National Battlefield Preservation Group Hosts Annual Conference in Springfield, Missouri

National Battlefield Preservation Group Hosts Annual Conference in
Springfield, Missouri

Hundreds of Civil War buffs and preservationists will explore the "War in the
Ozarks"

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., March 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of Civil War
buffs and preservationists from around the country will converge on
Springfield next month as part of the Civil War Preservation Trust's (CWPT)
annual conference. The 4-day event will be held at the University Plaza Hotel
and Conference Center from April 17 - 20, 2008.

The annual event gives CWPT members an opportunity to celebrate the
organization's successes while learning about the rich Civil War heritage of
Missouri and the trans-Mississippi region. The conference is made possible in
part by a generous contribution from The History Channel.

Participants in the conference will experience tours and presentations by some
of the nation's most accomplished Civil War historians and authors, including:
Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service, and
scholars Vernon Burton, David Hinze, Connie Langum, Arnold Schofield and
William Shea.

The theme of this year's conference is the "War in the Ozarks," and it will
explore Civil War battles in the trans-Mississippi region. The focus of the
event will be the 1861 Battle of Wilson's Creek, although engagements at Pea
Ridge, Ark.; Fort Scott and Mine Creek, Kan.; Carthage and Newtonia, Mo.; and
Cabin Creek and Honey Springs, Okla., will also be examined. These bloody
struggles helped determined the fate of the war west of the Mississippi.

In addition, the event will also feature a special evening performance by
Bobby Horton, one of the world's foremost experts on historical music.
Renowned for his accuracy and emotion, Horton and his ensemble have made
frequent television appearances and have recorded long-running series of
albums featuring "homespun" Civil War music.

The high point of the conference will be a banquet and awards ceremony to be
held on Saturday, April 19 at the University Plaza Hotel. Other memorable
events include two days worth of tours of the area's numerous battlefields and
historic sites led by the leading experts in the field.

WHAT: Civil War Preservation Trust Annual Conference and Banquet

WHEN: April 17 - 20, 2008

WHERE: Headquarters at the University Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 333
John Q. Hammons Parkway, Springfield.

With 65,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation
organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation's
endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these
hallowed grounds. CWPT's website is www.civilwar.org.

(For more information or to register online, visit
http://www.civilwar.org/travelandevents/ac2008.htm)

SOURCE Civil War Preservation Trust

Jim Campi, +1-202-367-1861 x205, or Mary Koik, +1-202-367-1861 x231, both of
Civil War Preservation Trust