To mark the sesquicentennial anniversary of the American Civil War and create a lasting legacy of that commemoration, the Civil War Trust on June 30, 2011, announced a national campaign that will permanently protect 20,000 acres of battlefield land over the next five years. The Trust, which has already protected more than 30,000 acres at 110 battlefields in 20 states, recognizes that the war’s 150th anniversary offers an unprecedented opportunity to encourage public support for a large-scale preservation initiative. 'Campaign 150: Our Time, Our Legacy' kicked off on June 30th with an event held at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (PA), a key landmark of the Civil War’s bloodiest battle. The campaign was announced by Civil War Trust chairman Henry Simpson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom James McPherson and the organization’s newest Trustee, country music superstar Trace Adkins. www.civilwar.org Image by Ron Cogswell on June 30, 2011, using a Nikon D80 and minor Photoshop effects. DSC_0169

Trace Adkins, country music singer, sings during a concert at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 11, 2016. Adkins performed for Department of Defense members as part of a three-nation tour. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Joshua Magbanua) Unit: 86th Airlift Wing

Trace Adkins, country music star, performs âArlingtonâ at the opening ceremony for Wreaths Across America in Arlington National Cemetery, Dec. 12, 2015, in Arlington, Va. WAA, a nonprofit organization, places a wreath on every eligible headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. (U.S. Army photo by Rachel Larue/Arlington National Cemetery/released)

Trace Adkins, country music star, performs “Arlington” at the opening ceremony for Wreaths Across America in Arlington National Cemetery, Dec. 12, 2015, in Arlington, Va. WAA, a nonprofit organization, places a wreath on every eligible headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. (U.S. Army photo by Rachel Larue/Arlington National Cemetery/released)

Trace Adkins, country music singer, plays his guitar during a free concert at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 11, 2016. The USO-sponsored concert was free to all Department of Defense members. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Joshua Magbanua) Unit: 86th Airlift Wing

Trace Adkins, a country music singer with such hits as "Ladies Love Country Boys" and "You're Gonna Miss This", performs for Marines assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa during his USO tour stop at Morón Air Base, Spain, May 14, 2017. Adkins spent a portion of the day eating lunch with Marines and toured the base. SPMAGTF-CR-AF deployed to conduct limited crisis response and theater security operations in Europe and North Africa (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Kenneth Trotter Jr.) Unit: U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa DVIDS Tags: Marine Corps; II MEF; MAG-41; MAG-29

Trace Adkins, country music singer, laughs with Airmen during a USO Tour event at Aviano Air Base, Italy, May 12, 2017. Adkins met with Airmen and took tours of base agencies prior to his concert later in the day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cory W. Bush)

Country music star Trace Adkins sings into the microphone during a concert to show his support for the United States military at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait as part of the USO’s 75th Anniversary Concert Series, June 8. Adkins also spent time with the troops answering questions, signing autographs and posing for photos. (Photo by Spc. Angela Lorden/Released) Unit: U.S. Army Central

Complete assignment is listed as: Subject: Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi, [for touring, participation in events highlighting the restoration project--funded jointly by the National Park Service and the Friends of the Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign, as part of the National Park Centennial Initiative--aimed at replacing interpretive battlefield markers and conserving the array of bronze statuary and stone monuments at the Civil War site. Joining Secretary Kempthorne for the events, including the unveiling of the first group of 22 metal markers identifying the specific locations of various Union and Confederate artillery batteries during the siege and defense of Vicksburg, were National Park Service Director Mary Bomar, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Chairman John Nau III, and country music star Trace Adkins, among other dignitaries.] Photographer: Tami Heilemann--Interior Staff

Complete assignment is listed as: Subject: Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi, [for touring, participation in events highlighting the restoration project--funded jointly by the National Park Service and the Friends of the Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign, as part of the National Park Centennial Initiative--aimed at replacing interpretive battlefield markers and conserving the array of bronze statuary and stone monuments at the Civil War site. Joining Secretary Kempthorne for the events, including the unveiling of the first group of 22 metal markers identifying the specific locations of various Union and Confederate artillery batteries during the siege and defense of Vicksburg, were National Park Service Director Mary Bomar, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Chairman John Nau III, and country music star Trace Adkins, among other dignitaries.] Photographer: Tami Heilemann--Interior Staff