''Hallowed ground, where more than 600,000 Americans gave their lives, is being paved over in favor of shopping malls, housing tracts, and even gambling casinos," the trust's president, James Lighthizer, said yesterday during a news conference.
Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina were blamed for some of the disrepair at Fort Morgan, Ala., and two forts outside New Orleans. Sprawl and a lack of money have also contributed to many of the problems at the sites, Lighthizer said.
The site in Glorieta Pass, N.M., is referred to as the ''Gettysburg of the West" and is where Union forces turned back the Confederate invasion of New Mexico. The trust blames neglect and public indifference for problems such as the weakening of a structure that served as a field hospital.
The other sites are the Shenandoah Valley, Glendale, and Wilderness in Virginia; the Chattahoochee River line in Georgia; Circle Forts in Washington, D.C.; and Raymond, Miss.
Last year, a group of investors from an entity called Chance Enterprises unveiled plans to boost economic development by seeking a slot machine license from Pennsylvania gambling regulators to anchor the proposed Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa. State regulators are expected to rule sometime later this year.
The investors released a statement yesterday accusing the preservation group of lying about its plans so it can raise money.
''It is amazing how the Gettysburg battlefield has gone from not even being on the trust's list of 25 most endangered battlefields to the top of the list overnight, even though our resort has been a subject of debate and discussion for nearly a year," said David LeVan, the investment group's chief executive officer, in a statement.
''Clearly, the trust is lining its coffers," he said.
