Activities 

 Who we are

Georgia Battlefields Association (GBA) is a private, non-profit organization established in March 1995 for the purpose of preserving Georgia's Civil War battlefields.  The Internal Revenue Service recognizes GBA as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3).  To see our latest IRS letter, click here.    

· GBA contributed $25,000, the entire cost, to purchase 7 acres containing Confederate infantry and artillery earthworks on Potato Hill in Crow Valley, north of Dalton. The land was donated to Whitfield County for use as a public park.

· GBA contributed $15,000 to purchase an adjoining 4 acres on Potato Hill, north of Dalton. The land was donated to Whitfield County for use as a public park.

· GBA contributed $50,000 towards the cost of a conservation easement on 473.48 acres of the Resaca Battlefield.

· GBA contributed $75,000, almost half the cost, towards the outright purchase of 51.02 acres at Resaca. This parcel contains the earthworks of the Confederate artillery battery commanded by Captain van den Corput and captured by the Federals on 15 May 1864.

· GBA contributed $45,000 towards the purchase of properties at Reed’s Bridge, part of the Chickamauga battlefield.

· GBA contributed $10,000 towards restoration of the Walker and McPherson monuments in Atlanta.

· GBA assisted the Georgia Historical Society in its efforts to install new historical markers, specifically in conjunction with the Civil War Sesquicentennial. GBA helped pay for the production of the markers and also helped prepare the texts.
Ten markers were installed.

   · African-American Soldiers in Combat - Dalton

   · The Battles for Atlanta - Atlanta

   · Georgia's Secession Convention - Milledgeville

   · General Cleburne's Proposal to Arm Slaves - Dalton

   · History of Emancipation: Special Field Orders No. 15 - Savannah

   · Birthplace of John C. Fremont - Savannah

   · General Montgomery C. Meigs, U.S.A. - Augusta

   · William Clayton Fain: Georgia Unionist - Blue Ridge

   · The March to the Sea - Atlanta

   · The March to the Sea - Savannah

· From February 2006 through July 2020, the GBA newsletter featured “150 years ago this month” articles chronicling the events leading up to secession, the outbreak of conflict, the course of the war, and reconstruction, especially as they affected Georgia.

· GBA was represented on the state of Georgia’s Civil War Sesquicentennial steering committee.

· GBA assisted Atlanta History Center in the “War in Our Backyards” exhibit that opened in August 2010 and ran through October 2011. The exhibit demonstrated how much of Atlanta’s history has been overrun by growth of the city and allowed people to see if their own backyards were part of the action. A "War in Our Backyards" kiosk is now part of the permanent exhibit of the Atlanta Cyclorama at the Atlanta History Center.

· In January 2010, GBA assisted the U.S. Forest Service in a field survey of sites (Dug Gap, Snake Creek Gap, and Ship’s Gap) on Forest Service land in northwest Georgia. 

· In conjunction with the National Park Service, GBA provided comments opposing a proposed cell phone tower near Davis’s Crossroads.

· In June 2010, GBA commented formally on a Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) plan to modify the I-285 interchange at Atlanta Road. The work will affect a trench related to the River Line. GBA’s participation in this effort grew into consultation on a larger GDOT project known as the Metro Atlanta Civil War Context Study. GBA attended a 24 August 2010 meeting and followed-up with a written response to the study proposal. A discussion with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) representative participating in the meeting led to expanded GBA participation in ARC’s Regionally Important Resources initiative which began in 2009. GDOT subsequently solicited GBA’s comments on a plan to build a high speed rail line from Chattanooga to the Atlanta airport. GBA expressed concern about the numerous sites in this corridor, listing several of the more significant sites and recounting the detrimental impact already made by construction of I-75 and residential development. GBA advocated for a convergence of national (ABPP), state (GDOT), and regional (ARC) listings of Georgia’s Civil War sites so that a common database may prevent the possibility of sites being overlooked in any plan. Working from the national listing (CWS II) as a core and augmenting it with the results of prior site surveys and studies should lessen the potential danger.

· Worked with other preservation organizations to install historical markers.

   · September 2009: River Line Park on Oakdale Road in Smyrna

   · December 2008: Approach to Atlanta & Peachtree Creek at Piedmont West

   · September 2007: Shoupade Park on the River Line

   · May 2007: Dallas 27 May 1864 & 28 May 1864

   · October 2006: River Line Hill in Smyrna

   · April 2006: Evacuation of Atlanta at Mill Town Lofts

   · September 2005: Battle of Atlanta at Inman Park Village

   · July 2004: Battle of Atlanta at Freedom Park and Inman Park

· Provided volunteer staff at Civil War Trust annual conferences.

· Published monthly newsletter relating to preservation of Georgia's Civil War sites.

· Monitored status of threatened sites.

· Provided expertise to other preservation groups and news media.

· Attended Georgia House of Representatives Committee meeting in support of legislation to prevent disturbance of archaeological sites.

· Testified before Georgia Senate committee on Electric Transmission Line location.

· Participated as a stakeholder in the Chickamauga National Park Transportation Study.

· Helped Grant Park Conservancy and River Line Historic Area apply for American Battlefield Protection Program grants.

· Appeared at county rezoning hearings to argue for preservation of earthworks threatened by development.

· Provided written comments on proposed state legislation that would weaken the requirement for archaeological surveys prior to major road projects.

· Sent letter to Smyrna City Council to advocate preservation of Shoupade fortification.

· Raise funds for and coordinate the purchase of 18.5 acres of the Griswoldville battlefield. GBA deeded the site to Department of Natural Resources, which established a state park.

· Influence the state government to buy over 500 acres of the Resaca battlefield in 2000.

· Help a Cobb County neighborhood association prevent placement of a convenience store near the Kolb Farm, a unit of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Through both a $5,000 pledge and a publicity campaign, GBA influenced the Cobb County Commission to purchase 4.2 acres that were then deeded to the National Park Service in 2003.

· Persuade the Cobb County Commission to set aside 4 acres of a proposed 154-unit housing development to protect unique fortifications known as Shoupades. Today, a small park contains the remnants of two of these forts, as well as a supporting artillery site. GBA provided the text and graphics for the four historical markers.

· Contribute $20,000 to add land to Kettle Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield.

· Arrange for $617,000 donation towards American Battlefield trust purchase of property contiguous to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

· Formally comment on proposals to build houses, roads, cell phone towers, and power lines that might affect historic sites.

GBA also owns and maintains 4.7 acres of the New Hope Church battlefield.

To achieve its preservation objectives, GBA must first raise awareness of the existence and status of historic sites in Georgia. To accomplish this goal, GBA has:

· Given over 160 presentations about the history of Civil War sites and their preservation status.

· Conducted over 100 tours of Civil War sites.

· Designed and installed a dozen historical markers since July 2004.

· Given interviews in support of preservation to local and national media.

GBA does all this without government funding. GBA raises money almost exclusively from membership dues and from conducting tours its members pay to attend. GBA has no paid staff. The GBA trustees are all volunteers, and their only compensation is the satisfaction of working for a worthwhile cause.