Actually, AEP-SWEPCO has preserved the Allen House (used as General Banks’ headquarters during the campaign) after the property owners requested that they do so. They also agreed to donate 41 acres of land (not suitable for mining) to the historic site. Although that was announced early in the spring, as of July the donation had not been completed.

One writer indicated 300 acres of the battlefield have been preserved. That number is exaggerated. Fewer than 200 acres are preserved, and the Civil War Preservation Trust (those outside people) purchased 143 of those acres.

FOMB, like all interested in preservation, appreciates any preservation efforts. We also value the economic benefits of tourism and realize that preservation efforts enhance tourism. Keep in mind that the lignite mine did nothing for preservation until it was called to their attention.

The Mansfield Enterprise and the Shreveport Times did run letters submitted by Marilyn. The text of her letters follows.

Letters to the Editor
Mansfield Enterprise

Dear Editor,

The Civil War Battles fought in and around Mansfield and Pleasant Hill have significance for us today. . .and for generations in the future. However, those lessons will be lost if well-meaning people in the name of progress destroy the valuable resources that help teach the lessons.

The Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield is an organization that is dear to my heart as a Mansfield native. As a child I often visited the battlepark (as we called it then) with my dear grandmothers, Mittie Cale Murrell and Eula Taylor Segura. Both were dedicated to the concept that history is a very real and important part of life. They helped instill within me a love of history that was fostered by teachers in the Mansfield schools.

Later, as an adult, I was visiting the Press Club in Paris on a tour of France for Louisiana journalists. There I met a man who had actually been to Mansfield for the 100th anniversary celebration. That historic Mansfield connection touched me since I, too, was there playing in the band under Mr. Hardin and feeling a sense of pride in my Mansfield roots.

I am fortunate to be married to a man who is as interested in the history of my hometown as I am, if not more so. My husband, Gary, has served as president of the DeSoto Historical Society and, in that role, as well as his role as a university professor, he has seen the need to preserve specific areas of the battlefield where significant events occurred.

For the past 20 years Gary and I have traveled throughout the country and Europe and we have been impressed at the work done by “Friends” groups. They have helped to save areas, homes, buildings, aircraft, railway stations and forts from destruction, preserving the lessons of the past. They have helped to provide funds for special projects and activities at government-run sites which often are hampered by a lack of money.

With that in mind and seeing that several significant Battle of Mansfield and Red River Campaign tracts continue to be threatened by lignite mining or development, we formed the Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield. Today we have attracted members from throughout Louisiana and Texas as well as from states like California, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York. We even have a member from Belgium, the historian for the Polignac family. The Friends group is growing as people sense their connection to the history of my hometown and home state.

Our goal is to bring attention to the historic importance and the historic tourism possibilities of preservation of more of the battlefield and to offer support to the Mansfield State Historic Site. We believe that with the state’s current budget woes, little will be done to expand the experience at the Site and that it is up to people who care about the Site to be of service.

We recognize the importance of the AEP-SWEPCO lignite mining to the DeSoto economy and no one has suggested that they cease mining. We also believe that it is reasonable for landowners who have profited from the lignite mining to support AEP-SWEPCO. But we believe that both history and AEP-SWEPCO can be supported.

The Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield have already contributed a digital camera to the Historic Site. We have asked officials at the Site for a “wish list” and hope to be able to fulfill more of their wishes. We are currently working on projects to encourage study of those who fought in the battles there. Many Americans have a connection to this campaign, north and south, white and black. The Friends group is seeking to gather documents, letters and oral histories from families of those who participated in the Red River Campaign and make them available for study. Of special interest is development of a project that preserves both the oral and written history of the Corps d’Afrique, the black soliders who were part of this historic campaign. We are working with African American leaders to develop a plan to enlist African American teens in research and remind them that the Civil War should be of monumental interest to them.

As we document the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War, we are particularly cognizant that this was a landmark experience in American history. More Americans participated in and died in this war than in any other war involving America. We cannot stand by while sites of significance are gobbled up. Maybe some who have grown up around the battle sites have taken them for granted. We know of a few significant sites that have been bulldozed by DeSoto landowners even though they had been made aware of their historic significance.

We have asked that AEP-SWEPCO and all who hold land in the battlefield be judicious in their choices of land to destroy. Keep in mind that AEP-SWEPCO had free rein of the lignite mining on battlefield sites for 15 years with no one questioning their actions. They only became “preservation friendly” after the destruction of the battlefield received public attention. Their recent preservation actions are commendable, just a bit late. Keep in mind too that once land has been changed from the original topography, its historic value is destroyed.

The Mansfield Battlefield needs all the “Friends” it can find. I hope we can work together to maximize the preservation of key remaining sites on the battlefield and emphasize the lessons history has to teach us. And, as a landowner and taxpayer in Mansfield, I hope that the citizens of Mansfield and DeSoto Parish will join me in applauding the economic potential of historic tourism. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield can do so with any contribution. The suggested level for individual membership is $25, while the business/organization level is $100. All members at the $100 level will be acknowledged in Friends’ publications. Checks may be sent to Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield, P.O. Box 44144, Shreveport LA 71134-4144.

Sincerely,
Marilyn Segura Joiner

Letter to the Shreveport Times

By Marilyn S. Joiner

Apparently there is some misunderstanding about AEP-SWEPCO, a large national utility corporation, and its relationship to groups interested in preserving the Mansfield Battlefield and related sites.

My husband, Gary, is a military historian and a nationally-recognized expert on the Red River Campaign. He and I have joined others to form the Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield. We do this in an effort to draw attention to the Mansfield Battlefield and the importance of preserving it. It is action that was long overdue.

I am a native of Mansfield who returned to North Louisiana over 30 years ago. Through these years I formed a positive opinion of AEP-SWEPCO in Shreveport-Bossier area. Prior to AEP taking over the company, I saw SWEPCO contribute money and employee time to hundreds of groups and activities that contributed to the quality of life in the area. I have personal respect for SWEPCO executives and cordial friendships with numerous employees.

AEP-SWEPCO has taken some measures to protect the historic Allen House (adjacent to the battlefield) and some battlefield acreage. Those actions are commendable. They have received personal words of appreciation from Gary and other others interested in historic preservation. But we must remember that these actions came only after more than 15 years of mining and only when some people expressed concern. AEP-SWEPCO knew for years that they were mining sites where soldiers, black and white, from across the country battled. No. The destruction of land where they fought and where many were laid to rest is certainly not something to cheer about.

I have no quarrel with lignite mining and its contribution to reliable, affordable energy. As a native of DeSoto Parish and a landowner there I applaud economic development and jobs for citizens. I have no quarrel with the landowners who leased to Dolet Hills Mining Venture and understand their support for it. And I must emphasize that no one I know has suggested that this power giant stop lignite mining.

What preservationists ask is simply that AEP-SWEPCO be judicious in selection of sites to mine. Historic sites are treasures for the parishes and counties in which they rest and they have economic development potential from a tourism standpoint. Factories and corporations can come and go, but historic sites will never move to Mexico or overseas. However, they may be destroyed or dramatically changed, diminishing their historic and tourism value.

The Mansfield Battlefield has been designated by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and by the Louisiana Preservation Alliance as the most endangered historic site in the state. The Civil War Preservation Trust has put it on their top 10 most endangered battlefields in the country. As these designations were publicized, media came to my husband for comment as a historian. Later, he was warned to “tone down the rhetoric” by powerful people in the state. But by then Gary was not alone pointing out what was happening in Mansfield. The word was being spread by others through phone calls, letters, e-mails, news stories and meetings.

Renewed interest in the Mansfield Battlefield is a good thing for DeSoto Parish and for all Americans who understand the lessons history can teach us. Attention from respected regional and national groups is a good thing too. They have experience preserving history for future generations to appreciate. While Louisiana and Southern groups have expressed interest in preservation of sites where their ancestors fought, we cannot wait or be silent. Areas now threatened are where Union and Black Corps d’Afrique troops fought. We must speak for them as well.

How much of the battlefield should be preserved? I doubt even the most ardent preservationist would expect every inch of ground associated with the battles to be preserved. But through judicious planning and cooperation, sites of particular interest can and should be preserved.

The Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield are willing to work with historians, landowners and with SWEPCO to identify sites that have the most relevance for preservation. As we preserve the historic sites and provide dollars to help the Mansfield Historic Site interpret the importance of the battle, we support the lessons of history for ourselves and future generations.

Sincerely,
Marilyn Segura Joiner