Civil War Trust's photostream  

The Civil War was the most tragic conflict in American history. For four long years, North and South clashed in hundreds of battles and skirmishes that sounded the death knell for slavery and defined us as a nation. More than 625,000 soldiers and 50,000 civilians perished as a result of the war.

The Civil War Trust is committed to protecting the last tangible links to this tumultuous period in American history. With 55,000 members, the Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the U.S. Its purpose is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds.

The Trust’s principal goal is to preserve historic battlefield land through outright purchases, conservation easements, and partnerships with federal, state and local governments. Among the sites rescued by the Civil War Trust in recent months are key parcels at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania; Chancellorsville and Glendale in Virginia; Franklin in Tennessee; Prairie Grove in Arkansas; and Harpers Ferry in West Virginia. Over the years, CWPT has helped protect more than 30,000 acres in 20 states.

The Civil War Trust also maintains several outreach programs in support of battlefield preservation. These programs include: Hallowed Ground, our quarterly magazine; History Under Siege, an annual report on threatened Civil War battlefields; the Civil War Discovery Trail, a National Millennium Trail that links nearly 600 sites in 32 states; and Civil War Explorer, an online computer program that allows users to experience the war and its consequences.

For more information about Civil War Trust, please visit our website at www.civilwar.org.