American Battlefield Trust
National Park Service Awards Two Grants to Preserve Key Parts of Chickasaw Bayou Battlefield
Acquisitions continue successful efforts by preservationists to preserve the core battlefield by purchasing numerous smaller parcels.
News@battlefields.org
March 25, 2025
(Vicksburg, Miss.) The National Park Service has awarded two Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants totaling more than $110,000 to preserve almost five acres of Mississippi’s Chickasaw Bayou Battlefield. The grants were made to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History through the park service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) to protect almost five acres of the core battlefield just north of Vicksburg in Warren County, Miss. One grant for $73,616 will preserve approximately 4.45-acres of the battlefield, while a $36,645 grant will preserve a parcel of approximately 0.39-acres. The American Battlefield Trust (the “Trust”) is the nonprofit entity facilitating these public-private preservation accomplishments.
The Trust and its partners, including the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and ABPP, have made tremendous inroads in the past three years in saving land at the Chickasaw Bayou battlefield, scene of the first battle of Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign. Since December 2022, preservationists have saved more than 25 acres in 15 acquisitions, mostly of parcels smaller than an acre. Many projects have been further supported by the state-level Mississippi Historic Site Preservation Grant Program. Fundraising for this work is ongoing.
“It is so rewarding to watch a battlefield park take shape, fueled by a flurry of preservation activity made possible by federal and state matching grants,” said Trust President David Duncan. “Together, we are making significant inroads in preserving the hallowed ground of this noteworthy engagement.”
On December 28-29, 1862, Union Maj. Gen. William Sherman launched repeated assaults from the flatlands of the bayou to get around the Confederate defenses along the hilly, well-defended terrain that stood between his forces and Vicksburg. When a final, frontal assault failed, resulting in heavy casualties, Grant withdrew and ended his first attempt to take the Mississippi River stronghold.
“Mississippi’s battlefields are a tremendous historic resource, and I commend the ongoing work to connect Vicksburg Campaign sites,” said U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. “I am grateful for this new investment in our state, which will strengthen Vicksburg’s heritage tourism draw for generations to come.”
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker said, “The hills and flatlands of the Chickasaw Bayou continue to tell the story of the Vicksburg Campaign. These grants will help us remember that history. The National Park Service awards are a testament to the important work of the American Battlefield Trust, and I look forward to supporting even more of these preservation efforts.”
“As we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary, projects like this take on increased resonance,” said Representative Bennie Thompson. “Safeguarding the places where we can stand in the footsteps of history will create a legacy that will still be present for our grandchildren when they celebrate the tricentennial.”
ABPP’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants promote preservation of America’s most historically significant Civil War, War of 1812 and Revolutionary War battlegrounds, an activity that will create a lasting and meaningful legacy of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The Trust is the program’s most active partner.
From a grassroots organization started by historians 30 years ago, the Trust has grown into one of the most successful private heritage land preservation organizations in the nation. The Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 58,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War, representing more than 160 sites in 25 states. Its 350,000 members and supporters believe in the power of place and the continued relevance of history as a means to fully understand our rights and responsibilities as Americans. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.