[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 156 (Monday, November 8, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14283-S14284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SENATE PASSAGE OF IMPORTANT HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEASURES

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed 
much needed legislation to protect some of America's most threatened 
historic sites, the Vicksburg Campaign Trail and the Corinth 
battlefield. S. 710, the Vicksburg Campaign Trail Battlefields 
Preservation Act of 1999, is a bipartisan measure that authorizes a 
feasibility study on the preservation of Civil War battlefields and 
related sites in the four states along the Vicksburg Campaign Trail. As 
my colleagues know, Vicksburg served as a gateway to the Mississippi 
River during the Civil War. The 18-month campaign for the ``Gibraltar 
of the Confederacy'' included over 100,000 soldiers and involved a 
number of skirmishes and major battles in Mississippi, Arkansas, 
Louisiana, and Tennessee. The Mississippi Heritage Trust and the 
National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Vicksburg Campaign 
Trail as being among the most threatened sites in the State and the 
Nation. S. 710 would begin the process of preserving the important 
landmarks in the four State region that warrant further protection. I 
appreciate the cosponsorship of Chairman Murkowski, Chairman Thomas, 
and Senators Landrieu, Breaux, Cochran, Hutchinson, and Craig on this 
measure.
  The Senate also approved S. 1117, the Corinth Battlefield 
Preservation Act of 1999, a measure that establishes the Corinth Unit 
of the Shiloh National Military Park. The battle of Shiloh was actually 
part of the Union Army's overall effort to seize Corinth. This small 
town was important to both the Confederacy and the Union. Corinth's 
railway was vitally important to both sides as it served as a gateway 
for moving troops and supplies north and south, east and west. The 
overall campaign led to some of the bloodiest battles in the Western 
theater. In an effort to protect the city, Southern forces built a 
series of earthworks and fortifications, many of which remain, at least 
for now, in pristine condition. Unfortunately, the National Park 
Service in its ``Profiles of America's Most Threatened Civil War 
Battlefields,'' concluded that many of the sites associated with the 
siege of Corinth are threatened.
  S. 1117 would give Corinth its proper place in American history by 
formally linking the city's battlefield sites with the Shiloh National 
Military Park. I

[[Page S14284]]

thank Senators Robb, Cochran, and Jeffords for cosponsoring this 
measure. I also express my appreciation to Chairman Thomas for his ever 
vigilant efforts on parks legislation, and in particular, for moving 
both the Vicksburg Campaign Trail and Corinth battlefield bills 
forward. I take this opportunity to recognize Chairman Murkowski for 
his continued stewardship over the Senate Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee.
  Mr. President, I also want to recognize Ken P'Pool, Deputy State 
Historic Preservation Officer for Mississippi; Rosemary Williams, 
chairman of the Siege and Battle of Corinth Commission; John Sullivan, 
president of the Friends of the Vicksburg Campaign and Historic Trail; 
and Terry Winschel and Woody Harrell of the U.S. Park Service for their 
support and guidance on these important preservation measures. Lastly, 
I recognize several staff members including Randy Turner, Jim O'Toole, 
and Andrew Lundquist from the Senate Energy Committee, Darcie Tomasallo 
from Senate Legislative Counsel, and Stan Harris, Angel Campbell, 
Steven Wall, Jim Sartucci, and Steven Apicella from my office, for 
their efforts to preserve Mississippi's and America's historic 
resources. Mr. President, as a result of the Senate's action today, our 
children will be better able to understand and appreciate the full 
historic, social, and economic impact of the Vicksburg Campaign Trail 
and the Siege and Battle of Corinth.

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