Shepherdstown update

[dusty27]

Battlefield site to be preserved
By LAUREN HOUGH / Journal Staff Writer

http://www.journal-news.net/News/articles.asp?articleID=5644

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Local preservationists are about one-third of the way toward their goal of saving a significant portion of the Shepherdstown Battlefield for future generations.

On Friday, conservation easements through the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board were established on 59 acres of the nearly 300-acre piece of history, located east of Trough Road along the Potomac River.

“We’re trying to save what amounts to half the battlefield,” said Ed Dunleavy, president of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association.

The group’s effort is focused on saving the land where most of the 1862 Battle of Shepherdstown took place — land that has remained relatively pristine, Dunleavy said.

According to information provided by Grant Smith, president of the Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle, Miriam Ellis signed easement papers on her 37-acre farm, while Lew Pamplin and Dianna Mills signed off on 22 acres of property they own.

The land under easement remains in the hands of its owners, but is permanently protected from future development, according to Smith.

The National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program and the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board funded the easements, with the assistance of the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association.

The easements placed on Friday are located right in the core of the battlefield, Dunleavy said.

Though a significant amount of the action likely occurred on the 22 acres, the recent easements are no more or less important than other acreage at the site, said Dunleavy, who has been working on preservation efforts for more than two years.

In addition to efforts made by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., to include the battlefield site as a part of an existing national park, several grants have also helped contribute to the cause.

This summer, $100,000 in federal money was earmarked for the purchase of land at the battlefield site.

According to Smith, Friday’s easements brought to 1,800 acres, the amount of land protected by the Land Trust in the three counties of the Eastern Panhandle, with 1,232 acres protected by the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board. Included in both totals are 325 acres of historic properties.

All three easement donors are members of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association, according to Dunleavy.

“They’re supportive of what we’re trying to do,” he said.

— Staff writer Lauren Hough can be reached at 263-8931, ext. 163, or at lhough@journal-news.net

[Beaner]

Re: Shepherdstown update

This is outstanding! Do you know where we can donate to their efforts? I maintain the 4th Michigan.com and would love to set a link on the site for people to donate to the fund. The 4th fought at Shepardstown.

Dave Prince
a.k.a Sam Billingsley
4th Tx. Co. E

[dusty27]

Re: Shepherdstown update

http://www.battleofshepherdstown.org/

[Dignann]

Re: Shepherdstown update

Battlefield preservation journey offers plenty of tales

by DAVE McMILLION

The Herald-Mail
March 12, 2007

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - If nothing else, the effort to save the site of the Battle of Shepherdstown is turning up interesting stories.

Some Jefferson County residents began discussing the idea of establishing a park to save the Civil War battlefield off Trough Road east of Shepherdstown after a controversial proposal to build 152 homes on 112 acres.

Far Away Farm LLC's proposal to build the homes generated opposition from several residents and preservation groups who say the site was part of the Battle of Shepherdstown.

After winding through a long county regulatory process, members of the Jefferson County Zoning Board of Appeals turned down a conditional-use permit for the development, saying it was not compatible with the area where it was going to be built.

The asking price for the property at one time was $3.6 million.

The developers are appealing the decision through the state Supreme Court, according to officials trying to save the site from development.

Meanwhile, members of the local organization trying to save the battlefield, the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association LLC, have been raising money in an attempt to purchase the site. Group members also have been working to obtain protective easements from private property owners in the area to protect land in and around the battlefield.

Ed Dunleavy, president of the organization, and his wife, Carol, secretary of the group, have been digging up historical accounts of the Battle of Shepherdstown.

The Battle of Shepherdstown took place Sept. 19 and 20, 1862.

After the Battle of Antietam, Gen. Robert E. Lee began to pull his Army of Northern Virginia back across the Potomac River, crossing at Pack Horse Ford.

There were various northern and southern troop movements in the Trough Road area after Lee pulled his army back across the Potomac River and on Sept. 20, the sides clashed in open fields around the Far Away Farm property, Dunleavy said.

Members of the 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers realized that their guns were defective and were unable to fire at the Confederates.

Many of the Pennsylvanians fled in panic and jumped to their deaths over high rock bluffs along the Potomac River near Pack Horse Ford, Dunleavy said.

Pursuing Confederates shot many Union soldiers as they crossed the Potomac River and 63 members of the 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers were killed and 101 were wounded.

Confederate dead totaled 33 and 252 were wounded.

Dunleavy and his wife have been able to find historic documentation of the Battle of Shepherdstown, including an account from Union Capt. Frank Donaldson.

The Dunleavys discovered that Donaldson wrote a 25-page letter about the battle and the letter is being kept at the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia.

The couple visited the museum about two weeks ago and obtain copies of excerpts from the letter.

Some of Donaldson's account of the battle also is contained in the book, "Inside the Army of the Potomac. The Civil War Experience of Captain Francis Adam Donaldson."

While Donaldson was fleeing from Confederate forces, he recounted what he saw as he waded through the waters of the Potomac River in the area of Pack Horse Ford.

"I shall never forget the scene as I worked my way across the dreadful causeway. The bullets struck all around me, men were shot in various places of the body, some falling, others again staggering and struggling to make the other side," Donaldson wrote.

Donaldson also recalled coming upon a fellow soldier about halfway across the river. Donaldson said the man grabbed hold of Donaldson's overcoat and called out, "Help me Captain, for God's sake don't leave me here."

Donaldson wrote that the man "reached the presence of the Great Commander" by the time he made it out of the river.

Dunleavy said he has found that there is not a lot of focus on the Battle of Shepherdstown.

After the Battle of Antietam, the nearby Civil War action "gets lost in the sauce. That's one of the things that's surprising to me," Dunleavy said.

A two-story brick house and barn were on the Far Away Farm site during the battle in 1862 and the structures still stand.

Dunleavy said he knows a relic hunter who has searched the battlefield area many times and has found more than 10,000 items including ordinance, buttons and a wax seal used for envelopes.

Dunleavy said he believes the house would be a good site for a museum to educate the public about the battle.

Dunleavy said his organization has collected $125,000 toward the purchase of Far Away Farm and hopes to raise another $312,500 soon.

Last Thursday, Dunleavy asked the Jefferson County Commission for a little more than $1.1 million to help purchase Far Away Farm.

The commissioners did not make any decision on the request.

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=160731&format=html

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Shepherdstown update

Sen. Byrd offers bill to study site of Civil War battle

By DAVE McMILLION

The Herald-Mail [Hagerstown, Md.]
September 13, 2007

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd said Wednesday that he has introduced legislation asking the National Park Service to study the site of the Battle of Shepherdstown to determine the national significance of the property.

The work will help determine if the Civil War battlefield should be declared a National Civil War Battlefield and whether it should be made part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park or Antietam National Battlefield, according to a news release from Byrd's office.

Some Jefferson County residents began discussing the idea of establishing a park to save the battlefield off Trough Road east of Shepherdstown following a controversial proposal to build 152 homes on 112 acres.

Far Away Farm LLC's proposal to build the homes generated opposition from several residents and preservation groups who say the site was part of the Battle of Shepherdstown.

After winding through a long county regulatory process, members of the Jefferson County Zoning Board of Appeals turned down a conditional-use permit for the development, saying it was not compatible with the area where it was going to be built.

The asking price for the property at one time was $3.6 million.

The developers are appealing the decision through the state Supreme Court, according to officials trying to save the site from development.

Members of Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association Inc., a local organization that is trying to save the battlefield, have been raising money in an attempt to purchase the site and have raised $125,000.

The group was working to obtain a $250,000 state grant, but that was not approved due to a problem at the Jefferson County government level, said Ed Dunleavy, president of the group.

Discussion about the battlefield is on today's agenda for the Jefferson County Commission.

Dunleavy said Wednesday that determining the national significance of the battlefield is straightforward because that is documented.

If that is successful, the next steps would be congressional approval to enlarge either Harpers Ferry National Historical Park or Antietam National Battlefield to take in the site and obtaining funding to purchase it, Dunleavy said.

Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association would hopefully sell it to the federal government if it can purchase it, Dunleavy said.

"We're looking at still another two or three years (of work)," Dunleavy said.

The battle fought in Shepherdstown on Sept. 19 and 20, 1862, brought to an end the Army of Northern Virginia's Maryland Campaign and was a significant factor in Gen. Robert E. Lee's decision to retreat deeper into the Shenandoah Valley, according to Byrd's office.

There were various northern and southern troop movements in the Trough Road area after Lee pulled his army back across the Potomac River and on Sept. 20, the two sides clashed in open fields around the Far Away Farm property, Dunleavy has said.

At least 96 soldiers were killed.

"West Virginia is home to many great landmarks that are a significant part of our nation's history. I am pleased to be working with the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association to help initiate this National Park Service study," Byrd, D-W.Va., said in the release.

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=174649&format=html

Eric

[Charles Heath]

Re: Shepherdstown update

Donaldson's letters in that book are an excellent read in their own right, and I'd like to point out that this was the second fight he had seen where the federals had their backs to a bluff overlooking the Potomac River. He was also at Ball's Bluff and mentions this deja vu experience, which makes it into the book. The bluffs at Shepherdstown are simply staggering in comparison, and when the leaves are off the trees, the view is even more impressive.

[Clsinclair]

Re: Shepherdstown update

Ed Dunleavy, president of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association allowed about 60 of us to use his property to set up a campaign camp last Thursday night when members of the Palmetto Battalion and the 26th NC marched from Harpers Ferry to Burnside bridge. Temps reached 96 degrees and the camping area was a great relief after about 10 miles of marching. Mr. Dunleavy brought some of his supporters to view us as rations were being issued. Bruce Blackmon headed up the march. We were told that we camped on part of the actual battlefield. Had we tried to push it to Burnside Bridge on Thursday many of our members would have met the same fate as many of A.P. Hill's men. About 2,000 of his men dropped out due to the heat and fatique.

Claude Sinclair

[ContinentalMorganGuard]

Re: Shepherdstown update

Most support saving site
A public hearing discusses the possible commitment of county funds toward preserving the Shepherdstown Battlefield

By BOB ZIMBEROFF/JOURNAL STAFF WRITER POSTED: October 31, 2007


CHARLES TOWN — Most agreed during a Tuesday public hearing that preserving the Shepherdstown Battlefield is essential to Jefferson County.

The Jefferson County Commission might commit $100,000 of county funds to the preservation effort and offered the public an opportunity to speak on the notion Tuesday night in the lower level meeting room of the Old Charles Town Library. Of the 15 people who spoke before the commission, only one disagreed with the possible commitment of funds.

Many representatives of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association spoke in favor of the commission’s possible action.

“We have a unique opportunity to save a Civil War site,” said Sara Smith, a county resident. “Now we’re asking you to help us.”

Roughly 9,000 troops fought in the battle in September 1862 and about 640 were killed, wounded or missing. The Battle of Shepherdstown closed the fighting of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign, which climaxed at Antietam.

The SBPA aims to preserve 300 acres that are viewed as the key part of the battlefield. The group says that much of the land near the Potomac River is threatened by development.

“I look at the property as I come out Trough Road from the river,” Mike Nickerson said. “I view the bluffs in a very spiritual way. ... I see a future of that site in a way that can reflect (the values of those who fought and died there). ”

Nickerson said if the land is preserved, he envisions tourist groups coming to the area and bringing revenue to Jefferson County.

Most who spoke in favor of the county’s commitment of funds argued that besides preserving history, the land would preserve greenspace for future generations and bring in tourists.

However, Joe Coakley spoke against the commitment of funds.

“I am here to question the wisdom of giving money to the Shepherdstown Battlefield ...,” Coakley said. “The commission should think long and hard before making any more such commitments.”

Coakley mentioned that the commission had set aside money to create recreational areas in the past, but has not seen any results from that effort.

Delegate Bob Tabb, D-Jefferson, echoed similar sentiments while not disagreeing with the preservation.

“You have a responsibility as well as I do to take care of the needs before assessing the wants,” Tabb said, explaining that much of the land in the county is historic in some way. “... I wouldn’t be opposed to putting this on a ballot. Let all the citizens decide if they want to increase their taxes to pay for this.”

Tabb said he spoke as a taxpayer and a citizen of Jefferson County. He said that if the measure is put on a ballot and the majority of the citizens vote in favor of the commitment of funds, then he would not disagree.

County commissioners agreed that the measure is an important opportunity and also a matter of timeliness.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Commissioner Rusty Morgan said. “I don’t want our children to criticize us for passing this up.”

Commissioner Dale Manuel said the historic value of the property is important, but questioned the amount of money that should be committed.

“It doesn’t appear to me that the amount of money would be as important as the support shown from the county,” Manuel said. “... It probably would be prudent of us to look into a lesser amount.”



— Staff writer Bob Zimberoff can be reached at (304) 725-6581, or by e-mail at rzimberoff@journal-news.net

[L. E. Prillaman]

Re: Shepherdstown update

Gentleman, I am from the same county as Shepherdstown. I went to school in Shepherdstown for a number of years and having grown up in the area I can tell you that most of the politicians on most levels are quite crooked or downright apathetic. Jefferson Co. where Shepherdstown is located is, I feel, the next Loudoun County (as in Virginia) and I can assure that if this issue is finally getting press it is probably more dire than they are letting on. My family has known Bob Tabb's family for years. His kids and I went to 4H camp together through most of our youth. He is a good guy but I can promise you that within the political realm, he is far more concerned with votes than the well being of historic ground. Not sure what point I'm trying to drive here, just thought y'all might like hearing from a local on this issue. Anyone else out there from the Jefferson Co. area?

Lars Prillaman (Liberty Rifles)