(WHSV) The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation has announced the preservation of 107 acres of “The Coaling” on the Port Republic battlefield. The Coaling, one of the most well-known Civil War battlefield sites in the Valley, was a critical position during the Battle of Port Republic, the final battle of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s legendary Valley Campaign.
The area had been divided into building lots and was on the cusp of being developed, but after 6 years of hard work, the site of fierce fighting has been preserved and will pave the way for new trails and markers, according to the Battlefields Foundation. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation said the total cost of the project was $1,555,000, and funding came from private funds, the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund, and the American Battlefield Protection Program.
“This is a great victory for…