About the American Battlefield Trust

Our Mission

The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters.

Our Purpose

The purpose of the American Battlefield Trust is to inspire appreciation of America, its history, and its promise of liberty through an understanding of the wars fought on its soil, and of the sacrifices of earlier generations of Americans.

Values and Guiding Principles

We have a Passion for our Cause which compels a laser focus on our mission. We see battlefields as outdoor classrooms, teaching young and old alike about the sacrifices made during our nation’s turbulent first century to secure the freedoms that all Americans enjoy today. These were places where crucial chapters of the American story were written. Where ordinary citizens – farmers, merchants and laborers – displayed extraordinary valor fighting for independence and freedom.

We are committed to Excellence. We believe that history education is the foundation of good citizenship and a key ingredient in developing the national leaders of tomorrow. Visiting and learning about battlefields enables people to connect with our history, learning firsthand about the citizen soldiers who helped forge a nation. We believe parents should consider battlefield visits as an essential, formative experience for school-age children. We seek to collaborate and partner with any organizations who share our passion for preserving these foundations of freedom.

We have a deep, abiding Respect for the sanctity of historic battlefields. We see preserved battlefields as living memorials to the soldiers who fought there, and seek to pass on their story of their heroism and sacrifice to the next generation of Americans. They are also the final resting places for countless young soldiers who were buried where they fell, their graves unmarked and largely forgotten.

We recognize that we trade on the Trust of our patrons and our partners. The American Battlefield Trust is committed to sound fiscal management and frequent, open communication with our members and partners. That trust must be built with an unrelenting Determination to represent our nation’s complex story with accuracy, objectivity and integrity. The United States is the oldest and most effective democratic republic in the world. That has not happened by accident. The Trust seeks to preserve this history – not to promote a single point of view, but to provide a comprehensive set of perspectives from America’s first century. Our history – the good, the bad, the heroic, the regretful – shapes who we are as Americans today. That history can serve as a powerful lesson and inspiration, but only if it can be preserved.