No matter, in 40 years all battlefield parks will be paved over anyway. Our citizens will all know what rock and rap bands were popular throughout history, but will have no idea that important wars were ever fought on our soil ... let alone be interested in preserving the fields.
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
WASHINGTON D.C.
President Bush Signs Battlefield Preservation Bill
On Tuesday, December 17, President George W. Bush signed into law the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2002. The bill authorizes $50 million for the protection of historic Civil War battlefields outside the National Park Service.
"The enactment of this legislation marks an important turning point in the fight to save Civil War battlefields," remarked Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) President James Lighthizer. "This law will help preserve thousands of hallowed battlegrounds that would have otherwise been lost to sprawl."
The Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act officially authorizes a matching grant program funded by Congress in the fiscal years 1999 and 2002. Since its creation, the program has helped protect nearly 8,000 acres of historic battlefield land in 12 states. In the past year alone, the program has helped save historic property at Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Antietam, Maryland; Chancellorsville, Virginia; and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
CWPT played a key role in getting the legislation enacted. The organization worked closely with Congressmen Gary Miller (R-Calif.) and George Radanovich (R-Calif.); Senators Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and James Jeffords (I-Vt.); and 15 other cosponsors of the bill. CWPT wishes to thank these lawmakers for their dedication to protecting America's Civil War heritage.