksburg, creating 40 videos that have since gathered more than 1.37 million views.

In March, we launched the Medal of Honor Valor Trail™ alongside the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, to put a spotlight on the places most closely connected with Medal of Honor recipients, in person and online. Of these digital efforts, an innovative map debuted, allowing users to virtually follow in the footsteps of recipients by plotting more than 3,500 citation locations on a global map. Meanwhile, as visitors stepped foot on hallowed ground maintained by the Trust, they found new informative signage at more than seven locations.

Instilling an understanding of the nation’s first 100 conflict-filled years within the future leaders of tomorrow, the Trust worked with classrooms in mind, providing resources to some 16 million students and teachers. While the organization’s Virtual and In-person Teacher Institutes professionally developed some 900 educators from nearly every state plus five countries, the Traveling Trunk program journeyed to 78 schools in 35 states, engaging approximately 13,800 students.