Older historic sites in danger, historians say

America's historic lands are disappearing - and the rate of loss will continue accelerating without quick action, historians and federal officials say.

More than 100 "nationally significant" battlefields and historic sites from the American Revolution and War of 1812 are already gone, a survey by the National Park Service has found. An additional 245 are in poor condition or fragmented, and 222 are in danger of destruction in the next 10 years.

While Civil War sites have tended to receive protection, many from the earlier wars are at risk. Some are nearby, including the sites of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776; the first Battle of Trenton on Dec. 26 of the same year; the second Battle of Trenton on Jan. 2, 1777; the Battle of Princeton the following day; and the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, according to the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author David Hackett Fischer....