National military park

File:Vicksburg-illinois-memorial.jpg

Vicksburg National Military Park, Illinois Memorial

File:Kennesaw mountain cannon01.jpg

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

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...."

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	Area	Conflict	Battle(s)	Website
Antietam	File:Antietam Bloody Lane.JPG	Maryland Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Antietam	[1]
Big Hole	File:Big Hole Battlefield.jpg	Montana Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Nez Perce War of the Indian Wars	The Big Hole	[2]
Brices Cross Roads	File:BricesCrossroads2010.jpg	Mississippi Template:Coords	NBS	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Brice's Cross Roads	[3]
Chickamauga and Chattanooga	File:Cannon Row.jpg	Georgia, Tennessee Template:Coords	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Chickamauga Chattanooga	[4]
Cowpens	File:Cowpens National Battlefield - wilderness road and fence.jpg	South Carolina Template:Coords	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Revolutionary War	Cowpens	[5]
Fort Donelson	File:Fort Donelson river battery (1).jpg	Tennessee, Kentucky Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Fort Donelson Fort Henry	[6]
Fort Necessity	File:Fort Necessity 101114.jpg	Pennsylvania Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	French and Indian War	Fort Necessity	[7]
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania	File:Sunken Road Restored 2004 Section in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg	Virginia Template:Coords	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Fredericksburg Chancellorsville The Wilderness Spotsylvania Court House	[8]
Gettysburg	File:High Water Mark - Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg Battlefield.jpg	Pennsylvania Template:Coords	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Gettysburg	[9]
Guilford Courthouse	File:Signers Monument Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.JPG	North Carolina Template:Coords	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Revolutionary War	Guilford Court House	[10]
Horseshoe Bend	File:Battlefield overview, Horseshoe Bend NMP.jpg	Alabama Template:Coords	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Creek War of the Indian Wars	Horseshoe Bend	[11]
Kennesaw Mountain	File:Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Cobb County, GA, US (24).jpg	Georgia Template:Coords	NBP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Kennesaw Mountain	[12]
Kings Mountain	File:Kings Mountain National Military Park, April 2015 - path and obelisk in trees.JPG	South Carolina Template:Coord	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Revolutionary War	Kings Mountain	[13]
Manassas	File:Fence at Manassas Battlefield, VA IMG 4330.JPG	Virginia Template:Coord	NBP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	First Manassas Second Manassas	[14]
Monocacy	File:BestFarmMonocacy.jpg	Maryland Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Monocacy	[15]
Moores Creek	File:MOCR earthworks 0948.jpg	North Carolina Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Revolutionary War	Moore's Creek Bridge	[16]
Pea Ridge	File:Pea Ridge Battleground.jpg	Arkansas Template:Coord	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Pea Ridge	[17]
Petersburg	File:Restored entrance to mine, Petersburg VA.jpg	Virginia Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Petersburg campaign	[18]
Richmond	File:Malvern Hill, Civil War Battlefield, RIchmond National Battlefield - Stierch.jpg	Virginia Template:Coord	NBP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Peninsula campaign and the Seven Days Battles Overland campaign Petersburg campaign	[19]
River Raisin	File:River Raisin National Battlefield Park.jpg	Michigan Template:Coord	NBP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	War of 1812	Frenchtown	[20]
Shiloh	File:Sunken Road, Shiloh National Military Park.JPG	Tennessee, Mississippi Template:Coord	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Shiloh	[21]
Stones River	File:6-pounder Wiard cannon at Stones River National Battlefield.jpg	Tennessee Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Stones River	[22]
Tupelo	File:Tupelo NBS Monument.jpg	Mississippi Template:Coord	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Tupelo	[23]
Vicksburg	File:Monument to U.S. Grant at Vicksburg National Military Park.jpg	Mississippi, Louisiana Template:Coord	NMP	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Vicksburg campaign	[24]
Wilson's Creek	File:Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.jpg	Missouri Template:Coords	NB	Template:Dts	Template:Cvt	Civil War	Wilson's Creek	[25]

Other battlefields in the National Park System

National Memorials

• 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 Monuments

• 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 Islands Heritage 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 Parks

• 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 Sites

• 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

Affiliated areas

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 also

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

External links

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