By Derek Spellman

dspellman@joplinglobe.com

NEWTONIA, Mo. — A bill that aims to determine the best way to preserve the Newtonia Civil War battlefields is headed to President Bush after securing final congressional approval Wednesday.

The bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, authorizes the National Park Service to conduct a study to determine if the Newtonia sites could be made a separate unit of the park service or brought under the management of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield near Springfield. The bill was a piece of larger legislation that passed the House on Wednesday by a margin of 291-117. It passed in the Senate several weeks ago.

Kay Hively, a founding member of the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association, called the bill’s passage “wonderful news.” She did note that the bill authorizes the study but does not necessarily provide the funding for it. Officials from the National Park Service previously estimated that such a study would cost $250,000 to $300,000.

The Battlefields Protection Association has not taken an official position on whether the Newtonia site should be its own independent unit or part of Wilson’s Creek, Hively said. She personally thinks the latter would be the better option, at least for the time being.

“I think that would be a great way to go, myself,” she said.

Being part of Wilson’s Creek would provide access to historians, maintenance crews and biologists to help with preservation efforts, but it wouldn’t preclude future designation as a separate unit in the park system.

Hively said many forget that Wilson’s Creek started out as a unit of George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond before it became independent.

For more than a decade, the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association has led efforts to preserve the battlefields. Those efforts included purchasing 11 acres and the two-story Ritchey Mansion, which served as a headquarters and a field hospital during both battles at Newtonia.

Back into history

The first battle at Newtonia in 1862 saw American Indian units fight on both sides. The 1864 battle was one of the last ones fought in Missouri. About 350 soldiers were killed or wounded in 1862, and 650 casualties were reported in the 1864 battle.