Foundation Awarded Grant to Help Preserve “The Coaling” at Port Republic

DHR Announces 2022 Virginia Battlefield Preservation Grants

–General Assembly allotted $500,000 for battlefield preservation in 2022–

–Rockingham County Tract Awarded-

The Department of Historic Resources announced that grants from this year’s Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund will protect 107 acres in Rockingham county.

The General Assembly established the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund (VBPF) in 2010, and authorized the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) to administer the fund by evaluating and disbursing grant awards to eligible recipients. DHR determined this year’s selections through a rigorous evaluation process, after receiving more grant applications than the 2022 fund of $500,000 can support.

“The preservation of these significant battlefields advances Virginia’s goals of increasing historic preservation and land conservation,” said Travis A. Voyles, Acting Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, “and advances our reputation as a destination for those seeking to connect with our nation’s history.”

Based on DHR’s recommendations, the Commonwealth awarded a VBPF grant to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

The Battlefields Foundation will use the VBPF grants to leverage private matching donations to preserve land associated with the Battle of Port Republic in Rockingham County, known as “The Coaling”.

“The award of these funds demonstrates the Commonwealth’s continued commitment to the preservation of historic battlefield properties and expands opportunities for heritage tourism and outdoor recreation,” said Julie V. Langan, DHR Director.

In accordance with VBPF stipulations, organizations that receive battlefield grants must donate an easement to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources for any acreage acquired with the state grants. The perpetual easements restrict or prohibit development of the land and contain provisions protecting historic, archaeological, and battlefield landscape resources on the property, among others.

In selecting the awards, DHR considered each battlefield’s significance and ranking in Congress’s
“Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields,” issued in 1993 and subsequently updated. Additionally, DHR weighed factors in the grant applications such as the proximity of a battlefield parcel to already protected lands; the threat of encroaching development that could transform a parcel’s historic look and feel at the time of a battle; and the potential for education, recreation, research, or heritage tourism in connection with a battlefield tract.

Using these criteria, DHR will disburse $200,000 to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation for acquisition of 107 acres of land in Rockingham County known as “The Coaling” at the Port Republic Battlefield.

About the Battle:

Port Republic: On June 9, 1862, after a victory at Cross Keys, Gen. Thomas J. Jackson turned towards Federal forces east of the village of Port Republic. The battle centered on a 70-foot high open ridge known locally as the “The Coaling”, as it was the site of a charcoaling operation. Although initial Confederate assaults were repulsed, Gen. Richard Taylor’s Louisiana brigade ultimately captured the Union artillery. Taylor’s renowned “Louisiana Tigers” moved through the woods west of the Edwards Tracts to assault The Coaling. The crest of hilltop saw intense fire as Federal batteries under Gen. Erastus Tyler attacked the charging Louisianans. Both sides seized and retook possession of the heights in a series of charges and countercharges. Reinforcements from Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s division arrived and the Confederates permanently drove the Federals from their position on the high ground. The victory at Port Republic allowed Jackson to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains and join the main force of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army near Richmond.

The Foundation intends to install a publicly accessible interpretative trail across the property which will have a positive community impact. The tract adjoins other SVBF-owned properties associated with the Battle of Port Republic, and will create a contiguous corridor of over 325 acres of conserved historic landscape.

Battery Heights Lane on “The Coaling”