[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 61 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H3212-H3214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS STUDY

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 298) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a special resource study to evaluate the significance of the 
Mill Springs Battlefield located in Pulaski and Wayne Counties, 
Kentucky, and the feasibility of its inclusion in the National Park 
System, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 298

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS STUDY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
       (1) In 1994, the Mills Springs Battlefield in Pulaski and 
     Wayne Counties in Kentucky was designated as a National 
     Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior.
       (2) The Battle of Mill Springs was the first significant 
     Union victory in the western theater of the Civil War.
       (3) The outcome of the Battle of Mill Springs, along with 
     Union victories at Fort Henry and

[[Page H3213]]

     Fort Donelson paved the way for a major battle at Shiloh, 
     Tennessee.
       (4) In 1991, the National Park Service placed the Mill 
     Springs Battlefield on a list of endangered battlefields, 
     noting the impact of this battle to the course of the Civil 
     War.
       (5) In 1992, the Mill Springs Battlefield Association 
     formed, and utilizing Federal, State, and local support has 
     managed to preserve important tracts of the battlefield, 
     construct an interactive visitor center, and educate the 
     public about this historic event.
       (6) There is strong community interest in incorporating the 
     Mill Springs Battlefield into the National Park Service.
       (7) The Mill Springs Battlefield Association has expressed 
     its desire to give the preserved battlefield as a gift to the 
     United States.
       (b) Definitions.--For purposes of this Act:
       (1) Mill springs battlefield.--The term ``Mill Springs 
     Battlefield'' means the area encompassed by the National 
     Historic Landmark designations relating to the 1862 Battle of 
     Mill Springs located in the counties of Pulaski and Wayne in 
     Kentucky.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.
       (c) Study.--Not later than 3 years from the date funds are 
     made available, the Secretary shall conduct a special 
     resource study to evaluate the significance of the Mill 
     Springs Battlefield in Kentucky, and the feasibility of its 
     inclusion in the National Park System.
       (d) Criteria for Study.--The Secretary shall conduct the 
     study authorized by this Act in accordance with 8(b) of 
     Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(b)).
       (e) Content of Study.--The study shall include an analysis 
     of the following:
       (1) The significance of the Battle of Mill Springs to the 
     outcome of the Civil War.
       (2) Opportunities for public education about the Civil War 
     in Kentucky.
       (3) Operational issues that should be considered if the 
     National Park System were to incorporate the Mill Springs 
     Battlefield.
       (4) The feasibility of administering the Mill Springs 
     Battlefield considering its size, configuration, and other 
     factors, to include an annual cost estimate.
       (5) The economic, educational, and other impacts the 
     inclusion of Mill Springs Battlefield into the National Park 
     System would have on the surrounding communities in Pulaski 
     and Wayne Counties.
       (6) The effect of the designation of the Mill Springs 
     Battlefield as a unit of the National Park System on--
       (A) existing commercial and recreational activities, 
     including by not limited to hunting, fishing, and 
     recreational shooting, and on the authorization, 
     construction, operation, maintenance, or improvement of 
     energy production and transmission infrastructure; and
       (B) the authority of State and local governments to manage 
     those activities.
       (7) The identification of any authorities, including 
     condemnation, that will compel or permit the Secretary to 
     influence or participate in local land use decisions (such as 
     zoning) or place restrictions on non-Federal lands if the 
     Mill Springs Battlefield is designated a unit of the National 
     Park System.
       (f) Notification of Private Property Owners.--Upon 
     commencement of the study, owners of private property 
     adjacent to the battlefield will be notified of the study's 
     commencement and scope.
       (g) Submission of Report.--Upon completion of the study, 
     the Secretary shall submit a report on the findings of the 
     study to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives and to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources of the Senate.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) each 
will control 20 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. At this time, I yield whatever time he may 
consume to the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Hal Rogers.
  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.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would congratulate the gentleman from Kentucky on his eloquent 
description of Mill Springs and its significance in our history in the 
Civil War. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993, but 
the gentleman

[[Page H3214]]

makes an eloquent case that it should be upgraded from a National 
Historic Landmark to look at as a part of the National Park System.
  This bill would allow the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
special resource study in anticipation of making this a part of the 
National Park System. And I want to congratulate the gentleman on his 
advocacy and thank him for his dedication to protecting and promoting 
this resource.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).
  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, and I would like to 
thank the gentleman from my home State, Mr. Rogers, for his advocacy of 
this important issue, and I appreciate Mr. Young yielding me some time 
to talk about this legislation that I am proud to cosponsor, which 
would study the feasibility of including the historic Mill Springs 
Battlefield within the National Park System.
  Perhaps nowhere more than the Commonwealth of Kentucky does the maxim 
that the Civil War ``pit brother against brother'' ring truer. While it 
never seceded, a slaveholding Kentucky had rival Union and Confederate 
governments and was represented by the central star of the Stars and 
Bars. It is no exaggeration to say that Kentucky families and 
communities were often split along blue and gray lines.
  A border State at the nexus of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, 
Kentucky was of vital strategic importance to both the Union and 
Confederate causes. As Chairman Rogers pointed out, President Abraham 
Lincoln noted, ``I hope to have God on my side, but I must have 
Kentucky.'' The loss of the Commonwealth would have been a significant 
blow to the cause of keeping the Union intact.

  Both sides recognized this, and so in the first 2 years of the war, 
some of the bloodiest fighting occurred in the Commonwealth. Major 
hostilities in the Bluegrass State were bookended by the Union 
victories at Mill Springs in January 1862, which largely ended the 
Confederacy's eastern Kentucky offensive, and the Battle of Perryville 
in October of that year, which ended the Confederacy's hope of victory 
in the Kentucky Campaign.
  The Battle of Mill Springs is notable not only as the first major 
battle and Union victory in Kentucky, but also the first battle of the 
Western Theater in which a Confederate general--Brigadier General Felix 
Kirk Zollicoffer--would be killed in action.
  Inclement weather the night before the battle had slowed the 
Confederate infiltration of the area costing them the benefit of a 
surprise attack. Despite early success by Confederate troops, a Union 
rally in the fog and gun smoke that clouded the dense woods sowed 
confusion and disarray among the rebels.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of New York). The time of the 
gentleman has expired.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.
  Mr. BARR. I thank the gentleman.
  As the Confederate lines fell back, Brigadier General Zollicoffer was 
separated and mistakenly approached the 4th Kentucky Infantry and, 
believing them to be his own troops, was cut down.
  The result of the battle of Mill Springs was a hasty retreat by 
Confederate forces across the Cumberland River back into Tennessee. In 
hindsight, it was the last opportunity for the Confederacy to gain a 
foothold in eastern Kentucky. For the Union Army, which had been 
humiliated at the Battle of First Manassas in the summer of 1861, the 
battle was its first major victory of the war and a needed boost to 
morale.
  In 1991, the National Park System placed Mill Springs Battlefield on 
its list of the Most Endangered Battlefields. Today, thanks to the 
coordinated efforts of the Mill Springs Battlefield Association and 
several other public and private organizations, the battlefield has 
been largely restored and now offers walking and driving tours, as well 
as a 10,000-square-foot visitor center and museum.
  H.R. 298 is an important step to recognize and build upon the good 
work of these organizations and passionate Civil War history 
enthusiasts from eastern Kentucky and throughout the country. While the 
feasibility study would only be a first step in the process, inclusion 
in the National Park System would help ensure that the story of Mill 
Springs and the battlefield itself are preserved and maintained for 
future generations and that the memories and sacrifices of the fallen 
are never forgotten.
  Again, I commend Chairman Rogers on his efforts to preserve this 
piece of American and Kentucky history, and I am a proud cosponsor of 
H.R. 298.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I have no requests for further speakers, so I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 298, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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