why did so many civil war battles take place in national parks?

Because national parks are usually located with easy access to interstate highways.

your question stated backwards will yield your answer -- many civil war battle sights have become national parks/monuments/battlefields.

The reason for this is that the civil war created such destruction and death that the government felt that it's best to remind people of what happened. Nearly 1.5% of the population of the country was killed in the war (1.5% of the population, NOT the army).

National Parks didn't come around until the early twentieth century, so I think it's just a coincidence that they were created on Civil War sights.

National parks are made on sights were civil wars took place, not the other way around.

you have it backwards. they became state parks after the battles were fought.

Thank you for making my day! I laughed out loud when I read your question!

yeah--

maybe you should have thought about that one BEFORE you typed it???! (not to be mean but i'm cracking up here....lolololololol!)