Civil War Sites Advisory Commission

Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
Name	Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
Formation	1990
Dissolved	1999
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	David W. Sorenson
Parent organization	United States Department of the Interior
Website	(defunct)

Contents

Civil War Sites Advisory Commission is a federal advisory body created to assess, inventory, and prioritize battlefield and related sites from the American Civil War for preservation. Formed amid growing interest from the National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program, and preservation organizations such as the American Battlefield Trust and the Civil War Preservation Trust, the Commission produced a comprehensive survey that informed National Register of Historic Places nominations, congressional action, and state preservation planning. Its reports influenced federal, state, and private efforts involving agencies like the National Park Service, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and state historic preservation offices.

History and Establishment

Congress established the Commission in the wake of advocacy by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, members of the United States Congress including the House Committee on Natural Resources, and pressure from historians associated with institutions such as the Civil War Centennial Commission and Library of Congress collections. The Act authorizing the Commission responded to threats posed by development in states including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Chaired by David W. Sorenson with staff ties to the National Park Service and scholars from the Department of the Interior, the Commission undertook its work between 1990 and 1993, issuing reports that were later used through the 1990s by stakeholders including the Smithsonian Institution and state agencies.

The Commission was charged to identify, evaluate, and prioritize Civil War sites for protection, with objectives that involved collaboration with entities such as the National Park Service, American Battlefield Trust, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and state historic preservation offices. Its mandate emphasized sites associated with major campaigns like the Gettysburg Campaign, Overland Campaign, Atlanta Campaign, and lesser-known operations such as the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864 and the Vicksburg Campaign. Goals included informing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, guiding acquisition by the National Park Service and state park systems, and supporting non-governmental preservation by groups like the Civil War Trust and local historical societies.

The Commission developed criteria drawing on precedents set by the National Register of Historic Places, scholarship from the American Historical Association, battlefield studies from the U.S. Army Center of Military History, and surveys by state historic preservation offices. Evaluation factors included association with significant events such as the Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, and the Siege of Petersburg; integrity of terrain visible at sites like Shiloh National Military Park and Chancellorsville National Military Park; and potential for public interpretation by agencies including the National Park Service and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The methodology combined archival research tying to records from the National Archives and Records Administration with field reconnaissance involving cartographic comparison to Civil War-era maps and the Library of Congress map collections.

The Commission’s signature publication, often cited by the National Park Service and state agencies, cataloged hundreds of battle-related sites across states such as Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri. It produced prioritized lists that influenced subsequent reports by the American Battlefield Protection Program and scholarly monographs from university presses such as University of North Carolina Press and University of Georgia Press. The surveys referenced battles including First Battle of Bull Run, Second Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Fort Donelson, and operations like the Red River Campaign. Appendices drew on work by historians affiliated with Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Virginia, and specialized research from institutions like the Civil War Institute.

The Commission’s recommendations guided congressional appropriations and legislative measures affecting preservation, influencing actions by the United States Congress, the National Park Service, and state legislatures in Virginia General Assembly and Pennsylvania General Assembly. Its prioritized sites informed acquisitions by the National Park Service and spurred partnerships with private groups including the American Battlefield Trust and local land trusts. The report shaped interpretive planning at national park units such as Vicksburg National Military Park and Gettysburg National Military Park, and contributed to heightened scholarly attention reflected in publications from the Journal of American History and proceedings of the Organization of American Historians.

Among the important sites the Commission cataloged were major battlefields and campaign locations such as Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Petersburg, Second Battle of Bull Run, Chickamauga, Fort Sumter, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Antietam National Battlefield, and portions of the Atlanta Campaign. It also drew attention to lesser-preserved locales tied to cavalry operations, riverine engagements on the Mississippi River, and logistical corridors including rail junctions at Manassas Junction and Harpers Ferry. Many of these recommendations later fed into National Register of Historic Places listings and acquisitions by the National Park Service and nonprofit preservation bodies.

The Commission formally completed its mandate and ceased operations in the 1990s, but its legacy persisted through successor programs such as the American Battlefield Protection Program within the National Park Service, ongoing efforts by the American Battlefield Trust, and state battlefield protection initiatives. Its framework influenced later federal reports and legislative tools used by the United States Congress and state governments to prioritize battlefield preservation, and its inventories remain a resource for historians at institutions like the Civil War Institute, National Archives and Records Administration, and university history departments. Category:Historic preservation in the United States