Robert Torricelli: “I would like to thank the many Senators who have demonstrated a commitment to historic Civil War battlefield…”

“I would like to thank the many Senators who have demonstrated a commitment to historic Civil War battlefield preservation which culminated in this amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill that directs $10 million be made available for matching grants to States and local communities for Civil War Battlefield preservation. Battlefield preservation is essential to allow current and future generations to experience the powerful lessons these places convey about the past, present, and future of the United States. A battlefield's landscape speaks beyond written accounts and motion picture and television recreations. The remarkable story of our country's struggle for independence cannot be compellingly told or wholly understood without these sites. The need to protect these sites of heroism and sacrifice has never been more acute. Today, residential, commercial, and industrial development threaten significant battle sites in many states. A Congressional study of the nation's Civil War sites completed in 1993, found that 20% of the most important sites had already been lost and an additional 50% would be lost in the next ten years without concerted action.”