Trust Acquires Section of Shepherdstown Battlefield

The Civil War Trust has acquired another section of a Civil War battlefield in Shepherdstown.

Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association president Edward Dunleavy says the 2.72-acre tract is contiguous to a core area of the battlefield.

Dunleavy tells The Journal that his group contributed $6,500 toward the trust’s $202,000 acquisition.

The National Park Service has said it wants to expand Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland to include about 500 acres of the Shepherdstown battlefield, which is about 5 miles from Antietam.

The Battle of Shepherdstown was fought Sept. 19-20, 1862. It began two days after the Union victory at Antietam, when federal troops crossed the Potomac River to capture Southern artillery pieces.

The Civil War Trust’s website shows the group has preserved more than 300 acres of the battlefield.