Senators introduce bill to add acreage to Petersburg National Battlefield

Virginia’s two U.S. senators are looking to secure more than 7,000 acres for the Petersburg National Battlefield, an addition that would make it the largest Civil War battlefield in the country.

U.S. Sens. Timothy M. Kaine and Mark R. Warner, both Democrats, have introduced legislation that would allow the U.S. National Park Service to acquire the land.

The bill would allow the secretary of the Interior to obtain the land “from willing sellers only, by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, exchange or transfer.”

The bill also allows for a small land transfer between Fort Lee and the battlefield.

In 2011, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, introduced similar legislation that failed to gain traction.

“This legislation will preserve the story of one of the Civil War’s most decisive engagements, the Siege of Petersburg, while aiding the local economy and boosting regional historic tourism,” Kaine said in a statement Wednesday.

Warner noted that the battlefield “draws visitors from all across the country and adds $11 million annually into the Petersburg economy.”

The park is currently about 2,500 acres.

In 2005, the National Park Service recommended modifying the Petersburg National Battlefield to include 7,238 acres “of significant core battlefield land,” according to Warner’s office.

That includes the site of 18 major battles during the Civil War that are in danger of being lost to development.

“These sites are not currently protected within the National Battlefield and have been identified by the Civil War Trust as one of the most endangered group of historic battlefields in the country,” Warner’s office said in the statement.       

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