The CWPT Preserves Another Battlefield

The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) has done it again.

The CWPT announced its plans last Wednesday to buy 643 acres of the Davis Bridge battlefield in Tennessee. In a partnership with the Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust fund and a parallel organization in the federal government, the organization will purchase the land.

The Davis Bridge battle occurred on October 5, 1862, when forces under General Edward Ord, sent by U.S. Grant, pursued a force under Confederate General Earl Van Dorn. The Confederates had just left Corinth, Mississippi. Though Ord managed to throw Van Dorn's force across the Hatchie River, Confederate defenses stopped his advance and prevented him from pursuing any further. Van Dorn and his force managed to escape.

These national and state parks are wonderful not only for their historical value. They are also beautiful nature preserves. I remember seeing deer wandering the trails when I visited Shiloh. These are one of the few places where people and animals can co-exist.

When the purchase is finished, the land will be donated to the state of Tennessee. It will be an asset and a destination for us Civil War buffs for a very long time.