American Battlefield Trust

Christopher Gore, seventh Governor of Massachusetts, was born in Boston September 21, 1758. With the onset of the American Revolution, Gore’s home was heavily divided between Loyalists and Patriots, but he ultimately chose to side with the Patriots. When Gore graduated in 1776, he promptly enlisted in the Continental Artillery Regiment, serving as a clerk until 1778.

After his military service, Gore studied law with John Lowell and was admitted to the bar in 1778. He began his own law practice in Boston which flourished due to the majority of the lawyers leaving the state because of their Loyalist tendencies. Ten years later, in 1788, he made his entrance into politics by serving as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention. After his time at the convention ended, he became a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, was the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, and served as commissioner to England over the course of the next 15 years.

On April 3, 1809, Gore won the election for Governor against his Democratic-Republican opposition, Levi Lincoln Sr., and was sworn into office on May 1, 1809. He served in the US Senate from 1813-1816 and was a presidential elector in 1816. Gore passed away on March 1, 1827, and is buried in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Battle of Fisher’s Hill was fought September 21, 1864, as part of the Valley Campaigns, which was a four-year struggle for control of the Shenandoah Valley. The battle occurred after the Confederate defeat of the Third Wi******er on September 19, 1864, where Confederate Maj. Gen. Jubal Early retreated from the field and established a defensive position at Fisher’s Hill, an east-west ridge running across the northeast-southwest boundary of the Shenandoah Valley.

On September 21, the Union army under Maj. Gen. Phillip Sheridan had advanced towards the Confederate forces, driving their skirmishers back and capturing the important high ground of Fisher’s Hill. That afternoon, the Union VII Corps moved along Little North Mountain, southwest of Strasburg, to outflank Early and attack his forces. The Confederate cavalry offered little resistance, and the startled infantry were also unable to face the Union forces. Early retreated to Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, opening the Shenandoah Valley to Sheridan’s two-week “scorched earth” operation called “The Burning.”

Fisher's Hill The American Battlefield Trust's Battle of Fisher's Hill page includes battle maps, history articles, historical facts, photos, recommended books, web links, and more on this 1864 Civil War battle in the Shenandoah Valley.

At the end of a summer that had seen disastrous Confederate losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the triumph of the Army of Tennessee at the Battle of Chickamauga, which ended September 20, 1863, was a turn-around for the Confederates, but it came at a great cost. Ten Confederate generals were killed or wounded in the battle, and the fatalities among General Braxton Bragg’s junior officers were great. With more than 16,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate casualties, Chickamauga reached the highest losses of any battle in the Western Theater and the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War. While the Confederates drove Major General William S. Rosecrans from the field, they failed to execute Bragg’s goals of destroying Rosecrans’s army or reoccupying Chattanooga, TN.

Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga page includes battle maps, history articles, historical facts, expert videos, web links, and more on this 1863 Civil War battle in Georgia.

Fought September 19, 1864, the Battle of Third Wi******er was the largest and costliest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley. That day, Maj. Gen. Phillip Sheridan advanced toward Wi******er, Virginia, along the Berryville Pike with the VI and XIX Corps, crossing Opequon Creek east of town. However, the Union advance was delayed long enough for Confederate Maj. Gen. Jubal Early to concentrate his forces to meet the main assault. Veteran Union and Confederate divisions fought hard for several hours, but Early’s men were gradually driven back toward Wi******er, anchored around the defensive works on the north end of town. By late afternoon, the VIII Corps and Union cavalry turned the Confederate left flank, and Early ordered a general retreat. Ultimately, the Union victory began a series of losses for Early’s army in the Valley, from which it never recovered.

Third Wi******er Our Battle of Third Wi******er page includes battle maps, history articles, photos, expert videos, and more on this important 1864 Civil War battle in the Shenandoah Valley.

Since our inception in 1987, we have not rested on our laurels. We’re here to save battlefield land: as much of it as we can. Since that date, we’ve seen some tremendous preservation victories, but today, we want to announce a landmark — the preservation of land at our 160th battlefield at Goldsborough Bridge, North Carolina!

On December 17, 1862, the Battle of Goldsborough Bridge erupted, marking the final engagement in a series of battles and skirmishes in eastern North Carolina known as Foster's Raid. Today, we celebrate the preservation of 54 crucial acres—our 160th battlefield— where the heaviest fighting of the battle took place. This land now stands as an enduring tribute to the brave men who fought and fell here.

We thank everyone who helped us get to this point! The support of our friends and partners makes all this work possible.

Learn more about our 160th battlefield: https://bit.ly/3XL48rD

In the summer of 1863, the Confederate army was reeling from a string of losses in the Western Theater, while the success of the Tullahoma Campaign bolstered the confidence of Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans. Targeting Chattanooga, Rosecrans outmaneuvered the Southern forces and forced Confederate General Braxton Bragg to relinquish control of the critical transportation hub without a fight.

Rosecrans assumed that Bragg’s demoralized army would retreat further south into Rome, Georgia. He divided his army into three corps and scattered them throughout Tennessee and Georgia. But Rosecrans made a mistake—Bragg had, in fact, concentrated his men at LaFayette, Georgia, where he was expecting reinforcements and was close to a vulnerable corps of Rosecrans’s army. When Bragg’s troops crossed Chickamauga Creek, the Federals had a fight on their hands. During the morning, September 18, 1863, with renewed confidence that Chattanooga could pass once again into Confederate hands, Bragg marched his army to the west bank of Chickamauga Creek, hoping to wedge his troops between Chattanooga and the Federal army.

Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga page includes battle maps, history articles, historical facts, expert videos, web links, and more on this 1863 Civil War battle in Georgia.

Fought September 17, 1862, Antietam, the deadliest one-day battle in American military history, showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army in the Eastern Theater. This battle also gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation at a moment of strength rather than desperation.

Antietam Battle of Antietam page - battle maps, history articles, photos, and preservation news on this important 1862 Civil War battle in Maryland.

Garry Adelman and Dennis E. Frye have finished their 20-mile hike of Antietam in honor of the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Antietam! Explore some scenes from their walk below and follow along with our 162nd anniversary coverage on our YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhqv_T1O1sZqU_nANWtT6RAkI2xdyMS

With their backs against the wall and a growing Union force looming, Confederate Generals Gideon Pillow, John Floyd, and Simon B. Buckner attempted to breakout from Fort Donelson in February of 1862.

Join Garry Adelman, Greg Biggs, Chris Mackowski, and Kris White as they visit Dudley Hill, land preserved by the members of the American Battlefield Trust and key to the story of the battle of Fort Donelson, in the newest episode of our podcast Boom Goes the History!

🎧 Listen on Spotify now: https://spoti.fi/4d8vRXJ

Before Spain officially signed a treaty of alliance with France, embracing Great Britain as their mutual enemy and aligning with the newly created United States, Bernardo de Gálvez helped facilitate Spain's clandestine support of the American cause. From his post in New Orleans, he allowed ships to pass undetected into the city, avoiding the blockade that the British Navy established around most of the port cities on the east coast.

As muskets, gunpowder, and other supplies were brought into the city, de Gálvez arranged for their transportation up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and eventually into the hands of patriot troops, avoiding British detection. Then, when Americans launched raids along the Mississippi in 1778, de Gálvez allowed them to sell their captured goods in New Orleans.

When Spain signed a treaty of alliance with France in 1779, de Gálvez became responsible for managing the whole Spanish war effort in North America. With only 600 soldiers and two warships under his command, de Gálvez led his troops to capture four British forts, including Baton Rouge and Natchez and, later, Mobile and Pensacola. After his siege of Pensacola from March 9 to May 8, 1781, the city fell, and all of British West Florida was swept under Spanish control. This seizure weakened the British army and prohibited the British navy from effectively supporting efforts in other theaters.

However, Bernardo de Gálvez did not live long to enjoy the honors bestowed upon him for his extraordinary efforts during the American Revolution. He died of yellow fever in 1786, but even after his death, Spanish and American citizens continued to honor him as a hero.

Bernardo de Gálvez | The American Revolution Experience An unlikely ally

Our Chief Historian Garry Adelman is out on the field today at Antietam with Dennis E. Fry in honor of the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Antietam! Check out some scenes from the battlefield below, including several views from the epicenter of the battle, a sunrise Ranger program at the Cornfield, and more. Stay tuned for more pictures later!

Can you ? Let us know your guesses in the comments!

📸 Photo Credit: Mike Talplacido

💡 Hint: This battlefield was the site of the largest battle of Ulysses S. Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign. The Union victory that occurred here, coupled with the victory at Big Black River, forced the Confederates into a doomed position inside the fortifications of Vicksburg.

The buckwheat field that saw the heaviest fighting during the Battle of Harlem Heights fought September 16, 1776, is now the location of Columbia and Barnard Universities, bisected by Broadway, in New York City. This American victory gave the Patriot forces a brief but sorely needed boost of morale as British forces fought their way into New York. However, by the end of the following month, American forces abandoned the city and retreated into New Jersey.

Today, there are two markers to commemorate the battle. The first is located on the side of one of Columbia University’s buildings on Broadway and depicts two soldiers, Andrew Leitch and Thomas Knowlton, who died during the battle in a bronze bas relief. The second is a stone tablet two blocks away on Riverside Drive erected by the Daughters of the Defenders of the Republic.

Harlem Heights The buckwheat field that saw the heaviest fighting during the Battle of Harlem Heights fought on September 16, 1776, is now the location of Columbia and...

During the fall of 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee launched the Maryland Campaign, intending to attract European support for the Confederacy and gain recruits for his army. Once he moved into Maryland, his plans were disrupted when the 13,000-man garrison at Harpers Ferry decided to hold their positions rather than retreat. Fearing this Union force could hamper his communication and supply lines, Lee decided to send Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall '' Jackson to capture the garrison, which he began to besiege September 12, 1862.

Harpers Ferry The Battle of Harpers Ferry page includes battle maps, history articles, historical facts, photos, recommended books, preservation news, web links, and more on this 1862 Civil War battle.

September 14, 1862, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan met Gen. Robert E. Lee’s divided army at the Battle of South Mountain. While Union forces were able to gain control of the mountain, they could not stop Lee from regrouping and setting the stage for the Battle of Antietam three days later.

South Mountain On September 14 1862, Union commander George B. McClellan tried to force his troops through three passes in the South Mountain range: Fox's Gap, Turner's Gap, and Crampton's Gap. The Federals eventually forced their way through, but the delay gave Robert E. Lee time to collect his army and prepare f...

September 14, 1814, Major George Armistead raised a thirty by forty-two-foot United States Flag over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. Customarily, this garrison flag was raised every morning at reveille, but after a night of bombardment by British forces, this action took on a new meaning. The British, equally fatigued after the long fight and running low on ammunition, noted that they could not overtake the fortifications and ended their assault.

Throughout the battle, Maryland lawyer Francis Scott Key was in the harbor hearing cannon fire and the booms of explosives. After hours of bombardment and the fear that the British could overtake the fort and head to Baltimore, Key awoke to a proud display of American patriotism and a symbol that they were not going to stop fighting. That morning, he wrote notes for a future poem about this event. Later that week, he finished the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” and on September 20, the Baltimore Patriot published the poem. Francis Scott Key’s brother-in-law set the poem to music, and the combined poem and music were published under the name “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Short History of The Star Spangled Banner During the War of 1812, the British bombarded Fort McHenry on September 13-14, 1814, failing to capture Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write a...

that the distinctive facial hair Civil War Major General Ambrose Burnside wore throughout most of his life led to the identification of that form of facial hair by the modern name, sideburns? The name, created from his last name, replaced the previous moniker, side whiskers, and became a household name by the time of his death September 13, 1881.

Ambrose E. Burnside Civil War Trust biography for General Ambrose Burnside

In the early morning, September 13, 1814, British warships begin their bombardment of Fort McHenry in the Baltimore Harbor. Because of the shallow water, Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane was unable to use his heavy warships and instead attacked with the bomb vessels HMS Terror, Volcano, Meteor, Devastation, and Aetna. These ships fire exploding mortar shells at high angles into the fort. Joining them is the rocket ship HMS Erebus, which launches the newly invented Congreve rockets.

Initially, the British fleet exchanges fire with the fort’s cannon but soon withdraws out of range. For the next 27 hours, in driving rain, the warships hammer the fort. More than 1,500 cannonballs, shells, and rockets are fired, but only inflict light damage thanks to fortification efforts completed before the battle. During the night, Cochrane orders a landing party to slip past the fort and attempt to draw troops from the force opposing Colonel Arthur Brooke, but other than diverting some fire from the fort, this diversion proves unsuccessful. Eventually, British forces abandoned the assault on Fort McHenry and set sail for New Orleans, Louisiana.

Fort McHenry The failed bombardment of Fort McHenry forced the British to abandon their land assault on the crucial port city of Baltimore. This British defeat was a...

Preservation Opportunity! We are working with a private landowner to secure the “doughnut hole” of unprotected land right in the middle of the Antietam Battlefield. This tract at Antietam is just a few steps behind the Dunker Church building and part of the West Woods, and these 11 acres are, by far, some of the most important acres left to secure at Antietam. They not only witnessed, but were at the center of, the surging attacks and counterattacks that defined the deadliest day in American history.

We must quickly raise the $150,000 needed so we can fill in this 11-acre hole in the battle map and ensure the Antietam Battlefield is intact and preserved! In addition, if you donate $50 or more, you’ll receive the latest Challenge Coin in our collection!

Learn more and donate today: https://bit.ly/4ggfhrL

Can you guess who this mysterious figure is from only three facts about their life? Click through the photos to test your luck! Did you get it right?

Once you have made your guess, learn more about this figure here: https://bit.ly/47iI771

Following the burning of Washington, D.C, the British forces in the Chesapeake Bay area next set their sights on the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. On September 12, 1814, some 4,500 British soldiers and marines landed on the peninsula created by the Back and Patapsco Rivers. This force was commanded by the veteran Maj. Gen. Robert Ross. To meet this threat, a force of 3,200 Americans commanded by General John Stricker marched out to intercept Ross' forces. Utilizing the streams, hills, and swamps in the area to protect his line, Stricker advanced a force of American riflemen toward the British camps in hopes of drawing the enemy into battle on the ground of his choosing. The Americans were met with early success, and they even managed to fell Ross. Mortally wounded, the British commander turned command over to Col. Arthur Brooke.

Brooke advanced on the American position near 3 PM. He launched frontal assaults to hold Stricker's men in place, while he sent a force around the American flank to drive them from the field. Although the frontal attack was met with fierce resistance and heavy casualties, the British flanking column succeeded in dislodging the Americans, who fell back to a new defensive position on high ground closer to Baltimore.

North Point Following the burning of Washington, D.C, the British forces in the Chesapeake Bay area next set their sights on the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. On...

Thank you to all the participants who joined us last Saturday, September 7, for an adventure-filled Generations event in Gettysburg! Families were able to walk the fields of Pickett’s Charge, the site of one of the most famous battlefield charges in U.S. History, and learn more about the Battle of Gettysburg. When you ignite a child's curiosity about history, it's an extraordinary moment!

Find out more about our Generations program here: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/topics/generations

During the Civil War, the Reverend of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry, Father Michael Costello, avoided damage to the church throughout repeated artillery bombardments and contests for the town by flying a British flag over the church. Despite the debilitating damage sustained by other buildings nearby throughout the Battle of Harpers Ferry and repeated artillery bombardments in the summers of 1863 and 1864, St. Peter’s went unharmed as a result of its supposed British affiliation. As it remained intact during the war, St. Peter’s was frequently used as a makeshift hospital, and Costello continued to administer sacraments and hold services throughout the war. St. Peter’s remained the only church in the war-ravaged town of Harpers Ferry that was not severely damaged or destroyed by Northern or Southern forces.

10 Facts: Harpers Ferry The town of Harper's Ferry, WV played a critical role in the steps leading to the American Civil War.

, September 10, 1861, Union General William S. Rosecrans launched a decisive attack on the Confederate forces entrenched at Carnifex Ferry, situated along the rugged Gauley River Canyon near Summerville, West Virginia. After repulsing repeated assaults by Rosecrans, Confederate General John B. Floyd decided to withdraw from the battlefield, citing that the Federal artillery posed too much of a threat. This Union victory was more than just a battlefield success; it played a pivotal role in the broader effort to secure West Virginia's path to statehood, underscoring the region's crucial position in the Civil War.

Carnifex Ferry In September of 1861, Union General William S. Rosecrans attacked the Confederate position at Carnifex Ferry, resulting in a Union victory. This victory was...

It's one of the most picturesque settings on any Civil War battlefield, Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. In February of 1862, the Federal Army and Navy combined their efforts to open the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. In the actions that followed, Middle Tennessee was opened to Federal incursions and the career of Ulysses S. Grant was placed on the fast track.

Join Garry Adelman and Greg Biggs for all of the action that followed in the struggle to bring the bastion of Fort Donelson to its knees in our newest episode of Boom Goes the History!

🎧 Listen now on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4d2tIwW

, September 10, 1813, American Naval forces under the command of Oliver H. Perry attacked Robert H. Barclay’s British fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie. After breaching the British lines with his flagship, the USS Niagara, Perry’s force managed to break the will of the British navy and ultimately forced a wounded Robert H. Barclay to surrender. After the victory, the American navy along Lake Erie maintained control over the region for the rest of the war and forced British forces in Upper Canada to consolidate their forces.

Lake Erie On September 10, 1813, American Naval forces under the command of Oliver H. Perry attacked Robert H. Barclay’s British fleet in Lake Erie. In the...

, September 9, 1863, a 2,400-man garrison under Gen. John W. Frazer in the Cumberland Gap, a strategic pass in the Cumcumberland Mountains, surrendered to Union forces under Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside. This surrender marked a crucial turning point in the Knoxville Campaign, significantly weakening the Confederate hold in the region and bolstering Union control. In addition, Burnside’s supply lines could now stretch from Camp Nelson, Kentucky, into Knoxville, Tennessee, without threat from Confederate forces. The Gap remained in Union hands for the rest of the war.

Cumberland Gap (1863) The Cumberland Gap was a strategic pass in the Cumberland Mountains that provided easy access into Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, and Western Virginia....