Remains of Revolution: Report Sees Uncertain Future for Revolutionary, War of 1812 Sites

In response to a congressional directive, the National Park Service has produced a first-of-its-kind report on some of the earliest historic military sites in the American story. Battlefields and other properties associated with the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 were the subject of a four-year study, prompted by concern over rapidly encroaching development and a dearth of information. Among the findings are that more than two dozen highly intact major sites have little to no protection, and that within the next decade about a quarter of the sites studied are expected to be completely destroyed or dramatically altered.

Led by the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program and Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems Program, the project was the first to focus on these two early conflicts in such a comprehensive fashion. Many sites associated with the wars are now occupied by subdivisions, highways, and shopping centers. The study’s goal was to develop a clear picture of how many sites remain, describe their significance, and determine whether they are threatened. Congress also asked that researchers consider which places, if any, could be added to the National Park System. The report will be delivered to Congress in early 2008.

More than 2,700 properties made up the initial pool. A panel of scholars rated the significance of each, with 677 deemed worthy of further study. What followed is what the report calls “perhaps the broadest federal effort ever undertaken” to determine the status of such sites. Aside from battlefields, the project included encampments, hospitals, supply centers, and headquarters.

While places such as Brandywine and Fort McHenry are well known, there is a multitude of related sites flung far over the 31-state research area. British troops moved down Pennsylvania Avenue in their 1814 assault on Washington, DC, for example, but the modern thoroughfare offers no hint of the event. Other properties like little known rural mills, forgotten farmhouses, and isolated stone buildings also hide their connection to the wars. Documentation is sparse. These properties posed a challenge to researchers, who often had little more to go on than anecdotal evidence or an assertion that a given structure was standing at the time of war. Some are shipwrecks, others are archeological sites.

The report’s authors cite how important “authenticity of place” is in interpreting the past. Referring to the Revolution, they write, “At Concord Bridge, one comes to terms with a simmering frustration that finally exploded in a volley of musketry.” The War of 1812, “America’s forgotten war,” remains relatively obscure in the national consciousness. Burnt Corn, Fort Mims, and Tallussahatchee do not carry the same patriotic resonance as Yorktown, Saratoga, or Bunker Hill. Nonetheless, the war represents an important time in history, when a young nation sensing the possibility of empire flexed its muscles against its former master.

The study was an outgrowth of a similar effort in the early 1990s. At that time, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, a congressionally appointed body, worked with the National Park Service to produce an extensive survey of Civil War battlefields. The same approach was used for this study, except this time it was led solely by National Park Service researchers and the scope was far more ambitious, focusing on more than the battlefields themselves.

The Park Service enlisted the help of state historic preservation officers–who had the best indepth knowledge of their own locales–and hired consultants to fill out the ranks of the surveyors. The state and local researchers conducted the initial work, poring over battle records, documents, and personal accounts. Then, before heading into the field to conduct surveys, participants were trained by National Park Service specialists in how to use GIS and GPS technology. One of the specialists, Deidre McCarthy, says the work represents “a completely new approach to landscape and battlefield survey.”

America’s oldest wars were indeed the focus of something new: surveyors walking about with handheld GPS receivers. Centuriesold information was compared to the scene today, a quest that sometimes ended in the presence of a big-box store or a parking lot. In less disturbed areas, the detective work began in earnest. The information was ultimately compiled into a comprehensive and versatile database. A user can search for specific features or view landscape attributes in relation to one another. The boundaries of a skirmish can be drawn in GIS, then laid over a modern aerial photograph. Software can determine a battlefield’s exact acreage, assess urban encroachment, and show the extent of properties whose owners are sympathetic to preservation.

Of the battlefields and other properties that survive, many enjoy at least partial protection from public or non-profit agencies. However, the extent of this protection varies. Significant portions of most of these sites are privately held, making them vulnerable to sale, subdivision, and destruction. About 85 are owned entirely by private individuals, and tend to be high priorities for preservation.

The report categorizes the threats as short or long term, offering suggestions for preserving and interpreting what remains, like having public agencies and nonprofits collaborate to purchase land or have it donated. New partnerships are urged, as well as innovative arrangements that work toward recognizing this fast disappearing legacy. Some possibilities include local friends groups, a national advocacy organization, and partnerships with private landowners. Working to designate sites as national historic landmarks and listed in the National Register of Historic Places are also recommended. Of the sites already commemorated, there is little in the way of interpretive displays. Engaging visitors will be a critical component of any preservation strategy.

As an example of the possibilities, Tanya Gossett of the American Battlefield Protection Program points to South Carolina’s Camden Battlefield. The site of a Revolutionary War battle where the British consolidated their hold on the Carolinas, Camden became a national historic landmark in 1962. Local concern elevated it to the point where it is now the subject of a special resource study to determine if it could become a national park. “There’s been a lot of movement to get it designated,” says Gossett. Camden enjoys the benefits of a good public-private partnership. Bowater, Inc., a paper company, was recognized by the National Park Service for its part in preserving the battlefield. It donated a 310-acre conservation easement and has provided over half a million dollars. Camden has also received grants from the NPS-administered Save America’s Treasures Program and American Battlefield Protection Program.

From an educational standpoint, the wars hold a great deal of potential. Both conflicts had a profound effect on Native Americans and persons of African descent, whose participation is not always recognized. Thoughtful interpretation could expose visitors to what the report calls “provocative stories” and their parallels in today’s world. The researchers list sites related to the Native and African American perspectives, addressing not only their roles in the wars but the consequences that followed.

To explain the importance of saving sites associated with long-ago turmoil and uncertainty, the authors of the report point to the world of today. “In times when our nation faces troubling challenges in the world, Americans instinctively seek the authentic fabric of history.”

For more information, email Tanya Gossett at tanya_gossett@ nps.gov.