Our Gift to the Nation
Establishing the new Battlefield Readiness Fund will allow us to effectively thwart efforts by developers and save endangered historic land. Your support will make it possible to conserve and enhance these precious historical sites for future generations.
This fund will ensure we can proactively secure must-have tracts at the 40 Top Priority Battlefields from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War.
40 Top Priority Battlefields
Join our efforts to preserve, restore, and interpret these 40 iconic battlefields and create an enduring legacy that will educate and inspire for generations to come.
Top 40 Priority Battlefields map
View Battlefield List
Every acre we save now preserves our national story for future generations. But mounting threats mean we need to be prepared to act before it’s too late. The Battlefield Readiness Fund provides the flexibility and resources necessary to meet that challenge head-on. Because of this Fund, we are able to:
- Be proactive in cultivating prospective sellers and making compelling offers before land is listed for sale.
- Act much more swiftly to preempt other offers and compete against developers.
- Place stronger, more competitive offers with cash as opposed to financing.
- Stretch our dollars further by avoiding unnecessary and expensive debt.
- Advance a broad range of strategic initiatives at the same time.
The Battlefield Readiness Fund upholds our rigorous standards, focusing only on the most significant sites while making us more competitive and successful in battlefield preservation.
New development pressures threaten these sacred spaces every day. Without immediate action, critical acres at these irreplaceable landscapes will be lost forever.
Battlefield Readiness Fund Helps Protect 20 Historic Acres
Thanks to the Battlefield Readiness Fund, the Trust seized a rare opportunity in 2023 to save a 20-acre parcel at Antietam — land that witnessed some of that battle’s fiercest fighting. As part of the historic Jacob Avey Farm, this ground saw Confederate General A.P. Hill’s final attack and became a refuge for wounded Union soldiers who were cared for by the Avey family in the aftermath. According to the recently discovered Elliot Burial map, this property is also a Confederate burial site.
For years, these hallowed acres remained out of reach and in jeopardy. When the chance to purchase them arrived, the $730,000 price tag and lack of government matching funds made it a daunting challenge. Available dollars from the Battlefield Readiness Fund were essential, providing matching funds for donors to this project that got us over the finish line to secure this sacred ground.
This is exactly why the Battlefield Readiness Fund exists—to ensure we can say “yes” when history is on the line. With your support, it will continue to drive preservation, protecting honored ground before it’s lost forever.
The property is connected to Antietam National Battlefield.
Restoration: See the Land as They Saw It
Saving battlefield land is only the beginning. To fully honor the sacrifices made on these sites, we will restore them to their historic wartime appearance, allowing visitors to see the landscapes as soldiers once did and to walk the same landscape. This means removing modern intrusions, rehabilitating terrain, and creating immersive, educational experiences for generations to come.
Restoring battlefields enhances the effect of their interpretation, making history more vivid and meaningful.
Restoring Crucial Hallowed Ground at Lookout Mountain
With the Battlefield Readiness Fund in place, we’re ready to take action — like removing a long-standing eyesore at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.
For decades, a dilapidated 1940s-era motel sat on nearly an acre of hallowed ground beside Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, obscuring a key site of the Battle of Lookout Mountain. After acquiring the property in 2022, the American Battlefield Trust demolished the structure, cleared the land, and restored the field — bringing it closer to its historic appearance.
Thanks to this successful project, future generations can experience and learn from this pivotal site as it once stood.
The Time to Act is Now!
Your support will make a lasting impact on American history. Help us protect and restore our nation’s great battlefields, allowing future generations to walk the same ground and connect with our shared history.
“Resigning ourselves to the threats at hand would be a violation of the sacred responsibility that has been entrusted to us for the benefit of future generations. Failing to act today would result in forever losing these places hallowed by the blood of American soldiers.”
President Emeritus, American Battlefield Trust
Our Enduring Legacy Campaign Chairman