Help Us Save 45 Acres at Cedar Creek Battlefield

Let me tell you something very important. We have a tremendous opportunity right now – a chance to save 45 beautiful acres at the Cedar Creek Battlefield.

Cedar Creek is a place where the fate of our nation once hung in the balance, a place where men from north and south fought bravely, and where many made the ultimate sacrifice in a struggle that would define our country forever.

It’s one of the Shenandoah Valley’s most famous battles and a battlefield where you and I have fought for years to protect as many acres as we possibly can.

This property, more than 45 acres, is adjacent to land that we’ve already preserved and the scene of Ramseur’s advance as his division and the divisions of Pegram and Gordon pushed across the landscape during the Confederates’ early morning surprise attack. It was from this property that the hard-bitten Confederate veterans from Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia surged against the men of Hayes and Kitching as they scrambled to pull together a defensive line on the ridge 400 yards to the north and west.

Those Union soldiers, just routed and driven from their camp, many sound asleep just twenty minutes before, wouldn’t be able to hold. They were out flanked on both ends of their line and the avalanche of butternut and grey that was coming down on them was too much to resist. They withdrew to the west side of the Valley Turnpike and northward toward the Belle Grove Plantation.

It’s easy to see when you look at the map that this is a “must-save” property and a critical preservation situation.

Now, here’s the deal. The appraised value of this land is $870,000 – a very fair price for such sacred ground in one of the fastest growing areas in the Valley. But thanks to the generosity of Dan Funk, a preservation hero who gave us $25,000 in donative value – we’ve negotiated a fantastic purchase price of $845,000! Of course, as always, we’ve got due diligence costs – very important, very necessary, and the linchpin to every project. These expenses have totaled more than $37,000 – bringing the total cost of this project to $882,000.

We’ve already secured a $415,274 grant from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and we’ve applied for $450,454 from the American Battlefield Protection Program.

This is where you and I come in. We still have to come together to raise more than $16,272 in due diligence expenses.

That’s not a lot when you think about the land that we’re protecting, the importance of this battlefield, and the legacy that we’re protecting. This is about honoring our history, our heroes, and our heritage.

So, I’m asking you to step in and join me in this fight. I’m asking you to make a gift to save this property. Please be as generous as you can, but whether it’s $10 or $10,000 every single gift is needed and greatly appreciated.

Let’s finish this. Let’s make battlefield preservation front page news again. Let’s save this land at Cedar Creek!