Wal-Mart versus The Wilderness – What’s the big deal?

Returning to the news is the story that Wal-Mart wants to build a new Supercenter near The Wilderness Battlefield near Fredericksburg, Va.  And, of course, both sides have decided to wage the civil war all over again with historic preservationists attacking the “Big Box Mart Capitalists.”

So what’s the big deal?  Why should either side get their dander up?

Let’s review the history of The Wilderness, where U.S. Grant first met Robert E. Lee on the field of battle and the outcome of the Civil War in the east was foretold.  Lt. General Grant arrived from Vicksburg, Ms., and took command of the entire U.S. Army and put himself with the Army of the Potomac.  His orders were to chase down General Lee.  Grant had realized that to win the war he had to defeat Lee and ignored taking Richmond as many had advised and attempted before.

On May 2, 1864, Grant led his men across the Rapidan River at three separate points and converged on the Wilderness Tavern.  It was from there that the Confederates only a day earlier had launched their attack on the right flank of the Union Army at Chancellorsville.  Grant had no desire to fight within the Wilderness.  But, for Lee, it was imperative to bring the Union soldiers into the thick woods where their superior number would prove ineffective as Grant could not bring them all to bear.  Being deep in the woods, Grant’s superior artillery couldn’t be utilized, something that Lee counted on in his tactical maneuvering.

The battle became horrific when part of the woods caught on fire.  Injured soldiers from both sides were trapped.  Hundreds burned to death before their comrades who were defenseless to save them.

Many consider the battle to have ended in a draw, but it became a huge turning point of the war because the Union Army of the Potomac didn’t retreat back across the Rapidan River.  Grant pushed his men farther south and Lee was forced to hurry his troops to Spotsylvania Court House, 10 miles to the southeast.  Although Lee’s troops had been able to inflict serious casualties on the Union, Grant pressed forward in a war of attrition.  This led to the ultimate downfall of Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.

So, knowing the history of the battle and what a major turning point it is in American history, why would someone propose building near this “hallowed ground?”

Well, the ground being proposed as the site of the new Wal-Mart isn’t owned by the National Park Service.  The Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park only comprises 2,773 acres (11.22 square-kilometers) of the original battle area.  The Civil War Preservation Trust has a copy of the map of the proposed area here.  The location Wal-Mart wishes to build on is actually across a highway and approximately over a mile from the actual area of battle.

True, it is where MG John Sedgwick mustered his troops (Sedgwick was killed at the battle of Spotsylvania Court House after declaring Confederate sharpshooters couldn’t “hit an elephant” before being shot below the left eye).  But a muster area isn’t as vital to the actual history of the battle as the front-line battle area is.

In defense of the historic preservationists who say that all of the land is sacred, the outlined positions on the maps are approximate.  No one was there drawing the maps during the battle.  The woods were so dense that it was easy for units to get lost and trying to remember where your line was became difficult.  They weren’t even able to entrench, which leaves a lot of the typical archeological proof found on most battlefields missing.  Even temporary battlements were destroyed and eroded after a few years.  Even veterans of the battle often said in their memoirs that they weren’t exactly sure of their locations.  Remember, GPS wasn’t invented back then – so all maps really have to be suspect.

Wal-Mart, even though many see it as evil incarnate for the way it moves into small towns and the mom-and-pop stores suffer, does bring jobs and tax revenue to Orange County if it is allowed to build.  The entire population of the county was listed as 25,881 after the 2000 Census, so I’m sure it could use the help.

Having visited the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, I can see where commercial building outside of the actual NPS area has been contested but it doesn’t detract from the serenity of the “hallowed ground” preservationists strive to protect.  I have also visited Nashville and Franklin, Tenn., where the battlefields have been completely obliterated by urban sprawl.  These important areas are forever lost and forgotten by most.

 While I appreciate the work that the Civil War Preservation Trust and other organizations do to prevent other battlefields from going the same way, this argument over Wal-Mart building a new store has been raging since 2008.  True, the celebrity list signing petitions is impressive.  But Wal-Mart also has shown that the proposed store would be built behind a bank and a small strip mall already there.  No one is asking the NPS to move any already protected boundaries and nor is Wal-Mart planning something as large as Disney had in 1994 at Manassas, Va.

The National Park Service is partly to blame for this whole mess.  Back when the land was inexpensive and available, no one imagined that people would want to build in such a remote area.  Urban sprawl wasn’t as prevalent as it is now and the land started to be developed.

The “scandal” of Wal-Mart “invading” a historical battlefield could be construed as a fund-raising scheme by historic preservation groups.  By keeping the story in the forefront of the media, more people will rush to their aid and donate time and money to crush the “evil empire” of Wal-Mart.  People who may have heard the arguments months ago may have forgotten or see the continued struggle as a reason to donate more in order to keep the land preserved.

But the land will still be preserved, regardless of whether or not Wal-Mart builds.  The Military Park isn’t going anywhere unless the entire federal government begins to collapse and the funding isn’t renewed.  Even then, it would go on sale and I’m pretty sure one or more of the celebrities on the petitions would chip in for it.  There are many more battlefields that are in more danger of being completely destroyed that could use the attention.