Eleven Civil War Sites Receive Grants

The National Park Service has included 11 Civil War sites in its 2009 battlefield protection grants program, according to an announcement late Monday. The program is administered by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

One of the largest grants--$61,833--will be used for underwater archaeological investigation to confirm the identity of a shipwreck believed to be the Water Witch, a federal gunboat captured in a dramatic nighttime raid by Confederates on the Little Ogeechee River, south of Savannah.

Others include:

Glorieta Pass battlefield, NM ( $21,400) for a stabilization plan for the historic Santa Fe Trail bridge which was used by troops from Colorado and New Mexico, as well as by Confederate invaders.

Palmito Ranch battlefield, Texas, ($20,285) to develop a cultural resource inventory as part of a preservation plan for what is considered the last land battle of the war.

Rappahannock Station battlefields I and II, Va. ($25,000) for an interpretation plan.

First Battle of Kinston, NC ($36,250) to develop an interpretation plan.

Johnston's River Line Battlefield Park. Ga. ($45,000) for a cultural resources inventory to develop a plan to guide preservation of the unique "Shoupade" fortification (it was shaped like a saw blade).

White's Ford, Va. ($30,000) to determine National Register of Historic Places eligibility.

Unison battlefield, Va. ($10,853) for development of a National Register of Historic Places nomination.

Helena battlefield, Ark. ($54,707) for an archaeological investigation of the battlefield to develop preservation strategies for the earthworks.

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, Va. ($50,000) for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation to develop a preservation plan that recommends public and private strategies for preservation of battlefield land outside the boundaries of the park.

Wilderness Battlefield, Va. ($40,000) for the Civil War Preservation Trust to help develop a preservation plan for the privately owned lands surrounding the gateway to the battlefield, a unit of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. This deals directly with a controversial and well-publicized plan by Wal-Mart to build a supercenter just outside the national park boundary but still within the battlefield.

By Linda Wheeler  |  June 22, 2009; 7:33 PM ET
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