Civil War Battlefields

David Gilbert has spent the past 40 years exploring Civil War battlefield sites. As a charter member of the Harpers Ferry Historical Association in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, he has written several books on the historic site, including A Walker's Guide to Harpers Ferry and Waterpower, an in-depth account of the mills, factories, machines, and floods at Harpers Ferry from 1762 to 1991. He served as editor of the inaugural issue of Hallowed Ground for the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (APCWS)--now merged with the Civil War Trust. He has also contributed to several National Park Service publications, where he worked for 11 years as a writer and editor. The Civil War Trust is the largest and most effective nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of America's hallowed battlegrounds. Although primarily focused on the protection of Civil War battlefields, the Trust also seeks to save the battlefields connected to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Through educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives, the Trust seeks to inform the public about the vital role these battlefields played in determining the course of our nation's history. To date, the Trust has preserved close to 43,000 acres of battlefield land in 23 states.