Tennessee Wars Commission’s Preservation Efforts Recognized by the American Battlefield Trust

The Wars Commission was honored with the American Battlefield Trust’s preservation leadership award this spring at the culminating banquet of the Trust’s 2023 annual conference held this year in Franklin, Tennessee. The Program Director, Nina Scall and Executive Director Patrick McIntyre Jr. were presented with the Brian C. Pohanka Preservation Organization Award for the Wars Commission’s dedicated work in helping to advance the study of military history, battlefield preservation, and interpretation efforts in Tennessee.

The Preservation Organization Award is named after the late Brian Pohanka, a lauded historian and a founding member of the modern battlefield preservation movement. “For more than two decades, the Trust has used its awards program to recognize individuals and groups for their unwavering support in protecting tangible links to our history” noted ABT representatives. Together, the Wars Commission and the Trust have preserved thousands of acres across the state and worked to administer grants related to interpretation and restoration efforts. The Wars Commission continues to collaborate with preservation partners and stakeholders to preserve, protect, and restore battlefields and historic sites in Tennessee related to conflicts in the 18th and 19th centuries — including the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, Mexican-American War, War of 1812, and the Civil War.

“Bringing people closer to Tennessee’s wartime stories, and the many perspectives they encompass, provides pathways to understanding the great depth of the Volunteer State’s past,” said Wars Commission Program Director Nina Scall. "It is an honor for the Tennessee Wars Commission to be recognized by the American Battlefield Trust — who we’ve partnered with on numerous occasions — for the extensive work we partake in to protect and uplift these precious pieces of Tennessee’s military heritage.”

The American Battlefield Trust began as a grassroots organization founded by historians over 35 years ago and has evolved into the preservation powerhouse it is today. The Trust has grown into the largest non-profit battlefield preservation organization in America. Their mission focuses on preserving hallowed ground associated with the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War by collaborating with State and Federal agencies to purchase endangered lands as well as to educate the public about what happened there and why it matters.