Battle of Mill Springs Study

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the chairman for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, we have dozens of historic sites and landmarks that demonstrate our Nation's proud history to thousands of visitors every year. I am pleased that one of these sites is the Mill Springs Battlefield, which sits in my home county of Pulaski and my birth home county of Wayne, Kentucky. The bill we have before us would give the National Park Service 3 years to complete a study on including this historic battlefield into the National Park System.

The Battle of Mill Springs is a source of great pride and interest to my constituents especially. In late 1861, Confederate forces had advanced into Kentucky on its southern border, and on January 19, 1862, they launched an attack on the Union Army camp that was stationed at Logan's Crossroads, later to be called Mill Springs. After a heavy night of marching, the Confederate troops attacked but were driven back, with their commander, Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer, being killed in the fighting. In the confusion, the Union troops received reinforcements and were able to repel another Confederate attack, this time driving them back into Tennessee.

Although this battle did not generate the number of casualties seen at such battles as Antietam or Gettysburg, it was a critically important battle and one of the first major Union victories in the Civil War. As a border State in the conflict between the North and South, Kentucky sat at a dangerous and strategically critical crossroads, with both sides vying for control of its territory. In fact, President Lincoln has been quoted as saying, ``I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky.'' Victory in the Battle of Mill Springs held off the Confederate advance into Kentucky and laid the groundwork for later Union successes at Fort Donelson, in now Nashville, Tennessee, in February 1862, and at Shiloh, in April, under General Ulysses S. Grant.

Despite the importance of this battle, like many battlefields throughout the country, the site of the Battle of Mill Springs became threatened over the years by disrepair and development. In the early 1990s, the U.S. Department of the Interior classified the site of the Battle of Mill Springs as one of the most endangered battlefields in Kentucky. It might have slipped into the pages of history with no living monument to it had it not been for a group of concerned citizens in the community who came together in 1992 out of concern that the site would be lost forever.

Today, thanks to the Mill Springs Battlefield Association, along with determination from State and local officials and the Civil War Trust and the National Parks Conservation Association, hundreds of acres of battlefield land have been diligently preserved. Through a partnership of public and private funds, the association has constructed a fantastic 10,000-square-foot Mill Springs Battlefield Visitor Center and Museum, established interpretive signage, and led driving and walking tours of the battle. Above all, they have created a vibrant tourist attraction which hosts thousands of visitors and students each year, preserving the memory of this historic battle for generations to come. Periodically, Madam Speaker, there is a reenactment of the Battle of Mill Springs with thousands of participants from all across the country.

After years of work preserving this precious historic site, the Mill Springs Battlefield Association has expressed its desire to turn the site over to the National Park Service and the people of the United States so that the joy of learning and history will be enjoyed by many more people through the years. This bill, H.R. 298, will start this process by evaluating the feasibility of adopting this important site into the Park Service. I am proud to associate myself with this effort and to have this battlefield and generous group of citizens in my district.

Madam Speaker, our Nation has been truly blessed. We have a remarkable array of natural beauty which people from all over this country and the world flock to see. Additionally, we have a great number of historical sites which have been dutifully and faithfully preserved so that new generations can appreciate what this country has been through and what their forefathers cared for. The Mill Springs Battlefield is a jewel of this group and will be an excellent addition to the National Park Service.

I am proud of the work that they have done, and I look forward to many years of this site being an inspiring and educational attraction for our Nation. So I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.

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