Kuhl Introduces Bill Concerning Battle of Newtown Study

Press Release

U.S. Representative John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (R-Hammondsport) today introduced a bill (H.R. 6866) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate the significance of the Newtown Battlefield located in Chemung County, New York, and the suitability and feasibility of its inclusion in the National Parks System.

"The Battle of Newtown was the only major battle of the Sullivan campaign, which led the Continental Congress to end the threat of the Iroquois who had sided with the British in the American Revolutionary War. Besides being an important historical site to American history, it also plays a critical role in defining our history in Western New York," said Rep. Kuhl. "The special resource study will analyze the impact, economic and otherwise, on the Chemung County community if the Newtown Battlefield is included in the National Parks System."

Held on August 29, 1779, the Battle of Newtown was the most significant military engagement of the Sullivan Campaign of 1779, which played a crucial role in America's Revolutionary War. In 1973, the Newtown Battlefield National Historic Landmark was established by the Federal Government recognizing the significant history of the landmark. Newtown Battlefield National Historic Landmark encompasses nearly 2,100 acres in the towns of Ashland, Chemung and Elmira, which are all in the County of Chemung, New York.

The National Park Service's 2005 Report on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States categorized Newtown Battlefield as a Class A site, concluding that the battlefield is a site of a military action with a vital objective or result that shaped the strategy, direction, outcome, or perception of the Revolutionary War. The Report also found that Newtown Battlefield was a site that had experienced little alteration since the Revolutionary War and that it was largely unprotected by other public historic preservation agencies or nonprofit organizations.

The special resource study shall include an analysis of the following:

* The significance of the Battle of Newtown to the Sullivan Campaign and the significance of the Campaign in relation to the military objectives of the Continental Army in 1779.
* Opportunities for public enjoyment of the Newtown Battlefield.
* Any operational, management, and private property issues that need to be considered if the Newtown Battlefield were added to the National Parks System.
* A determination of the feasibility of administering the Newtown Battlefield considering its size, configuration, ownership, costs and other factors.
* An evaluation of the adequacy of other alternatives for the management and resource protection of the Newtown Battlefield.

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