“I join Edwin C. Bearss in admiration of Timothy B. Smith's fine book. These Civil War battlefields contain layers of memory, built upon this “Golden Age” of preservation, when veterans navigated the complex world of preservation politics to inscribe their memories on these grounds. It is a fascinating story, told well.”  -Edward T. Linenthal, author of Sacred Ground: Americans and ... Read moreTheir Battlefields. “As the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War fast approaches, a grateful nation is experiencing a renaissance of battlefield preservation to secure for posterity those once  bloody, now hallowed, fields where Americans in blue and gray struggled and forged a nation in the crucible of war. Modern preservationist will hail the release of this work which documents with passion, power, and clarity, the efforts of  those veterans that resulted in the establishment by Congress of five of the more significant battlefields as national military parks. May it also further serve to inspire the current and future generations of Americans to revere those who serve with similar gratitude and appreciation for their selfless devotion to duty.”  -Terrence A. Winschel, author of the two-volume Triumph and Defeat: The Vicksburg Campaign “Tim Smith has done it again!  He has given Civil War battlefield addicts another well-researched and richly detailed study. While focusing on the creation and preservation of battlefields, cemeteries, and monuments, Smith leads us on a complex tour of nationalism and reconciliation, racism, perceptions of honor, egos, politics, vandals, and even Supreme Court decisions.  Crafted with Smith's most friendly writing style, Golden Age of Battlefield Preservation is essential reading for students of the Civil War and historic preservationists alike.”  -Dwight T. Pitcaithley, former chief historian of the National Park Service Show Less