For more than 35 years, the American Battlefield Trust has led the nation in preserving America’s battlefield land and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters. We view these hallowed grounds as outdoor classrooms that teach and inspire young and old alike about the sacrifices made during our nation’s turbulent first century to secure the freedoms that Americans enjoy today. 

Battlefields are the places where crucial chapters of the American story were written, where ordinary citizens — farmers, merchants, and laborers — displayed extraordinary valor by risking their lives, fortunes, and honor for independence and individual liberty. Preserved battlefields are also living memorials to the soldiers who fought there, and we seek to pass on stories of their heroism and sacrifice to future generations. 

Together with supporters and partners like you, the American Battlefield Trust has already saved more than 59,000 acres on more than 159 battlefields in 25 states, hallowed ground that would have otherwise been developed, destroyed, and denied to future Americans. By preserving the sites of America’s formative and defining conflicts — the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War — the American Battlefield Trust is ensuring that the events that shaped our nation will never be forgotten. 

Together, we lead the nation — and the world — in preserving these critical links to our past.

Learn more at Battlefields.org