Developers and Battlefields

Get all the Monitor's headlines by e-mail. Subscribe for free.

E-mail this story Write a letter to the Editor Printer-friendly version del.icio.us [ What is this? ] digg [ What is this? ]

The Rebel victory led directly to Lee's second invasion of the North and the Battle of Gettysburg. But the cost was high - Stonewall Jackson was fatally injured in one of history's most infamous friendly fire incidents.

One speaker at the Board of Supervisors compared the proposed development to parking a cruise ship next to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

While much of Chancellorsville is protected by the National Park Service, approximately 300 crucial acres are not. The Civil War Preservation Trust, a nonprofit organization working to save battle sites, now hopes to work with the landowner on a less intrusive development that will allow him to make a profit while protecting the historic area. The group's deal with a developer to save the core of the Bristoe Station Battlefield outside Manassas, Va., can serve as a model.

Congress has set aside matching funds for groups that can raise money to protect Civil War sites. Now it's up to the public, as in Spottsylvania County, to do its part. The modern United States was forged in these battles. Preserving their lessons for future generations seems the least today's generation can do.