The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/462055
14 SAR MAGAZINE N early 240 years after the "shot heard 'round the world" signaled the beginning of the journey toward American independence, historians and preservationists gathered in Princeton, N.J., to launch the frst-ever national initiative to protect and interpret the battlefelds of the Revolutionary War. The new effort, titled Campaign 1776, is a project of the Civil War Trust, the nation's most successful battlefeld preservation advocate. Campaign 1776 will employ the same proven strategy of harnessing public-private partnerships to permanently protect hallowed ground that has made the Civil War Trust one of the country's top charitable land conservation organizations. "The Patriots who fell during the struggle for American independence deserve to have their sacrifces remembered and honored just as much as those who took up arms 'four score and seven years' later during the Civil War," said Trust President James Lighthizer. "All of these battlefelds are hallowed ground, living memorials to this nation's brave soldiers, past, present and future." The organization's chairman, Michael Grainger, concurred, saying, "For nearly three decades, the Civil War Trust has led the charge to protect endangered battlegrounds from this nation's bloodiest confict, securing millions of dollars in private sector donations to preserve these tangible links to our past. Through Campaign 1776, we are lending our expertise in heritage land preservation to a fuller spectrum of American history." Although primarily focused on preservation of the battlefelds of the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Campaign 1776 also will target battlegrounds associated with the War of 1812 (1812-1814), the conficts that established and confrmed American independence from Great Britain. In its 2007 report on the status of these battlefelds, the National Park Service found that of the 243 signifcant sites, only 100 retained historic integrity. Those sites that have endured through more than two centuries are now facing pressure from residential and other development. "Many of our Revolutionary War battlefelds were lost long ago—buried beneath the concrete and asphalt of Brooklyn and Trenton and consumed by the sprawl of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Those unspoiled landscapes that remain are precious reminders of the struggle to achieve independence and create a republic dedicated to the liberty of ordinary people," said Jack Warren, executive director of the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati. In addition to announcing Campaign 1776, Lighthizer also revealed the frst preservation project of the new national initiative: a fundraising campaign to save 4.6 historic acres on the Princeton Battlefeld. The Jan. 3, 1777, engagement was Gen. George Washington's frst victory over British regulars in the feld, and a turning point in the war. In this effort, the Trust is working in partnership with the State of New Jersey, local governments and the Princeton Battlefeld Society. It will mark the frst addition to Princeton Battlefeld State Park since 1971. To learn more about this project, or to contribute, visit www. campaign1776.org/ princeton2014 . RevolutionaRy WaR Battlefields Dubbed Campaign 1776, a new national initiative led by the Civil War Trust will focus on preservation and interpretation of the hallowed battlefelds Washington at the Battle of Princeton, 1777, by Don Troiani