[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
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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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