*Request Would Put a Super Center Next to The Wilderness Battlefield*

Source: *Lee White at the website of the National Coalition for History
(NCH) *<http://historycoalition.org/2008/12/11/historians-speak-out-against-propose-walmart-at-wilderness-battlefield/>
(12-11-08)

On December 11, in a letter to Walmart President and CEO Lee Scott, 253
historians from throughout the country urged the retail giant to reconsider
plans to build a 138,000 square-foot supercenter immediately adjacent to the
Wilderness Battlefield in Orange County,
VA.<http://historycoalition.org/advocacy/live-pages/historians-letter-to-walmart-opposing-store-adjacent-to-wilderness-civil-war-battlefield/>A
formal application for the project was filed on December 5, 2008.

Among the signers are some of the most prominent historians in America,
including two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David M. McCullough; James
McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom;
Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns; respected Virginia educators
and authors William C. Davis, Gary Gallagher and James I. Robertson, the
authors of dozens of Civil War titles; and Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian
Emeritus of the National Park Service.

Although many individual historians have previously voiced opposition to
Walmart's Wilderness proposal, such a large and diverse group uniting in
this cause demonstrates how important the Wilderness is to our nation's
heritage, noted Lee White, executive director of the National Coalition for
History (NCH) <http://historycoalition.org/>, one of the eight groups making
up the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition <http://www.civilwar.org/walmart08/>,
which circulated the letter.

Jim Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT),
<http://www.civilwar.org/>said the impressive response to the letter is a
clear illustration of the near universal opposition to the proposal within
the Civil War and historic preservation communities.

"That so many prominent individuals — respected professors, decorated
scholars and award-winning authors — have all joined together to speak out
against this proposal in one voice is truly telling," said Lighthizer. "We
have been overwhelmed by the response to this effort and the impassioned
pleas from historians calling on Walmart to protect our history."

"No one has a deeper, more abiding respect for all that this ground
symbolizes than the men and women who make it their lives' work to study
historic sites and events," White stated. "And clearly, they understand the
irreparable damage that this would do to a tangible piece of our history."

In the letter to Walmart, the 253 co-signing historians pronounce the
Wilderness to be a "unique historical and cultural treasure deserving
careful stewardship" before declaring it "an indelible part of our history,
its very ground hallowed by the American blood spilled there." The letter
concludes with a request for Walmart to "identify a site that would meet its
needs without changing the very character of the battlefield" and move the
store farther away from the National Military Park.

"Civil War battlefields are wonderfully evocative places," noted historian
Gary W Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the
American Civil War at the University of Virginia and the author of numerous
books on the subject. "We should preserve and protect these national
treasures, including gateway areas that shield historic ground from
encroaching development that often degrades the experience of citizens
seeking a better understanding of the American past."

Gordon Rhea, the author of The Battle of the Wilderness and In the Footsteps
of Grant and Lee: The Wilderness through Cold Harbor disputes any claim that
the ground Walmart is eying lacks historic significance. "The proposed
Walmart site lies near the intersection of the wartime Germanna Plank Road
and the Orange Turnpike," he said. "This was the nerve center of the Union
army. This land served as the heart of the Union Fifth Corps' encampments
and lies within the shadow of Grant's and Meade's headquarters. It is truly
hallowed ground."

Historians and preservationists fear that if the Walmart is built, it will
increase traffic and greatly encourage further development in the region.

"The Wilderness Battlefield is the biggest tourist destination in Orange
County," remarked Craig Rains of the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield.
"A store this large, set amid a nearly pristine rural landscape, threatens
to overshadow the experience of the tens of thousands of visitors who come
to the battlefield each year. Moving the store, even just a short distance,
can prevent that."

Historian Edwin C. Bearss agreed, adding, "There are plenty of other places
to build a Walmart. The intersection of the old Germanna Plank Road (modern
Route 3) and the historic Orange Turnpike is key to understanding the battle
and how it developed. The addition of a new Walmart store in an area already
served by other branches of the same chain, would lead to a further and
irreparable degradation of an historic site of national significance."

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–6, 1864, was among the most
significant engagements of the American Civil War and marked the first time
legendary generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant faced off against one
another in battle. Nearly 29,000 American soldiers were killed, wounded or
captured in the horrendous, two-day struggle.

The Wilderness Battlefield Coalition is a group of national, statewide and
local preservation, conservation and civic organizations that share an
abiding interest in preserving and the Wilderness Battlefield. The Coalition
seeks to raise public awareness about the value of historic preservation and
the urgent threats confronting the Wilderness Battlefield. The Coalition
consists of eight nonprofit organizations: the Central Virginia Battlefields
Trust, the Civil War Preservation Trust, Friends of Fredericksburg Area
Battlefields, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, the National Coalition for
History, the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Trust for
Historic Preservation and the Piedmont Environmental Council. For more
information on the Coalition and its opposition to the proposed Walmart at
the Wilderness, please visit their website<http://www.civilwar.org/walmart08/>
.

Posted on History News Network, Thursday, December 11

-- 
Jon Kukla
www.JonKukla.com

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