U.S. Congressman Jody Hice and UGA football legend Vince Dooley, joined with the Civil War Trust's Campaign 1776 initiative to announce the preservation of 180 acres at the Kettle Creek Battlefield in Georgia, tripling the size of the existing historical park.

Civil War Trust President James Lighthizer said Campaign 1776, which protects Revolutionary War and War of 1812 sites, is pleased to be enhancing the existing park by adding land where the initial combat between British and American forces occurred on February 14, 1779.

Hice, who represents Georgia's 10th Congressional District, said the acreage will be a living memorial to those who fought to create our nation.

"I am proud to have supported the American Battlefield Protection Program in Congress, and am honored it is being used – for the first time – to preserve a Revolutionary War site here in Georgia," Hice said.  "Without the support of this program, as well as several state and local partners, this important land could have been lost.  Now, it will be preserved and enjoyed as an outdoor classroom for generations to come."

"A surprise victory for the Patriot militia, the Battle of Kettle Creek made headlines in Philadelphia, Boston and London," said Dooley, who serves on the Civil War Trust's board and chairs the Georgia Historical Commission. "It was the Patriots' first big win in Georgia, and presaged later American successes."

Lighthizer thanked the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.; Georgia Battlefields Association; Georgia Piedmont Land Trust; Weyerhaeuser Co., the site's ex-owner; Wilkes County; Kettle Creek Battlefield Association; Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution; and Georgia State Society Daughters of the American Revolution for helping preserve the tract.

Dignitaries concluded Monday's news conference with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  Camden Military Academy's Fife and Drum Corps performed Revolutionary-era music.  Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials dedicated the park's new War Hill Trail.