I have worked to preserve threatened Civil War battlefields to help future generations understand the war that shaped our nation’s history. More than 200,000 acres of historically significant battlefield land remain unprotected and are threatened by development pressures.
 

In the 111th Congress, I helped the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District secure additional federal investment in their work to protect historic sites throughout Virginia.  I have also sponsored several measures to protect and expand Virginia’s battlefields and national parks, provide federal designations for historic sites, and maintain current landmarks, including the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Petersburg Battlefield, and Fort Monroe in Hampton. 

I worked to ensure that renewal of America Battlefield Protection Program was included in legislation passed in 2009 to continue the federal partnership with states, local governments and non-profit entities that has successfully protected more than 15,000 acres of threatened battlefield lands in 14 states.  In Virginia, this program has saved nearly 7,000 acres at 17 battlefields sites.  


I was also a cosponsor legislation which established the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, comprised of 175-miles along the Route 15 corridor and surrounding areas through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. This area encompasses eight presidential homes or sites, 15 National Historic Landmarks, 47 historic districts and the largest collection of Revolutionary War sites and Civil War battlefields in America.