Threats to the Battlefield

  

National Trust Names Wilderness to Endangered List

Recognizing the irrevocable consequences of the proposed Walmart development less than a quarter mile from the Wilderness Battlefield, the 250,000-member National Trust for Historic Preservation on May 19 announced that the battlefield has been placed on its 2010 list of America's Most Endangered Places. In making the announcement on the grounds of historic Ellwood Manor on the battlefield, Paul W. Edmondson, the trust's vice president and general counsel, said "If Walmart does not change course, the Wilderness battlefield will not be endangered, it will simply be lost, engulfed in commercial sprawl."

National Trust Website Story
National Trust Media Release
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Wilderness Battlefield on CWPT Most Endangered List

 The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) on May 13 released its annual report on the status of the nation’s historic battlegrounds. The report, entitled History Under Siege™: A Guide to America’s Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields, identifies the most threatened Civil War sites in the United States and what can be done to save them. For the second year in a row, the Wilderness Battlefield has been placed on this list.

Zann Nelson, President of FoWB, said upon learning of the latest news, "The Friends of Wilderness Battlefield hope this is the last year that the Wilderness Battlefield will ever be on an "endangered list." But until that time, we will persevere tirelessly to secure the safety and preservation of this piece of American heritage. The Civil War veterans who committed their lives on this Wilderness soil were no less and no more remarkable than those who fight for all of us today and they deserve the same honor and respect as any American soldier."

CWPT Media Release
History Under Siege 2010 Report
  

FoWB Rallies to Defend Battlefield

The hallowed ground on which an estimated 160,000 troops fought and sustained 29,000 casualties is currently threatened by the encroachment of a major commercial development. The massive Walmart Corporation, the world's largest retailer, intends to construct a 140,000 square foot super center at the very gateway to the battlefield. Walmart executives prize the intersection as a veritable hub of potential monetary gain.

Ironically, in early May of 1864, while evaluating this same intersection, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant recognized a similar potential for military profits. It was at this very location that the Union Army established its central command that included the headquarters of Generals Grant, Meade and Warren, as well as hospitals and supply depots.

 A special use permit was required from the Orange County Board of Supervisors (BOS) for Walmart to proceed.
 
The Wilderness Coalition was formed to oppose the permit approval and to encourage Walmart to build at a different and more acceptable location.

Members of the Wilderness Coalition include:
  • Civil War Preservation Trust
  • Central Virginia Battlefields Trust
  • Friends of Fredericksburg Area Battlefields
  • Friends of Wilderness Battlefield
  • National Coalition for History
  • National Parks Conservation Association
  • National Trust for Historic Preservation
  • Piedmont Environmental Council
  • Preservation Virginia

Status:

  • August 2009: Orange County BOS grants special use permit.
  • September 2009: A lawsuit is filed against the Orange County BOS by preservationists to appeal the decision. FoWB joins the National Trust for Historic Preservation and six local residents as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
  • October 2009: Orange County BOS files a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
  • February 3, 2010: Circuit Court of Orange County heard arguments on the motion to dismiss. Click on the links below for news stories:
  • April 30, 2010: Circuit Court Judge Daniel R. Bouton rejected three of the four motions to dismiss submitted by Orange County BOS and ruled that Friends of Wildlerness Battlefield and 6 individual plaintiffs have legal standing to go forward with the lawsuit. Bouton also ruled that the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have standing. FoWB will now take the position as lead plaintiff. Click on the links below for news story:
  • August 13, 2010:  Circuit Court Judge Daniel R. Bouton scheduled the trial to start January 25, 2011 and run through February 3.
  • January 26, 2011: Walmart announced it is dropping its plans to build the supercenter in the Wilderness Battlefield. Read more.
For press releases about the Wilderness Challenge issued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Civil War Preservation Trust, and the National Parks Conservation Association:
 

Copyright Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, Inc., P.O. Box 576, Locust Grove, VA., 22508
FoWB is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, tax ID 42-1689437.
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