American Battlefield Trust Transfers 93 Acres of Hallowed Ground to Mill Springs National Monument

(Nancy, Ky.) — The American Battlefield Trust has celebrated the transfer of nearly 93 acres of pristine battlefield land into Kentucky’s Mill Springs National Monument. The Trust’s cumulative work at Mill Springs helped create the critical mass necessary to see it inaugurated as a unit of the National Park System in 2020. This transfer further demonstrates this ongoing commitment.  

“Our joint work to save this hallowed ground has resulted in the preservation of more than 550 acres of historic Kentucky battlefield land. The acquisition of the final 92.86 acres of the core battlefield is a testament to the joint perseverance of the MSBA and the Trust. We can rest assured that this pivotal site of the Union’s first Civil War victory will be forever preserved for all Kentuckians and fellow Americans to visit,” said U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY). 

After the Union drubbing at First Manassas and a string of other losses, the Battle of Mill Springs represented the first major Union victory in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Yet the fate of this battleground remained in limbo for 130 years, until the establishment of MSBA in 1992. The Trust was soon enlisted in the undertaking alongside the MSBA and other government partners. Through these efforts, more than 550 acres of battlefield land has been permanently protected.  

An October 14, 2020, ceremony in Nancy, Ky., cemented this preservation legacy, when Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument officially became part of the National Park System — in large part thanks to Congressman Rogers and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), as well as the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, MSBA and local leaders.   

“It has been an honor to work alongside Hal Rogers and the Mill Springs National Monument to save this unique battlefield site. The establishment of a national park is no small achievement, and we recognize the dogged commitment of Rogers and other government leaders and the public to achieve such a feat. The latest transfer of land represents a culmination of year-long efforts to preserve core battlefield land at Mill Springs and the Trust could not be more thrilled at its preservation,” said Trust president David N. Duncan. 

On January 19, 1862, brutal close quarters fighting broke out during a dark, rain-soaked night in Pulaski County, KY. Confederate Gen. Felix Zollicoffer had hoped that the element of surprise against the sleeping Federals would be enough to sway victory, but a fierce stand from the bleary-eyed Federals pushed Zollicoffer’s troops back despite the sneak assault and dense fog. 

In the ensuing melee, Zollicoffer was shot and killed after mistaking Federal lines for his own. More than 4,000 Union troops continued to surge against nearly 6,000 Confederates, leading to the latter’s hasty retreat back into Tennessee.   

This latest transfer represents a critical piece of land that makes up the core battlefield and marks the place where the Confederate advance was stopped and the tide of battle shifted to the Federals under Gen. George Thomas.  

The American Battlefield 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 nearly 60,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War across 160 sites in 25 states. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.