9.6.2006
Washington, DC – A proposal by Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt to bring the Civil War battlefields at Newtonia, Missouri under the protection of the National Park Service will receive a hearing Thursday, September 7, 2006 by the House Resources Committee. Blunt’s bill, HR 5978, would authorize a study by the National Park Service to determine the feasibility of either creating a new Civil War park at Newtonia or bringing those battlefield lands under the management of the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield near Springfield.
Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (CA) said, "The Resources Committee wants to learn more about the unique role that the Newtonia Battlefields in Southwest Missouri play in Civil War history and the development pressures the battlefields now face. We will look at the Ritchey Mansion, which was used as headquarters and hospital in both battles, as well as the role of the Native American soldiers on both sides of the conflicts. I appreciate Majority Whip Roy Blunt's support for placing the battlefields under the protection of the U.S. Park Service."
The measure introduced by Blunt, who is scheduled to testify at the Resources Committee hearing, is the first step in determining if the federal government should spend funds to preserve the Civil War battlefields at Newtonia. “I believe a study by the National Park Service will confirm my belief that the two Civil War battles at Newtonia hold a unique place in American history and are worthy of protection in the National Park Service,” Congressman Blunt explained. Kay Hively with the Newtonia Battlefield Protection Association has also been invited to testify before the Resources Committee.
Newtonia, located in eastern Newton County, Missouri, was the site of two Civil War battles in 1862 and 1864. The first was notable because it saw regimental units on both sides comprised entirely of native Americans—an estimated 3,800—in what is the largest of such rare engagements during the Civil War. In 1964 the last battle west of the Mississippi River was fought at Newtonia as Confederate forces withdrew from Missouri after earlier setbacks near Kansas City. The Ritchey Mansion served as a headquarters and hospital during both battles.
The not-for-profit Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association has spearheaded preservation efforts at Newtonia by acquiring 11 acres of the battlefield along with the Ritchey Mansion, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service rated the 1864 battlefield as a Priority I for preservation and the 1862 site as a Priority II. A review by the National Park Service found the 1864 battlefield faced a greater threat from development.
Schedule: The hearing is at 10 a.m. (EDT), Thursday, Sept. 7, in 1334 Longworth
Witnesses: Congressman Roy Blunt and Kay Hively, Newtonia Battlefield Protection Association.
H.R. 5978 would fund a study on including Civil War-era battlefields and related sites of the First and Second Battles of Newtonia, Missouri, as part of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. The fields could also be categorized as a separate National Park System unit.