Civil War Trust's battlefield preservation push raises $52M

Wilson's Creek battlefield one of 64 protected

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Civil War Trust has surpassed its $40 million goal in a campaign to protect 64 battlefields in 16 states, raising $52 million over four years.

The national nonprofit group announced Saturday at its annual conference that its effort to save battlefields during the war's just-concluded 150th anniversary was a success. The goal of the "Campaign 150: Our Time, Our Legacy," was to protect more than 10,000 acres of battlefields.

A majority of the preserved land is in Virginia, with key parcels at Chancellorsville and the Wilderness.

In Missouri, 60 acres of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, near Republic, have been protected.

Since its creation in Fredericksburg in 1987, the trust has preserved 41,000 battlefield acres in 20 states - most recently including nearly 600 acres at Mill Springs, Mississippi.