The Tokens

Chapter 10Tolerance and Understanding

Before making any decisions, Eric was curious to learn how other historic battlefields had been treated or preserved. Maybe they could simply erect a monument marking the site and that would be sufficient. But in his heart, he knew it wasn't. A quick Google search led him to historical sites from the War of 1812, the French and Indian War, and the Civil War. Actually, he was surprised by the number of battles that had taken place across the United States. On the east coast, there was the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Saratoga, the Battle of Princeton, and the Battle of Long Island. Mississippi was home to the Vicksburg Campaign, and Chalmette was the site of the Battle of New Orleans. Both the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto occurred in Texas. Among the most tragic were the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which took place in Montana, and the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota. And these were only the tip of the iceberg—those that were considered some of the most important in U.S. history.

Notebook in hand, he wrote down every name and the dates that corresponded with them. Then he dug further to learn about who now owned the land and how it was being used. The largest and most historic battlegrounds had become national parks and were owned and protected by the federal government. Insofar as documented smaller sites were concerned, it was clear that most of those had also been preserved in some way, rather than becoming parking ...