Commems Collection Modern: 1995 Civil War Battlefields - Attempt To Steal

In what may be the most egregious move by a Senator regarding a modern US commemorative coin, Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) attempted to take $5.3 million of the surcharge funds received by The Civil War Trust (CWT) from the sales of coins of the 1995 Civil War Battlefield coin program and give the money to the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (APCWS). To accomplish this, he sought to revise the original commemorative coin bill through an amendment inserted into an unrelated bill - the Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995.

1995 Civil War Battlefields - Gold Half Eagle


The amendment stated, "An amount equal to $5,300,000 of the surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, Incorporated (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 'Association'), to be used for the acquisition of historically significant and threatened Civil War sites selected by the Association."

Thus, the amendment went beyond simply paying surcharge funds not yet sent to the CWT to the Association instead, it would have required the Civil War Trust to take money out of its treasury, cancel/delay battlefield preservation initiatives in which it was already engaged and turn over money it was rightfully, by previous law, entitled. It was just an example of the many battles that were being waged between the Civil War Trust and the Association at the time.

The amendment gave the Civil War Trust just ten days to transfer the money to the Secretary of the Treasury so that it could then be turned over to the Association. For context, the Civil War Trust received a total of ~$5.91 million for the entire program. The $5.3 million transfer requirement would have taken away essentially 90% of the funds it rightfully deserved!

The Association was created first, in 1987, while the Civil War Trust was formed in 1991. Both groups, however, were private organizations and were not managed by any Government agency. Though the two groups had similar objectives, the leadership of each had differing visions on how to accomplish their goals. The Association found a sympathetic ear in Senator Lott, and saw an opportunity to secure millions of dollars in funding - even if it had to "steal" it from a rival!

Lott's amendment was just one of many to be tacked on to the Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act. The bill was ultimately put aside in favor of an alternate bill that was eventually passed by the Senate and House but was vetoed by President Bill Clinton; the alternate/vetoed bill did not include any amendments regarding the Civil War Battlefields coin surcharge funds.

The story does have a somewhat happy ending, however, as the Civil War Trust and the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites eventually stopped bickering long enough to realize that they could accomplish more working together. The two organizations merged in 1999, with the new organization being known as the Civil War Preservation Trust (later to be shortened to the Civil War Trust). Combined, the organization has saved 52,330 acres of 131 Civil War battlefields in 21 states.

For more about the 1995 Civil War Battlefield coins, see:

- 1995 Civil War Battlefield Coins
- 1995 Civil War Battlefields Half Dollar Coin Cover

For a variety of posts about commemorative coins and medals, see: Read More: Commems Collection.