ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607290060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RANDOLPH
SOURCE: Associated Press
The land that served as the killing field during the Battle of the Staunton River Bridge now belongs to the state park that honors its memory.
The 192-acre tract was purchased from the estate of Francis Barksdale Lynn for $184,000. The deed for the land was turned over Friday to state officials during a ceremony near the battle site in Charlotte County.
``This land is as pristine and undisturbed today as it was when the battle took place in 1864,'' Del. William Bennett, D-Halifax County, said at the ceremony.
The transfer expands the Staunton River Battlefield State Park to about 300 acres. The park opened last summer.
On June 25, 1864, the Battle of Staunton River Bridge saw about 900 Confederates, mostly untrained boys and old men, hold off an attack by 5,000 Union cavalrymen, saving a vital railway line that supplied Gen. Robert E. Lee's troops in Richmond.
Three Union cavalry charges were rebuffed in the action, also known as the Battle of Old Men and Young Boys.
The battle was waged primarily on the river's Charlotte County side. The park's holdings had not included the land where the Confederates stood.
That omission bothered many people, according to Kathryn St. John, president of the Historic Staunton River Foundation, which championed the acquisition.
``This is the most important acquisition, and it solidifies the historic integrity of the park,'' she said.
Tim Vest, park manager, said the park can now offer tours of the battle site and show exactly where and how the battle was fought.
``There's no other area in the country where a Civil War battle can be interpreted. You don't have the distance here that you do at other battlefields,'' Vest said. ``Everything is pretty compact.''
The land in Charlotte County has undisturbed rifle pits and earthworks. These complement the artillery pits and other earthworks found across the river in Halifax County.
``We had to have this additional land to preserve the original battlefield,'' Vest said.
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