In Our View: Protect battlefield

May 02, 2008 10:57 am

— A bill by U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt authorizing the National Park Service to study the Newtonia Civil War battlefields to determine their worthiness for protection recently cleared the House and Senate. Now it’s up to President Bush to sign it. We urge him to do so.
The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission ranked the 1864 Newtonia battle as an important one for the country, classifying it a “Class B” battlefield, meaning it had a direct and decisive influence on a campaign. In this case, it was the invasion of Missouri by Sterling Price and his soldiers. Other battlefields similarly ranked — Brice’s Crossroads in Mississippi, Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia, Monocacy in Maryland — have federal protection. And funding.
Newtonia, which also was the site of an 1862 battle, is one of the best surviving places to remind future generations about the sacrifice and suffering of the soldiers and residents who lived through the Civil War west of the Mississippi.
Our thanks to Roy Blunt and the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association for leading the charge.
Now, on to Richmond.