Foundation Document Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument, Kentucky

National Park Service, Department of Interior

Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed. Established in 2020, Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument protects resources associated with the winter of 1860–1861 Confederate encampments at Mill Springs and Beech Grove, the January 19, 1862, Civil War battle, and the aftermath of the engagement. The monument includes three discontiguous areas that together tell the story of the events leading up to, during, and immediately following the battle: the core battlefield, the Beech Grove fortified encampment, and the Mill Springs fortified ferry landing site.