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Civil War Preservation Trust News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2009
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth Stern, SVBF, 540-327-7097
Jim Campi, CWPT, 202-367-1861, ext. 7205
Sen. Jim Webb Joins Preservationists to Celebrate Protection
of Third Winchester Battlefield
Ambitious Project Required Cooperative Efforts from SVBF,
CWPT, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Frederick County and the
Federal Government
WINCHESTER, Va. -- Nearly a year after the announcement of an
ambitious effort to protect a landscape that the National Park Service
described as some of the "most sanguinary fields of the Civil
War," representatives of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields
Foundation (SVBF) and Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) gathered
today in Winchester, Va., with government officials and guests to
celebrate the success of that undertaking.
On August 7, 2009, SVBF officially closed on the 209-acre Huntsberry
property, which was part of the bloodied Middle Field during the Third
Battle of Winchester, fought on September 19, 1864. Fighting on
this land was especially fierce -- the Union Army's 19th
Corps suffered devastating losses, with 40 percent of its men and
every one of its regimental commanders either killed or wounded.
Speaking at today's event, U.S. Senator Jim Webb praised the
cooperative nature of the project, citing the importance of Civil War
battlefield preservation to Virginians and all Americans.
"As someone with ancestors who fought on both sides of the
American Civil War, the preservation of these battlefields has
personal significance," said Senator Webb. "The need to
protect our nation's battlefields is far too great for any one
well-intentioned federal program. That's why the partnerships with
groups like the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Shenandoah Valley
Battlefields Foundation are so critical. They are in this fight for
all the right reasons. This partnership truly serves as a model of
bringing all stakeholders to the table to tackle pressing national
issues."
Webb was joined at the podium by Kathleen S. Kilpatrick,
Virginia's Director of Historic Resources, Richard C. Shickle,
chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, Paul Hawke,
program chief of the American Battlefield Protection Program, SVBF
chairman Dr. Irvin E. Hess, CWPT chairman emeritus Theodore Sedgwick
and SVBF executive director W. Denman Zirkle. The involvement of
each group was absolutely critical to the project's successful
completion.
Preservation Made Possible Through Partnership
The $3.35 million purchase price was funded through a partnership
between the Battlefields Foundation and the Civil War Preservation
Trust, together with government grants from the federal, state and
local levels.
The federal Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program, funded by
legislation championed by Senator Webb in Congress, issued a $1.23
million matching grant toward the effort, and a $1 million Virginia
Land Conservation Foundation grant to protect important natural and
historic landscapes was applied to the project. Frederick County
contributed $112,000 from its Historic and Open Space Preservation
Fund, which is supported by proffers from a residential development in
the Third Winchester battlefield study area. Remaining funds had
to be raised by the two nonprofit organizations through private
donations. Preservationists stressed that while they closed on
the land last month, payments remain and fundraising efforts are
ongoing.
Welcoming guests to the event, Zirkle stressed that while the
protection of this land has been a long-standing SVBF goal, the
endeavor would not have been successful without the cooperation of the
various organizations and agencies working in tandem.
"Without tremendous advocates at all levels of government and
stalwart friends in the preservation community, today's
celebration would not have been possible," he said.
The county's Shickle concurred, saying "Frederick County
has many historic resources of national significance. We
acknowledge that it is our duty to be thoughtful stewards of these
resources, and the county is proud to have been a part of this
preservation effort."
Connecting Already Preserved Battlefield Areas
Protection of this property at the heart of the Third Winchester
battlefield is particularly significant since it links areas
previously protected by the Battlefields Foundation and CWPT.
Its addition to the existing preserved landscape creates a 567-acre
battlefield park that stretches from Interstate 81 in the west to
Millbrook High School in the east.
"The landscape that has been preserved here at Third Winchester
is irreplaceable," said Hawke, who administers the American
Battlefield Preservation Program, an arm of the Park Service
responsible for issuing federal matching grants for historic
preservation. "This land retains enough of its historic
character that the men who fought here almost exactly 145 years ago
today would recognize its features. It is an unparalleled
resource for understanding the battle's history."
CWPT's Sedgwick was enthusiastic about the additional public
interpretation opportunities that the newly preserved acreage
provides. "Since 2007, when we opened a five-mile
educational walking and biking trail on our adjacent property, the
Third Winchester battlefield has become a tremendous resource for the
surrounding community. I look forward to working cooperatively
with our partners at the Battlefields Foundation to expand our
understanding of this battlefield through study, and to create one
seamless battlefield park."
Dr. Hess, chairman of SVBF pointed out that the protection of the
Huntsberry property went a long way toward completing the preservation
puzzle at Third Winchester. "This land is the largest
remaining undisturbed portion of the battlefield," he
said. "Now that it is protected, Third Winchester is ready
to become a genuine destination for heritage travelers eager to better
understand American history."
Virginia's Ongoing Efforts to Protect Civil War Battlefield
Resources
While acknowledging that the preservation ceremony was scheduled to
coincide with the battle's 145th anniversary tomorrow,
Kilpatrick also looked toward the future, when our nation will
commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. "There
is no time more appropriate to encourage the study of the American
Civil War than during this significant period," she said.
"And there is no place more appropriate to do so than on the
battlefields themselves, which provide a deeper level of understanding
than any book or museum exhibit can hope to. While today is
indeed a celebration, it is also a reminder that our work is not
complete. Other landscapes, no less hallowed than this one, still
deserve our attention."
Senator Webb agreed, declaring, "No state is richer in
significant historic Civil War-era landmarks than Virginia, and I am
proud of the work that the Commonwealth has undertaken to safeguard
its heritage. Our time to protect these sites is limited. I will
continue my efforts in Congress to ensure such historic landscapes are
preserved for future generations."
At Third Winchester, intense fighting raged across an area covering
almost eight square miles. Of these nearly 5,000 acres of core
battlefield, only 830 are permanently protected. Throughout the
Shenandoah Valley, more than 16,000 acres of battlefield land are
vulnerable to development, and similar situations exist elsewhere in
Virginia and across the country.
Preservation Fits with Landowner Legacy
The land's previous owner, the Huntsberry family, has roots in
the Shenandoah Valley stretching back centuries. The property
was originally granted to ancestor Jacob Huntsbarger by Lord Fairfax
in 1762. Civil War-era maps clearly show the Huntsberry House as
a battlefield landmark, and the building's remains can sill be
found on the property today.
Bob Huntsberry, a co-manager of his great-grandfather C.E.
Huntsberry's estate, which sold the property to preservationist
interests, fondly remembered childhood summers spent on the
land. "This is an important place for my family--and
growing up, we knew that it was historically important, too," he
said last year, when the preservation initiative was announced.
"We felt pretty strongly that it needed to be preserved so we
are very happy that it will end up in good hands and that people will
someday be able to come and learn about what happened here."
Third Battle of Winchester
The Third Battle of Winchester, or Opequon, was a significant action
of Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's devastating Shenandoah
Campaign--which ultimately decimated the Valley's
agricultural bounty when farms as far south as Staunton were put to
the torch. More than 54,000 troops were engaged in the battle,
including two future Presidents -- Rutherford B. Hayes and
William McKinley.
In the early morning hours of September 19, 1864, Sheridan's
troops marched west from encampments around Berryville, ultimately
stacking up in the Berryville Canyon along the modern-day alignment of
eastbound Va. Route 7. The traffic jam created by slow-moving
supply wagons delayed the deployment of the Federal army east of
Winchester and foiled Sheridan's plan to surprise and wrest the
city from Gen. Jubal Early's Confederates.
As Early moved troops south from Stephenson's Depot to meet the
Union attack, Sheridan sent portions of his army north of the
Berryville Pike (Va. Route 7) to confront the southerners'
movement. The ensuing fighting at First Woods, Middle Field and
Second Woods along Redbud Run--including the Huntsberry
property--was fierce, close, and devastating. Nearly 1,500
men were killed or wounded in this area alone and one soldier
remembered the area as "that basin of Hell."
In the 1992 National Park Service Study of Civil War Sites in the
Shenandoah Valley, historian David W. Lowe wrote, "Third
Winchester was the largest and most desperately contested battle of
the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley, resulting in more than 9,000
casualties. The Union 19th Corps sustained 40 percent casualties
(2,074 men) and lost every regimental commander during its assaults on
the Middle Field and Second Woods...The Middle Field ranks with
some of the most sanguinary fields of the Civil War, witnessing more
than 3,000 casualties."
Future Benefits of Preservation
Containing almost a half-mile of Redbud Run, a tributary of Opequon
Creek and, in turn, the Potomac River, the property also has
ecological significance. Protecting its sloping, forested banks
will enhance water quality at the site and in downstream watersheds,
including Chesapeake Bay.
The newly preserved property will remain in agricultural use while
archaeological and cultural resource studies are conducted.
Eventually, the land will be interpreted and fully opened to
visitors.
--------------------------------
View a map of the Huntsberry Property
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=yHCgOo9tld3kJS6hZQg1EQ..
Office of Senator Jim Webb
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=bvhSKBUbRspqCmppUlnIAQ..
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=C-9LVoz-sihY8mg43tWXaw..
American Battlefield Protection Program
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=sq9JA0GwuYJWvBxcy_63DA..
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=2HReAaslPTlKIagM-wAL4g..
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=NmupEJHX0fwWVG6r_mU5wQ..
1992 NPS study of the Third Battle of Winchester
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=v_vt2x1HhVPVpw-CoS1crg..
--------------------------------
About the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation (SVBF)
Created by Congress in 1996, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields
National Historic District encompasses Augusta, Clarke, Frederick,
Highland, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties in
Virginia and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and
Winchester. As authorized by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior,
the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation serves as the non-profit
manager of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic
District, partnering with local, regional, and national organizations
and governments to preserve the Valley's battlefields and
interpret and promote the region's Civil War story. The
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields website is located at
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=rmduAD9cVsUM25NhiO8-0Q.. .
About the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT)
With 55,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield
preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is
to preserve our nation's remaining Civil War battlefields and to
promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds through education and
heritage tourism. Since 1987, the organization has helped save
more than 28,000 acres of battlefield land, including nearly 1,000
acres in historic Frederick County, Virginia. In 2007, CWPT
opened a popular walking and biking trail on its 222-acre Third
Winchester property. The CWPT website is located at
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=xGqpcLaGfOdxkNv8t2ZIjw.. .
For information about making a tax-deductible donation to this
project, please contact Tom Robinson at the Shenandoah Valley
Battlefields Foundation at 540-740-4545 x204 or David Duncan of the
Civil War Preservation Trust at 202-367-1861 ext. 202.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2009
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth Stern, SVBF, 540-327-7097
Jim Campi, CWPT, 202-367-1861, ext. 7205
Sen. Jim Webb Joins Preservationists to Celebrate Protection
of Third Winchester Battlefield
Ambitious Project Required Cooperative Efforts from SVBF,
CWPT, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Frederick County and the
Federal Government
WINCHESTER, Va. -- Nearly a year after the announcement of an
ambitious effort to protect a landscape that the National Park Service
described as some of the "most sanguinary fields of the Civil
War," representatives of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields
Foundation (SVBF) and Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) gathered
today in Winchester, Va., with government officials and guests to
celebrate the success of that undertaking.
On August 7, 2009, SVBF officially closed on the 209-acre Huntsberry
property, which was part of the bloodied Middle Field during the Third
Battle of Winchester, fought on September 19, 1864. Fighting on
this land was especially fierce -- the Union Army's 19th
Corps suffered devastating losses, with 40 percent of its men and
every one of its regimental commanders either killed or wounded.
Speaking at today's event, U.S. Senator Jim Webb praised the
cooperative nature of the project, citing the importance of Civil War
battlefield preservation to Virginians and all Americans.
"As someone with ancestors who fought on both sides of the
American Civil War, the preservation of these battlefields has
personal significance," said Senator Webb. "The need to
protect our nation's battlefields is far too great for any one
well-intentioned federal program. That's why the partnerships with
groups like the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Shenandoah Valley
Battlefields Foundation are so critical. They are in this fight for
all the right reasons. This partnership truly serves as a model of
bringing all stakeholders to the table to tackle pressing national
issues."
Webb was joined at the podium by Kathleen S. Kilpatrick,
Virginia's Director of Historic Resources, Richard C. Shickle,
chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, Paul Hawke,
program chief of the American Battlefield Protection Program, SVBF
chairman Dr. Irvin E. Hess, CWPT chairman emeritus Theodore Sedgwick
and SVBF executive director W. Denman Zirkle. The involvement of
each group was absolutely critical to the project's successful
completion.
Preservation Made Possible Through Partnership
The $3.35 million purchase price was funded through a partnership
between the Battlefields Foundation and the Civil War Preservation
Trust, together with government grants from the federal, state and
local levels.
The federal Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program, funded by
legislation championed by Senator Webb in Congress, issued a $1.23
million matching grant toward the effort, and a $1 million Virginia
Land Conservation Foundation grant to protect important natural and
historic landscapes was applied to the project. Frederick County
contributed $112,000 from its Historic and Open Space Preservation
Fund, which is supported by proffers from a residential development in
the Third Winchester battlefield study area. Remaining funds had
to be raised by the two nonprofit organizations through private
donations. Preservationists stressed that while they closed on
the land last month, payments remain and fundraising efforts are
ongoing.
Welcoming guests to the event, Zirkle stressed that while the
protection of this land has been a long-standing SVBF goal, the
endeavor would not have been successful without the cooperation of the
various organizations and agencies working in tandem.
"Without tremendous advocates at all levels of government and
stalwart friends in the preservation community, today's
celebration would not have been possible," he said.
The county's Shickle concurred, saying "Frederick County
has many historic resources of national significance. We
acknowledge that it is our duty to be thoughtful stewards of these
resources, and the county is proud to have been a part of this
preservation effort."
Connecting Already Preserved Battlefield Areas
Protection of this property at the heart of the Third Winchester
battlefield is particularly significant since it links areas
previously protected by the Battlefields Foundation and CWPT.
Its addition to the existing preserved landscape creates a 567-acre
battlefield park that stretches from Interstate 81 in the west to
Millbrook High School in the east.
"The landscape that has been preserved here at Third Winchester
is irreplaceable," said Hawke, who administers the American
Battlefield Preservation Program, an arm of the Park Service
responsible for issuing federal matching grants for historic
preservation. "This land retains enough of its historic
character that the men who fought here almost exactly 145 years ago
today would recognize its features. It is an unparalleled
resource for understanding the battle's history."
CWPT's Sedgwick was enthusiastic about the additional public
interpretation opportunities that the newly preserved acreage
provides. "Since 2007, when we opened a five-mile
educational walking and biking trail on our adjacent property, the
Third Winchester battlefield has become a tremendous resource for the
surrounding community. I look forward to working cooperatively
with our partners at the Battlefields Foundation to expand our
understanding of this battlefield through study, and to create one
seamless battlefield park."
Dr. Hess, chairman of SVBF pointed out that the protection of the
Huntsberry property went a long way toward completing the preservation
puzzle at Third Winchester. "This land is the largest
remaining undisturbed portion of the battlefield," he
said. "Now that it is protected, Third Winchester is ready
to become a genuine destination for heritage travelers eager to better
understand American history."
Virginia's Ongoing Efforts to Protect Civil War Battlefield
Resources
While acknowledging that the preservation ceremony was scheduled to
coincide with the battle's 145th anniversary tomorrow,
Kilpatrick also looked toward the future, when our nation will
commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. "There
is no time more appropriate to encourage the study of the American
Civil War than during this significant period," she said.
"And there is no place more appropriate to do so than on the
battlefields themselves, which provide a deeper level of understanding
than any book or museum exhibit can hope to. While today is
indeed a celebration, it is also a reminder that our work is not
complete. Other landscapes, no less hallowed than this one, still
deserve our attention."
Senator Webb agreed, declaring, "No state is richer in
significant historic Civil War-era landmarks than Virginia, and I am
proud of the work that the Commonwealth has undertaken to safeguard
its heritage. Our time to protect these sites is limited. I will
continue my efforts in Congress to ensure such historic landscapes are
preserved for future generations."
At Third Winchester, intense fighting raged across an area covering
almost eight square miles. Of these nearly 5,000 acres of core
battlefield, only 830 are permanently protected. Throughout the
Shenandoah Valley, more than 16,000 acres of battlefield land are
vulnerable to development, and similar situations exist elsewhere in
Virginia and across the country.
Preservation Fits with Landowner Legacy
The land's previous owner, the Huntsberry family, has roots in
the Shenandoah Valley stretching back centuries. The property
was originally granted to ancestor Jacob Huntsbarger by Lord Fairfax
in 1762. Civil War-era maps clearly show the Huntsberry House as
a battlefield landmark, and the building's remains can sill be
found on the property today.
Bob Huntsberry, a co-manager of his great-grandfather C.E.
Huntsberry's estate, which sold the property to preservationist
interests, fondly remembered childhood summers spent on the
land. "This is an important place for my family--and
growing up, we knew that it was historically important, too," he
said last year, when the preservation initiative was announced.
"We felt pretty strongly that it needed to be preserved so we
are very happy that it will end up in good hands and that people will
someday be able to come and learn about what happened here."
Third Battle of Winchester
The Third Battle of Winchester, or Opequon, was a significant action
of Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's devastating Shenandoah
Campaign--which ultimately decimated the Valley's
agricultural bounty when farms as far south as Staunton were put to
the torch. More than 54,000 troops were engaged in the battle,
including two future Presidents -- Rutherford B. Hayes and
William McKinley.
In the early morning hours of September 19, 1864, Sheridan's
troops marched west from encampments around Berryville, ultimately
stacking up in the Berryville Canyon along the modern-day alignment of
eastbound Va. Route 7. The traffic jam created by slow-moving
supply wagons delayed the deployment of the Federal army east of
Winchester and foiled Sheridan's plan to surprise and wrest the
city from Gen. Jubal Early's Confederates.
As Early moved troops south from Stephenson's Depot to meet the
Union attack, Sheridan sent portions of his army north of the
Berryville Pike (Va. Route 7) to confront the southerners'
movement. The ensuing fighting at First Woods, Middle Field and
Second Woods along Redbud Run--including the Huntsberry
property--was fierce, close, and devastating. Nearly 1,500
men were killed or wounded in this area alone and one soldier
remembered the area as "that basin of Hell."
In the 1992 National Park Service Study of Civil War Sites in the
Shenandoah Valley, historian David W. Lowe wrote, "Third
Winchester was the largest and most desperately contested battle of
the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley, resulting in more than 9,000
casualties. The Union 19th Corps sustained 40 percent casualties
(2,074 men) and lost every regimental commander during its assaults on
the Middle Field and Second Woods...The Middle Field ranks with
some of the most sanguinary fields of the Civil War, witnessing more
than 3,000 casualties."
Future Benefits of Preservation
Containing almost a half-mile of Redbud Run, a tributary of Opequon
Creek and, in turn, the Potomac River, the property also has
ecological significance. Protecting its sloping, forested banks
will enhance water quality at the site and in downstream watersheds,
including Chesapeake Bay.
The newly preserved property will remain in agricultural use while
archaeological and cultural resource studies are conducted.
Eventually, the land will be interpreted and fully opened to
visitors.
--------------------------------
View a map of the Huntsberry Property
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=yHCgOo9tld3kJS6hZQg1EQ..
Office of Senator Jim Webb
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=bvhSKBUbRspqCmppUlnIAQ..
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=C-9LVoz-sihY8mg43tWXaw..
American Battlefield Protection Program
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=sq9JA0GwuYJWvBxcy_63DA..
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=2HReAaslPTlKIagM-wAL4g..
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=NmupEJHX0fwWVG6r_mU5wQ..
1992 NPS study of the Third Battle of Winchester
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=v_vt2x1HhVPVpw-CoS1crg..
--------------------------------
About the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation (SVBF)
Created by Congress in 1996, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields
National Historic District encompasses Augusta, Clarke, Frederick,
Highland, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties in
Virginia and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and
Winchester. As authorized by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior,
the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation serves as the non-profit
manager of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic
District, partnering with local, regional, and national organizations
and governments to preserve the Valley's battlefields and
interpret and promote the region's Civil War story. The
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields website is located at
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=rmduAD9cVsUM25NhiO8-0Q.. .
About the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT)
With 55,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield
preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is
to preserve our nation's remaining Civil War battlefields and to
promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds through education and
heritage tourism. Since 1987, the organization has helped save
more than 28,000 acres of battlefield land, including nearly 1,000
acres in historic Frederick County, Virginia. In 2007, CWPT
opened a popular walking and biking trail on its 222-acre Third
Winchester property. The CWPT website is located at
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=xGqpcLaGfOdxkNv8t2ZIjw.. .
For information about making a tax-deductible donation to this
project, please contact Tom Robinson at the Shenandoah Valley
Battlefields Foundation at 540-740-4545 x204 or David Duncan of the
Civil War Preservation Trust at 202-367-1861 ext. 202.
###
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