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• Park Manassas National Battlefield Park Spectators and reporters competed for a good view of the first major battle between Union and Confederate soldiers at Manassas in July of 1861. Before the battle, most Americans thought the war would be one short skirmish; the deaths of 900 soldiers shocked the nation into realizing otherwise. Soldiers fought a second battle over the same fields at Manassas a year later that helped clear the way for Lee’s first invasion of the North. Today, visitors can take walking tours through the primary battlegrounds. There is also a 13-mile, self-guided driving tour of that stops at various locations, including Stone House Tavern, a structure that was used as a Union field hospital.
• Park Vicksburg National Military Park More than 100,000 troops waged battle on this Civil War site from March 29 until July 4, 1863 in a campaign that proved crucial to the Union victory. High atop the Mississippi River, Jefferson Davis referred to Vicksburg as “the nail head that held the South’s two halves together.” After a 41-day siege and Confederate surrender at Vicksburg, the town would not celebrate the Fourth of July for 81 years. Today, the park includes a 16-mile auto tour around the battlefield, the restored ironclad ship USS Cairo, and Vicksburg National Cemetery, the final resting place of 17,000 Civil War soldiers.
• Park Shiloh National Military Park Shiloh National Military Site is a stark reminder of the terrible cost of war. A total of 23,746 men were wounded, captured, or killed during the two-day Civil War battle of Shiloh in April 1862—more than were lost during the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, and the Mexican-American war combined. At the time, it was the worst battle in U.S. history. Yet eight costlier battles were yet to come in the war. The park encompasses the 5,000-acre battlefield, as well as 21 acres surrounding a railroad junction in Corinth, Mississippi, the site of a later siege. A 12.9-mile driving tour highlights 20 key sites; visitors can also watch films about the conflicts and explore exhibits about the implements of war.
• Park Harpers Ferry National Historical Park As a vital early American town, Harpers Ferry has been the site of a number of historical events. It was a point of supply for Meriwether Lewis’s Corps of Discovery, the site of John Brown’s abolitionist raid in 1859, a key Civil War battlefield, and the meeting place for the Niagara Movement, a 1906 gathering of civil rights leaders. Its position at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers not only set the stage for such historic events but also makes the park a haven for rare native plants.
• Magazine Article 'Harsh is Truth' Summer 2018 | By Melanie D.G. Kaplan In this divisive political era, is it possible for the Park Service to support contemporary art that grapples with hot-button issues from immigration to climate change? At these parks, the answer is yes.
• Magazine Article Behind the Cover Spring 2019 | By Annie Riker Illustrator and designer Annie Riker on how she created the centennial issue cover of National Parks magazine.
• Policy Update Position on NPS Director Nominee Oct 2018 NPCA submitted the following position to members of the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources ahead of a hearing scheduled for October 16, 2018.
• Blog Post The 10 National Park Sites with More Than 5 Million Recreational Visitors in 2017 Mar 2018 | By Jennifer Errick National parks continued to serve as popular tourist destinations in 2017, with dozens of sites seeing all-time highs in numbers of recreational visits. Here are the 10 most-visited places in the National Park System.
• Policy Update Position on H.R. 266, the FY19 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill Jan 2019 NPCA submitted the following position to members of the House of Representatives ahead of anticipated floor votes.
• Policy Update Position on Amendments to Senate Budget Resolution Mar 2015 NPCA submitted the following positions on amendments to the budget resolution under consideration by the Senate in March 2015.
• Magazine Article Lessons in Motion Summer 2018 | By Kate Siber Homeschooling on the road isn’t always easy, but enthusiasts say the big wide world — including national parks — is the best classroom.

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