Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication, had an article selected by the American Battlefield Trust (ABT) for inclusion in a series called “Battlefield Monuments: Tools of Commemoration and Interpretation.” 

The series aims to provide education about the history and context of monuments on Civil War battlefields. “Battlefield monuments are deeply rooted in the power of place, inextricably tied to the landscape where they are found,” says ABT’s introduction to the series. “In America, as around the world, they serve to recognize the fallen at the place where they gave ‘the last full measure of devotion.’ They are also exceptional interpretive tools, marking locations of troops and events — a phenomenon especially true when those markers were placed by veterans of that engagement.”

Mackowski’s piece, “Closely Connected to the Welfare of the Republic,” provides overall context for the series. It is available here: https://www.battlefields.org/l... 

The series also includes articles by Brian Matthew Jordan, Ph.D., finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in history; Donald C. Pfanz, retired staff historian for Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park; Timothy B. Smith, Ph.D., award-winning author and former historian at Shiloh National Battlefield; Jon Tracey, historian and cultural resources manager at Cedar Creek National Battlefield; and Leon Reed, author of several books on monuments as art. 

The American Battlefield Trust is the country’s largest battlefield preservation organization.