An additional 51 acres of preserved land has been added to the Resaca Battlefield in Georgia.
The Civil War Trust, along with the Georgia Battlefields Association and the Friends of Resaca Battlefield, purchased the land for $153,000 on Tuesday from the Trust for Public Land, which initially purchased it in 2008 to prevent a bank foreclosure.
The acquisition of the land was "completely friendly," Civil War Trust spokeswoman Mary Koik said. In 2011, the Civil War Trust worked with the Trust for Public Land on a conservation project for the 474-acre swath of the Resaca Battlefield, she said.
"This is step one for public access and interpretation," Koik said. "The whole idea is that you can read a book, or watch a documentary, but to get out and be on the land gives you a deeper understanding."
The Civil War Trust will work to protect the land, located in Gordon County, where the Battle of Resaca was fought from May 13 to 15, 1864. The site also contains the location of Capt. Max van den Corput's battery, whose four guns were captured by Union troops during one of the most pivotal moments of the battle.
The Civil War Trust, the nation's largest battlefield preservation organization, will deed the property to Gordon County, Koik said.
This acquisition is a "happy outcome" for a property that was "once endangered," said Rick Wood, the director of the Trust for Public Land's Tennessee Office.
"I know that with Gordon County overseeing this property, local residents and visitors alike will gain newfound understanding of its history," he said in a statement.
The Georgia Battlefields Association was able to fund nearly half of the land's purchase "thanks to the extraordinary gift of a major donor," President Charlie Crawford said in a statement.
The donation allowed the association to contribute $75,000 to the acquisition, Koik said.
Friends of Resaca also contributed $3,000 to the purchase, marking the latest step in the battlefield's renaissance, President Ken Padgett said.
"The last several years have been exciting one for us at Resaca," he said in a statement. "We know that with such a solid foundation and dedicated partners, many more successes are yet to come."