Nearly $2 million will be invested in preserving more than 300 acres of historic Civil War battlefield land in Gordon and Whitfield counties through a new Georgia preservation program.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has announced the approval of two grants totaling $945,475 through the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund Program. Combined with approximately $980,000 in matching funds, the grants will support an investment of about $1.9 million in protecting historically significant property at the Resaca Battlefield.

The grants are being awarded to the American Battlefield Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving historic battlefields across the United States.

The larger grant, totaling $634,000, will help the organization acquire and permanently protect approximately 273 acres in Gordon and Whitfield counties. The property includes historic battlefield terrain, Confederate defensive earthworks and approximately 3,200 feet of frontage along Camp Creek.

A second grant of $311,475 will support the acquisition and preservation of approximately 30 additional acres in Gordon County.

The properties were part of the Battle of Resaca, fought May 13–15, 1864, during Union General William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. The battle involved thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers as Sherman’s forces advanced southward through Northwest Georgia toward Atlanta.

The American Battlefield Trust says the newly protected property faced potential development in recent years. An industrial rezoning effort involving the land was unsuccessful in early 2025, but preservation officials remained concerned about the possibility of future development.

The additional acreage will connect with other preserved portions of the battlefield, helping protect the historic landscape and creating potential opportunities for future public access.

The grants are the first awarded through the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund, established by the Georgia General Assembly in 2025 and named in honor of the legendary University of Georgia football coach.

Dooley, who led the Georgia Bulldogs to the 1980 national championship, was also a historian and longtime advocate for battlefield preservation. He served on the American Battlefield Trust’s Board of Trustees for a decade.

The new state program provides matching grants to nonprofit preservation organizations and state agencies for the acquisition and permanent protection of historically significant battlefield properties.

The American Battlefield Trust has already preserved more than 1,000 acres at Resaca. The latest acquisitions will expand those efforts while protecting land associated with one of the most significant Civil War battles fought in Northwest Georgia.

Sources: Georgia Department of Natural Resources, October 23, 2026; American Battlefield Trust, October 26, 2026.