Nearly 240 years after the “shot heard ‘round the world” signaled the beginning of the journey toward American independence, historians and preservationists gathered in Princeton to launch the first-ever national initiative to protect and interpret the battlefields of the Revolutionary War.
The new initiative, named “Campaign 1776,” is a project of the Civil War Trust, the nation’s most successful battlefield preservation advocate. Campaign 1776 will harness public-private partnerships to protect hallowed ground.
Although primarily focused on preservation of the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, Campaign 1776 will also target battlegrounds associated with the War of 1812- the conflicts that established and confirmed American independence from Great Britain. Those sites that have endured through more than two centuries are now facing pressure from residential and other forms of development.
In addition to announcing Campaign 1776, Trust President James Lighthizer also revealed the first preservation venture of the new national initiative: a fundraising campaign to save 4.6 historic acres on the Princeton Battlefield. In this effort, the Trust is working in partnership with the State of New Jersey, local governments and the Princeton Battlefield Society.
Campaign 1776 had its origins when representatives of the National Park Service (NPS) approached the Civil War Trust about expanding into Revolutionary War and War of 1812 preservation, in light of pending federal legislation that would create a unified pool of government matching grant funding for the protection of battlefields from all three conflicts. After careful consideration, the Trust board voted unanimously to move forward with a controlled extension.
In accepting this challenge now, the Trust has the benefit of tools never before available to preservationists. For example, NPS and the Trust are partnering to undertake an unprecedented GPS mapping study of Revolutionary War battlefields. Moreover, the American Battlefield Protection Program’s report on the status of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefields, modeled on the landmark study of the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, provides a prioritized roadmap for preservation of these battlegrounds.
The Civil War Trust is the largest non-profit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Although primarily focused on the protection of Civil War battlefields, the Trust also seeks to save the battlefields connected to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Through educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives, the Trust informs the public about the vital role these battlefields played in determining the course of our nation’s history. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 40,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states. Learn more at civilwar.org.
Campaign 1776 is a national initiative of the Civil War Trust, America’s largest and most effective battlefield preservation organization. Its purpose is to protect the battlefields of the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and to educate the public about the importance of these battlefields in forging the nation we are today. To learn more, visit the Campaign 1776 website at campaign1776.org.
American forces passed by Updike Farmstead on their way to the Thomas Clarke Farm at Princeton Battlefield, where a state park now stands.,
