we will do it together

Statewide Battlefield Preservation Plan

About the Preservation Plan

TCWPA Statewide Preservation Plan

The Statewide Preservation Plan provides a dynamic process that compiles battlefield site data, identifies opportunities and priorities, manages information, and facilitates preservation strategies. This process has been driven by considerable research and planning of the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) and years of organizational engagement by the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association. The plan is developed to be updated periodically with new and revised information. We hope you will review the Statewide Preservation Plan and we welcome your feedback, please email your comments to info@tcwpa.org.

TCWPA’s Goal

Develop a strategic plan to identify opportunities to preserve and interpret the story of the Civil War in Tennessee at more than 122 battle sites in Tennessee.

Preservation Resources

Boots on the Ground: A Manual for Battlefield Friends Groups

American Battlefield Trust sought to codify and articulate best practices for groups supporting relevant historical parks in a new report, Boots on the Ground: A Manual for Battlefield Friends Groups.” This user-friendly analysis from the Walker Collaborative, supported by matching grant funding from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, discloses best practices for “friends groups” — typically volunteer-driven, non-profit entities that offer support to their associated battlefield park. “My goal was to create a resource that was equally informative for both established friends groups and those seeking to start a brand-new organization in their community,” said principal author Philip Walker. “This manual aims to provide a solid foundation to grow, sustain and improve efforts toward preservation, education, stewardship and management for groups across the country.”

Gaining Ground: Best Practices in Battlefield Preservation

The manual uses case studies to illustrate strategies for battlefield interpretation and preservation and recommends 22 “best practices” for accomplishing such purposes. The publication is recommended as a companion document to the TCWPA Preservation Plan to guide implementation efforts in battlefield protection, particularly at local and community levels of organization.

Why It Matters

Without Preservation, History is Lost

The statewide preservation plan is a key priority for TCWPA to accelerate and guide our work across the state highlighting the importance of battlefield preservation and interpretation. The Civil War story is one that played out in all 95 counties. The story speaks to the war’s impact on our people and communities. This is a first-of-its-kind strategic plan to prioritize preservation efforts for Civil War battlefields and lesser-known sites in Tennessee.

This program has been funded by a grant from the Wars Commission Grant Fund, administered by the Tennessee Wars Commission, the Tennessee Historical Commission, Department of Environment and Conservation.

How We Do It

Committed To Tennessee's History

Identify Sites For Research And Interpretation

TCWPA is developing a statewide plan to identify opportunities to preserve and interpret the story of the Civil War in Tennessee at more than 122 battle sites in Tennessee. These sites were identified in the 1993 National Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s report on the nation’s battlefields. The report included 38 principal battlefields in Tennessee and a list of other important battlefields which the Commission recommended for further study.

Preserving the Past, for the Future

Team captains and volunteers have also begun onsite reviews of each battlefield, many of which are lesser-known, not well documented, and sometimes difficult to find. Team captains are recruiting volunteers to help gather information about many of the lesser known sites – with hopes of verifying the condition of each site and identifying opportunities for preservation and interpretation of the sites.

Research Key Findings

The following research links are available to provide additional information on Tennessee's Civil War Battlefields. If you are interested in learning more about the Civil War in Tennessee please explore the following resources. .