National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 25 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance. The designation applies to "sites where historic battles were fought on American soil during the armed conflicts that shaped the growth and development of the United States...."^[1]

There are eleven National Battlefields (NB), nine National Military Parks (NMP), four National Battlefield Parks (NBP), and one National Battlefield Site (NBS). The National Park Service does not distinguish among the four designations in terms of their preservation or management policies.

Seventeen sites are from the American Civil War, four from the American Revolutionary War, one from the War of 1812, one from the French and Indian War, and two were attacks on Native Americans. Big Hole is the only site in the Western United States.

In 1890, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was the first such site created by Congress. Originally these sites were maintained by the War Department, but were transferred to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. The different designations appear to represent Congressional attitudes at the time of authorization of each individual site, although "park" appears to be reserved for the larger sites. Only Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, which is small, still bears that designation; others have since been redesignated. Some battlefields are designated as National Monuments, such as Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument, and ten forts, several of which saw battle; National Historical Parks, such as Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park; or National Historic Sites, such as Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.

As with all historic areas in the National Park System, these battle sites are automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

List of areas

Name	Image	Location	Type	Established[2]	Area[3]	Conflict	Battle(s)	Website
Antietam		Maryland 39°28′13″N 77°44′17″W / 39.47028°N 77.73806°W / 39.47028; -77.73806	NB	August 30, 1890	3,228.89 acres (13.1 km2; 5.0 sq mi)	Civil War	Antietam
Big Hole		Montana 45°38′15″N 113°38′37″W / 45.63750°N 113.64361°W / 45.63750; -113.64361	NB	June 23, 1910	975.61 acres (3.9 km2; 1.5 sq mi)	Nez Perce War of the Indian Wars	The Big Hole
Brices Cross Roads		Mississippi 34°30′22.0″N 88°43′44.0″W / 34.506111°N 88.728889°W / 34.506111; -88.728889	NBS	February 21, 1929	1.00 acre (0.0040 km2; 0.00156 sq mi)	Civil War	Brice's Cross Roads
Chickamauga and Chattanooga		Georgia, Tennessee 34°56′24″N 85°15′36″W / 34.94000°N 85.26000°W / 34.94000; -85.26000	NMP	August 19, 1890	9,523.48 acres (38.5 km2; 14.9 sq mi)	Civil War	Chickamauga Chattanooga
Cowpens		South Carolina 35°08′12″N 81°49′05″W / 35.13667°N 81.81806°W / 35.13667; -81.81806	NB	March 4, 1929	841.56 acres (3.4 km2; 1.3 sq mi)	Revolutionary War	Cowpens
Fort Donelson		Tennessee, Kentucky 36°29′14″N 87°51′39″W / 36.48722°N 87.86083°W / 36.48722; -87.86083	NB	August 10, 1933	1,319.00 acres (5.3 km2; 2.1 sq mi)	Civil War	Fort Donelson Fort Henry
Fort Necessity		Pennsylvania 39°48′55″N 79°35′22″W / 39.81528°N 79.58944°W / 39.81528; -79.58944	NB	March 4, 1931	902.80 acres (3.7 km2; 1.4 sq mi)	French and Indian War	Fort Necessity
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania		Virginia 38°17′35″N 77°28′09″W / 38.29306°N 77.46917°W / 38.29306; -77.46917	NMP	February 14, 1927	8,405.46 acres (34.0 km2; 13.1 sq mi)	Civil War	Fredericksburg Chancellorsville The Wilderness Spotsylvania Court House
Gettysburg		Pennsylvania 39°48′31″N 77°14′12″W / 39.80861°N 77.23667°W / 39.80861; -77.23667	NMP	February 11, 1895	6,032.07 acres (24.4 km2; 9.4 sq mi)	Civil War	Gettysburg
Guilford Courthouse		North Carolina 36°7′53″N 79°50′47″W / 36.13139°N 79.84639°W / 36.13139; -79.84639	NMP	March 2, 1917	253.54 acres (1.0 km2; 0.4 sq mi)	Revolutionary War	Guilford Court House
Horseshoe Bend		Alabama 32°58′15″N 85°44′18″W / 32.97083°N 85.73833°W / 32.97083; -85.73833	NMP	July 25, 1956	2,040.00 acres (8.3 km2; 3.2 sq mi)	Creek War of the Indian Wars	Horseshoe Bend
Kennesaw Mountain		Georgia 33°58′59″N 84°34′41″W / 33.98306°N 84.57806°W / 33.98306; -84.57806	NBP	February 18, 1917	2,913.63 acres (11.8 km2; 4.6 sq mi)	Civil War	Kennesaw Mountain
Kings Mountain		South Carolina 35°8′16″N 81°23′22″W / 35.13778°N 81.38944°W / 35.13778; -81.38944	NMP	August 10, 1933	3,945.29 acres (16.0 km2; 6.2 sq mi)	Revolutionary War	Kings Mountain
Manassas		Virginia 38°48′46″N 77°31′18″W / 38.81278°N 77.52167°W / 38.81278; -77.52167	NBP	November 14, 1936	5,073.44 acres (20.5 km2; 7.9 sq mi)	Civil War	First Manassas Second Manassas
Monocacy		Maryland 39°22′16″N 77°23′31″W / 39.37115°N 77.39208°W / 39.37115; -77.39208	NB	June 21, 1934	1,646.88 acres (6.7 km2; 2.6 sq mi)	Civil War	Monocacy
Moores Creek		North Carolina 34°27′29.6″N 78°06′37.1″W / 34.458222°N 78.110306°W / 34.458222; -78.110306	NB	June 2, 1926	87.75 acres (0.4 km2; 0.1 sq mi)	Revolutionary War	Moore's Creek Bridge
Pea Ridge		Arkansas 36°27′15.″N 94°02′04.9″W / 36.45417°N 94.034694°W / 36.45417; -94.034694	NMP	July 20, 1956	4,300.35 acres (17.4 km2; 6.7 sq mi)	Civil War	Pea Ridge
Petersburg		Virginia 37°13′10″N 77°21′41″W / 37.21944°N 77.36139°W / 37.21944; -77.36139	NB	July 3, 1926	9,368.34 acres (37.9 km2; 14.6 sq mi)	Civil War	Petersburg campaign
Richmond		Virginia 37°25′45″N 77°22′25″W / 37.42917°N 77.37361°W / 37.42917; -77.37361	NBP	March 2, 1936	8,168.87 acres (33.1 km2; 12.8 sq mi)	Civil War	Peninsula campaign and the Seven Days Battles Overland campaign Petersburg campaign
River Raisin		Michigan 41°54′49″N 83°22′42″W / 41.91361°N 83.37833°W / 41.91361; -83.37833	NBP	October 22, 2010	42.18 acres (0.2 km2; 0.1 sq mi)	War of 1812	Frenchtown
Shiloh		Tennessee, Mississippi 35°08′12″N 88°20′26″W / 35.13667°N 88.34056°W / 35.13667; -88.34056	NMP	December 27, 1894	9,323.70 acres (37.7 km2; 14.6 sq mi)	Civil War	Shiloh
Stones River		Tennessee 35°52′34″N 86°25′51″W / 35.87611°N 86.43083°W / 35.87611; -86.43083	NB	March 3, 1927	709.49 acres (2.9 km2; 1.1 sq mi)	Civil War	Stones River
Tupelo		Mississippi 34°15′20.4″N 88°44′13.2″W / 34.255667°N 88.737000°W / 34.255667; -88.737000	NB	August 11, 1933	1.00 acre (0.0040 km2; 0.00156 sq mi)	Civil War	Tupelo
Vicksburg		Mississippi, Louisiana 32°21′55″N 90°50′32″W / 32.36528°N 90.84222°W / 32.36528; -90.84222	NMP	February 21, 1899	2,524.11 acres (10.2 km2; 3.9 sq mi)	Civil War	Vicksburg campaign	24
Wilson's Creek		Missouri 37°6′56″N 93°25′12″W / 37.11556°N 93.42000°W / 37.11556; -93.42000	NB	April 22, 1960	2,407.79 acres (9.7 km2; 3.8 sq mi)	Civil War	Wilson's Creek	25

Other battlefields in the National Park Systemedit

National Memorialsedit

• Arkansas Post National Memorial preserves the site of battles in 1783 and 1863
• Pearl Harbor National Memorial preserves sites related to the Attack on Pearl Harbor
• Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie

National Monumentsedit

• Aleutian Islands World War II National Monument preserves the site of the Battle of Attu
• Canyon de Chelly National Monument preserves the site of the Battle of Canyon de Chelly
• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves a Spanish fort involved in numerous sieges
• Fort McHenry National Monument preserves Fort McHenry which played a crucial role in the Battle of Baltimore
• Fort Pulaski National Monument preserves Fort Pulaski, site of the Siege of Fort Pulaski
• Fort Stanwix National Monument preserves Fort Stanwix, site of the Siege of Fort Stanwix
• Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
• Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the Battle of Mill Springs
• Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument includes Wake Island, site of the Battle of Wake Island
• Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument includes Midway Atoll, involved in the Battle of Midway

National Historical Parksedit

• Appomattox Court House National Historical Park preserves the site of the Battle of Appomattox Court House
• Boston National Historical Park preserves several sites of the American Revolutionary War, including the Battle of Bunker Hill
• Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park preserves the site of the Battle of Cedar Creek
• Colonial National Historical Park preserves the site of the Siege of Yorktown
• Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park preserves Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, involved in battles including the Battle of Fort Sumter and the Battle of Sullivan's Island
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park preserves Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, the site of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry and the Battle of Harpers Ferry
• Jean Lafitte National Historical Park preserves the Chalmette Battlefield, site of the Battle of New Orleans
• Minute Man National Historical Park preserves sites related to the Battles of Lexington and Concord
• Nez Perce National Historical Park preserves sites of various battles of the Nez Perce War
• Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park preserves the site of the Battle of Palo Alto
• Pecos National Historical Park preserves the site of the Battle of Glorieta Pass
• Saratoga National Historical Park preserves the site of the Battles of Saratoga
• Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of the Battle of Sitka
• War in the Pacific National Historical Park preserves sites related to the Battle of Guam (1944)

National Historic Sitesedit

• Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site preserves the site of the Battle of Fallen Timbers
• Fort Bowie National Historic Site preserves the site of the Battle of Apache Pass
• Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site preserves the site of the Sand Creek Massacre
• Springfield Armory National Historic Site preserves the site of Shays' Rebellion
• Washita Battlefield National Historic Site preserves the site of the Battle of Washita River
• Whitman Mission National Historic Site preserves the site of the Whitman massacre

Affiliated areasedit

The following are affiliated areas of the National Park Services that are battlegrounds

• Eutaw Springs Battlefield preserves the site of the Battle of Eutaw Springs
• Kettle Creek Battlefield preserves the site of the Battle of Kettle Creek
• Parkers Crossroads Battlefield preserves the site of the Battle of Parker's Cross Roads

See alsoedit

• National Historical Park
• List of areas in the United States National Park System

Notesedit

External linksedit

• Designation of National Park System Units
• The Origin & Evolution of the National Military Park Idea by Ronald F. Lee (1973)