National Military Park

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Vicksburg National Military Park, Illinois Memorial Vicksburg-illinois-memorial.jpg
Vicksburg National Military Park, Illinois Memorial
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Kennesaw mountain cannon01.jpg
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 25 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance. The designation applies to "sites where historic battles were fought on American soil during the armed conflicts that shaped the growth and development of the United States...." [1]

Contents

There are eleven National Battlefields (NB), nine National Military Parks (NMP), four National Battlefield Parks (NBP), and one National Battlefield Site (NBS). The National Park Service does not distinguish among the four designations in terms of their preservation or management policies.

Seventeen sites are from the American Civil War, four from the American Revolutionary War, one from the War of 1812, one from the French and Indian War, and two were attacks on Native Americans. Big Hole is the only site in the Western United States.

In 1890, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was the first such site created by Congress. Originally these sites were maintained by the War Department, but were transferred to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. The different designations appear to represent Congressional attitudes at the time of authorization of each individual site, although "park" appears to be reserved for the larger sites. Only Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, which is small, still bears that designation; others have since been redesignated. Some battlefields are designated as National Monuments, such as Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument, and ten forts, several of which saw battle; National Historical Parks, such as Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park; or National Historic Sites, such as Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.

As with all historic areas in the National Park System, these battle sites are automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

List of areas

NameImageLocationTypeEstablished [2] Area [3] ConflictBattle(s)Website
Antietam Antietam Bloody Lane.JPG Maryland
39°28′13″N77°44′17″W / 39.47028°N 77.73806°W / 39.47028; -77.73806
NBAugust 30, 18903,228.89 acres
(13.1 km2; 5.0 sq mi)
Civil War Antietam
Big Hole Big Hole Battlefield.jpg Montana
45°38′15″N113°38′37″W / 45.63750°N 113.64361°W / 45.63750; -113.64361
NBJune 23, 1910975.61 acres
(3.9 km2; 1.5 sq mi)
Nez Perce War
of the
Indian Wars
The Big Hole
Brices Cross Roads BricesCrossroads2010.jpg Mississippi
34°30′22.0″N88°43′44.0″W / 34.506111°N 88.728889°W / 34.506111; -88.728889
NBSFebruary 21, 19291.00 acre
(0.0040 km2; 0.00156 sq mi)
Civil War Brice's Cross Roads
Chickamauga and Chattanooga Cannon Row.jpg Georgia, Tennessee
34°56′24″N85°15′36″W / 34.94000°N 85.26000°W / 34.94000; -85.26000
NMPAugust 19, 18909,523.48 acres
(38.5 km2; 14.9 sq mi)
Civil War Chickamauga

Chattanooga
Cowpens Cowpens National Battlefield - wilderness road and fence.jpg South Carolina
35°08′12″N81°49′05″W / 35.13667°N 81.81806°W / 35.13667; -81.81806
NBMarch 4, 1929841.56 acres
(3.4 km2; 1.3 sq mi)
Revolutionary War Cowpens
Fort Donelson Fort Donelson river battery (1).jpg Tennessee, Kentucky
36°29′14″N87°51′39″W / 36.48722°N 87.86083°W / 36.48722; -87.86083
NBAugust 10, 19331,319.00 acres
(5.3 km2; 2.1 sq mi)
Civil War Fort Donelson

Fort Henry
Fort Necessity Fort Necessity 101114.jpg Pennsylvania
39°48′55″N79°35′22″W / 39.81528°N 79.58944°W / 39.81528; -79.58944
NBMarch 4, 1931902.80 acres
(3.7 km2; 1.4 sq mi)
French and Indian War Fort Necessity
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Sunken Road Restored 2004 Section in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg Virginia
38°17′35″N77°28′09″W / 38.29306°N 77.46917°W / 38.29306; -77.46917
NMPFebruary 14, 19278,405.46 acres
(34.0 km2; 13.1 sq mi)
Civil War Fredericksburg

Chancellorsville

The Wilderness

Spotsylvania Court House
Gettysburg High Water Mark - Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg Battlefield.jpg Pennsylvania
39°48′31″N77°14′12″W / 39.80861°N 77.23667°W / 39.80861; -77.23667
NMPFebruary 11, 18956,032.07 acres
(24.4 km2; 9.4 sq mi)
Civil War Gettysburg
Guilford Courthouse Signers Monument Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.JPG North Carolina
36°7′53″N79°50′47″W / 36.13139°N 79.84639°W / 36.13139; -79.84639
NMPMarch 2, 1917253.54 acres
(1.0 km2; 0.4 sq mi)
Revolutionary War Guilford Court House
Horseshoe Bend Battlefield overview, Horseshoe Bend NMP.jpg Alabama
32°58′15″N85°44′18″W / 32.97083°N 85.73833°W / 32.97083; -85.73833
NMPJuly 25, 19562,040.00 acres
(8.3 km2; 3.2 sq mi)
Creek War
of the
Indian Wars
Horseshoe Bend
Kennesaw Mountain Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Cobb County, GA, US (24).jpg Georgia
33°58′59″N84°34′41″W / 33.98306°N 84.57806°W / 33.98306; -84.57806
NBPFebruary 18, 19172,913.63 acres
(11.8 km2; 4.6 sq mi)
Civil War Kennesaw Mountain
Kings Mountain Kings Mountain National Military Park, April 2015 - path and obelisk in trees.JPG South Carolina
35°8′16″N81°23′22″W / 35.13778°N 81.38944°W / 35.13778; -81.38944
NMPAugust 10, 19333,945.29 acres
(16.0 km2; 6.2 sq mi)
Revolutionary War Kings Mountain
Manassas Fence at Manassas Battlefield, VA IMG 4330.JPG Virginia
38°48′46″N77°31′18″W / 38.81278°N 77.52167°W / 38.81278; -77.52167
NBPNovember 14, 19365,073.44 acres
(20.5 km2; 7.9 sq mi)
Civil War First Manassas

Second Manassas
Monocacy BestFarmMonocacy.jpg Maryland
39°22′16″N77°23′31″W / 39.37115°N 77.39208°W / 39.37115; -77.39208
NBJune 21, 19341,646.88 acres
(6.7 km2; 2.6 sq mi)
Civil War Monocacy
Moores Creek MOCR earthworks 0948.jpg North Carolina
34°27′29.6″N78°06′37.1″W / 34.458222°N 78.110306°W / 34.458222; -78.110306
NBJune 2, 192687.75 acres
(0.4 km2; 0.1 sq mi)
Revolutionary War Moore's Creek Bridge
Pea Ridge Pea Ridge Battleground.jpg Arkansas
36°27′15.″N94°02′04.9″W / 36.45417°N 94.034694°W / 36.45417; -94.034694
NMPJuly 20, 19564,300.35 acres
(17.4 km2; 6.7 sq mi)
Civil War Pea Ridge
Petersburg Restored entrance to mine, Petersburg VA.jpg Virginia
37°13′10″N77°21′41″W / 37.21944°N 77.36139°W / 37.21944; -77.36139
NBJuly 3, 19269,368.34 acres
(37.9 km2; 14.6 sq mi)
Civil War Petersburg campaign
Richmond Malvern Hill, Civil War Battlefield, RIchmond National Battlefield - Stierch.jpg Virginia
37°25′45″N77°22′25″W / 37.42917°N 77.37361°W / 37.42917; -77.37361
NBPMarch 2, 19368,168.87 acres
(33.1 km2; 12.8 sq mi)
Civil War Peninsula campaign
and the
Seven Days Battles

Overland campaign

Petersburg campaign
River Raisin River Raisin National Battlefield Park.jpg Michigan
41°54′49″N83°22′42″W / 41.91361°N 83.37833°W / 41.91361; -83.37833
NBPOctober 22, 201042.18 acres
(0.2 km2; 0.1 sq mi)
War of 1812 Frenchtown
Shiloh Sunken Road, Shiloh National Military Park.JPG Tennessee, Mississippi
35°08′12″N88°20′26″W / 35.13667°N 88.34056°W / 35.13667; -88.34056
NMPDecember 27, 18949,323.70 acres
(37.7 km2; 14.6 sq mi)
Civil War Shiloh
Stones River 6-pounder Wiard cannon at Stones River National Battlefield.jpg Tennessee
35°52′34″N86°25′51″W / 35.87611°N 86.43083°W / 35.87611; -86.43083
NBMarch 3, 1927709.49 acres
(2.9 km2; 1.1 sq mi)
Civil War Stones River
Tupelo Tupelo NBS Monument.jpg Mississippi
34°15′20.4″N88°44′13.2″W / 34.255667°N 88.737000°W / 34.255667; -88.737000
NBAugust 11, 19331.00 acre
(0.0040 km2; 0.00156 sq mi)
Civil War Tupelo
Vicksburg Monument to U.S. Grant at Vicksburg National Military Park.jpg Mississippi, Louisiana
32°21′55″N90°50′32″W / 32.36528°N 90.84222°W / 32.36528; -90.84222
NMPFebruary 21, 18992,524.11 acres
(10.2 km2; 3.9 sq mi)
Civil War Vicksburg campaign
Wilson's Creek Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.jpg Missouri
37°6′56″N93°25′12″W / 37.11556°N 93.42000°W / 37.11556; -93.42000
NBApril 22, 19602,407.79 acres
(9.7 km2; 3.8 sq mi)
Civil War Wilson's Creek

Other battlefields in the National Park System

See also

Notes

  1. American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996
  2. "Park Anniversaries" . Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  3. "National Park Service Acreage Reports" . Retrieved August 13, 2021.

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