Pending Legislation Would Protect Hallowed Ground at Gettysburg, Petersburg, and Vicksburg
Gettysburg | Petersburg | Vicksburg
Petersburg National Battlefield
HR 1296; S. 713
You Can Honor the Sacrifices of the Civil War!
Legislation currently in Congress would protect additional battlefield lands at Gettysburg, Petersburg, and Vicksburg, and would create new parks to honor the fallen soldiers at the Battle of Mill Springs, KY and would protect the legacy of one of America’s greatest heroes, Harriet Tubman. Please ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor these bills and use this important anniversary to thank those who made America the nation it is today.
Almost one-fourth of the entire Civil War was fought around the city of Petersburg. The Union Army knew that capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond would hasten the end of the War. Unable to attack Richmond directly, the Union decided to move south and focus on Petersburg, an important transportation and supply hub for the capital. Both armies knew that if Petersburg fell, Richmond would soon follow, and the Union set in on a 292-day siege of Petersburg that resulted in 70,000 casualties and many civilians being driven from their homes. Seven days after the siege ended with the fall of Petersburg, the Confederacy surrendered.
H.R. 1296, introduced by U.S. Representative Randy Forbes (VA-4) and S. 713, introduced by U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner (VA) and heard by the Senate National Parks Subcommittee in May 2011, will provide the National Park Service with authority to add more than 7,000 acres to the park’s boundary. This legislation will enable future protection of the site of the longest and most significant siege in American history.
Learn More about the Siege and Defense of Petersburg >>
For more information about the National Parks Conservation Association’s advocacy to protect these and other Civil War sites, please contact:
- Pamela Goddard, Chesapeake and Virginia Program Manager, 202.604.3781, or email: pgoddard@npca.org
- Emily Jones, Senior Program Manager, 865.335.4666, or email: ejones@npca.org
- Alan Spears, Legislative Representative, 202.454.3384, or email: aspears@npca.org
- Cinda Waldbuesser, Senior Pennsylvania Program Manager, 215.327.2529, or email: cwaldbuesser@npca.org
- Nicholas Lund, Civil War Associate, 202.454.3319, or email: nlund@npca.org
Gettysburg | Petersburg | Vicksburg
Learn more about Civil War resources at National Parks.
