Why Save Cedar Mountain Battlefield?

• The Battlefield landscape has many values – Civil War battlefield, cropland and grazing land, wildlife habitat, stream corridor and open space – to the people of Culpeper County, Virginia, and the whole of the United States (visitors come from Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida and elsewhere to walk the battlefield and pay homage to the men who fought there!).

• Historical Significance -- The Battle of Cedar Mountain is considered by many historians as the opening salvo in the Second Manassas campaign that culminated in the Battle of Antietam. It was the bloodiest day in Culpeper County history, with over 3,000 killed and wounded on both sides.

• Economic Sense -- According to a recent survey by the Civil War Preservation Trust, saving battlefields makes sound economic sense. Tourists pay for services in the community, which translates into more jobs, higher income for residents, and additional tax revenues for local governments. Battlefield preservation can pay dividends, but to do so, those battlefields must be interpreted and promoted. Much more needs to be done to promote and interpret the Cedar Mountain Battlefield, and that is one of FCMB’s major goals.

• Wildlife Habitat & Open Space -- The Battlefield has tremendous modern values as wildlife habitat and open space. We plan to develop a wildlife viewing trail, and hope to add the Park to Virginia’s Birding & Wildlife Trail. We are aware of the substantial economic contribution that birdwatchers and wildlife viewers can make to local economies, and hope to cultivate that potential in Culpeper County.

“By this time the road was full of Yankees, and there was such a fight as was not witnessed during the war; guns, bayonets, swords, pistols, fence rails, rocks, etc., were used all along the line. I have heard of a "hell spot" in some battles, this surely was one.”
– John H. Worsham, 21st Regiment Virginia Infantry,
Second Brigade, Jackson's Division, Second Corps,
Army of Northern Virginia, at Battle of Cedar Mountain