Mansfield Battle Park Operation By Us Needed!
As
many of you know, we have enjoyed hunting in the Mansfield, Louisianna area for
many years. We have learned from the local battle park and museum there as well.
If you are like me, I have even donated many items that are now on display
at the museum. Below you will read of their problem of under funding and may
lose the site to coal mining in the area, if we all don't help. I ask you to
take this to your clubs, read it to all and decide to support the park by a
donation, which is tax deductible.
I
personally feel, this would be some great PR for our hobby and for your club.
Somewhere in the future, I'm going to request a gathering at the park for the
local paper to publish of all our clubs that have contributed to this, more
great PR even with the local residents.
We
have been working with museum officials for sometime now to allow our group into
the battle park itself to do a actual metal detecting survey for the state. Our
contributions in their 'time of need' I feel will go a long way in giving the
state faith in us to do such a survey. I ask each of you help with this either
individually or as a club.
Thank
You So Much,
Keith
R. Wills
(Below
is more information!)
Compatriots,
As you know the much of the
ground upon which the Battle of Mansfield was fought is in danger. Last Friday
NW Brigade Commander Porter Dowling met with Gary Joiner and local officials in
Mansfield to ascertain what the current status of the operation is. Gary Joiner
is a cartographer, Professor of History and as long been leading the efforts to
save the Battlefield. He is also a member of the Gen Richard Taylor Camp SCV. At
the present Commander Dowling is off line but will soon be putting out details
of what they found out. However he asked me to put out what interested parties
can do to take action now. A new organization has been formed for this
effort and is open to anyone who wishes to help preserve this historic ground..
Below you will find the contents of the application for Friends of Mansfield
Battlefield. You can join by printing out the information below, filling it out
and sending it in. Al the money collected will go toward the expenses involved
with saving the Battlefield. If you would like the actual application, please
email me and I can send it to as an attached Adobe PDF file. Please feel free to
send this on to whoever you think will be interested.
Chuck McMichael
Gen Richard Taylor Camp 1308
Cm4csa@sprynet.com
Friends of Mansfield Battlefield
The
Mansfield State Historic Site, just south of Mansfield, Louisiana, houses a
collection of Civil
War memorabilia and information on the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill as
well as the Red
River Campaign. However, the land held by the state at the park represents just
a small portion of
the actual battlefield. Like most historic sites in Louisiana outside South
Louisiana, this one is not
adequately funded.
The Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield, founded in 2003, is designated a 501(c
)3 nonprofit
organization by the Internal Revenue Service. Operated by a volunteer board of
directors, it is
dedicated to the preservation of the Mansfield Battlefield and sites in the Red
River Campaign of
the U.S. Civil War. Much of the Mansfield Battlefield is currently being
threatened by lignite
mining of the hallowed ground on which both Union and Confederate troops fought
and fell.
Join and Support Preservation Efforts
Join at the $100 level or higher level and you will be recognized in
publications of The Friends of
the Mansfield Battlefield. Please complete this form, retain a copy as a
receipt, and mail to:
Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield
P 0 Box 44144
Shreveport LA 71134-4144
E-Mail Concerns/Questions to: gdjoiner@bellsouth.net