From Actor and Preservationist Steve Zahn

Dear Friend,
This is actor Steve Zahn, Kentucky resident and battlefield preservationist, writing you today on behalf of the American Battlefield Trust with some very exciting news. Thanks to your support,
128 acres of hallowed ground have been forever saved at Perryville! This land fills a "hole in the donut" and substantially completes the preservation of one of the most important battlefields of
the entire Civil War. This is a historic accomplishment and you should feel immensely proud.

Last summer, I joined Garry Adelman in making a video to support saving this key tract of land which was a part of the largest and bloodiest battle fought in Kentucky. Perryville saw more
casualties than many other well-known battles – far bloodier than Champion Hill, Resaca or Kennesaw Mountain. And after Perryville, the South would abandon all hopes of folding the state of Kentucky into the Confederacy.

During the shoot I did with Garry, I told him a story about when I was performing in the production Bye Bye Birdie more than 20 years ago, and spending my free days checking out historic sites before the evening shows. On one occasion I pulled over at a yard sale near Harpers Ferry and saw a table with a real Confederate Zouave coat for sale. I asked the woman in charge about it who said it belonged to her husband, who was out getting food, and said that I could
have it for $50.

As I drove away with the coat, I imagined the husband coming back with a handful of burgers and look on his face when he learned that his coat had been sold for $50! That incredible artifact
now sits in the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site Museum and Visitors Center where I donated the coat years ago, and where I remain actively involved.

I look forward to walking this newly preserved land – a tract I had never been allowed to walk –
and follow in the steps of those who fought. It still looks much like it did a century and a half ago. A soldier who fought there would recognize the place. I hope you too will get that chance soon.
I'm in awe of what the members of the Trust do year after year. We are all custodians of the past.
This is our history. These our fallen ancestors. This is our park. And it could not exist without you. You are patriots.

With Sincere Gratitude,
Steve Zahn

P.S. Want to learn more about the Perryville Battlefield land you saved? Visit our website for
more information about these 128 acres and how the battle fits into the full picture of the Civil
War.

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More than 52,000 acres saved
American Battlefield Trust
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