I was first drawn to the study of military history by the Ken Burns series that premiered on PBS. I was very young at the time of it’s initial airing but it was a family event. My mother was fascinated with the Civil War and passed on that fascination to me. It became a bit of a passion and I’ve visited numerous battlefields, classes and guided tours about the Civil War throughout my life.
Preserving American history is important. Trying to maintain fragments of the landscape as they were, to capture that time in America’s history; will help our nation in understanding where we’ve come from, what we’ve achieved and how we’ve arrived at the places we find ourselves today. It’s myopic to build upon sacred ground where our forefathers bled and sacrificed so much. The buildings that seek to replace the battlefields will likely not last for a hundred years. They’ll be a stain on the landscape of what was lost as opposed to a solemn site that marks the great American struggle. It’s always saddening to hear about another developer or business seeking to build upon a battlefield but it’s a positive as well. That there are like minded people out there that wish to make a concerted effort to protect these lands. Help hold onto them for future generations so that they too may walk upon the grounds where battles were fought. Following the crests and dips of a natural landscape and try to feel for a moment what went through the minds of those that came before us. History can come alive and touch more people when there is readily available access to it. Future generations shouldn’t have to point at derelict structures and say that just past that husk of a building was where a battle was fought that helped shape the destiny of this country. It’s our shared history as a country and we should continue to try and preserve it to be shared.