Ask Wal-Mart to relocate its proposed Supercenter Take action now Civil War Preservation Trust Video: The Historical Importance of the Wilderness Watch the video Wilderness Battlefield and Vicinity Map View the map Wilderness Wal-mart Cartoons published by the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star View the cartoons

Why is the Wilderness important?

On May 5-7, 1864 129,000 men fought one of the bloodiest and horrific battles of the Civil War. Nearly 30,000 men were killed or injured . Gen. Ulysses S. Grant met Confederate General Robert E. Lee for the first time at the Wilderness Battlefield and his decisions were critically important in turning the tide in the Civil War. The overwhelming losses to both Union and Confederate Troops makes this battlefield a place of great significance to Americans.

Because of that, the battlefield became a National Park in 1933 and the National Park Service now owns and maintains part of the land significant to the battle. The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission has defined the broader area of land that makes up the Wilderness Battlefield and described in detail why it needs to be protected.

What is the threat?

In December 2008, Wal-Mart and a commercial developer advanced their plan to open a store on privately owned land in Orange County, Virginia, just outside of the park's boundaries. An enormous development in this location would make it nearly impossible for Americans to envision the site of this important turning point in American history, and would cast a shadow on the graves of those who fought and died there. The National Park Service , NPCA and many organizations and individuals believe that this development will so severely harm the national park that the development must not be built on the site.

Why was this allowed to happen?

It would have made sense for Orange County to exercise its authority to plan and protect this important site. Unfortunately, while the county adopted a strong Comprehensive Plan pointing out the need to identify, recognize, and protect its wealth of historic sites – especially Civil War Battlefields of which the Wilderness is the most important – the County never took the steps to zone the land appropriately.

When Wal-Mart executives scouted locations for a new Super Center and associated big box stores, they did so in secret, without informing the public of their criteria. Wal-Mart and its development staff and consultants never even asked the National Park Service whether intense development next to the national park was acceptable. The National Park Service, its conservation allies, and historic preservation groups were not made aware of this destructive proposal until fully developed plans were completed and the final approval process was underway. If Wal-Mart was surprised by the strong and united opposition to this site, it is because the company never bothered to ask whether anyone would care about the destruction of an important historic site.

What has NPCA done?

NPCA has joined with other organizations to form the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition. From the earliest opportunity, we have participated in constructive attempts to make the case for the protection of this national park. In January 2009, the Coalition offered to work with Orange County and Wal-Mart and adjacent landowners to come up with a long-term plan that would serve everyone’s interest – including the American people. We have reached out to Wal-Mart consistently, offering constructive alternative locations that would better serve Wal-Mart's profit and development objectives. The most significant adjacent landowners enthusiastically agreed to participate. Wal-Mart and its allies, including the local elected officials they had courted before announcing their plans, have refused.

What is the current status?

Opponents of the Wal-Mart plan filed a lawsuit to point out the flaws in the process that led to the potential destruction of this historically important site. There is no injunction in place to stop the process while the court considers whether any of the actions taken violated the law. NPCA is not a party to the lawsuit because we do not believe the judge would find that we have "standing" as a party under Virginia’s strict standing law in public interest cases – but we support and applaud the national and local organizations, and nearby individual landowners, who brought this public-interest lawsuit.

What can you do now?

It is not too late to speak up. Wal-Mart has received more than 27,000 messages from NPCA members urging them to work with us on a solution that does not desecrate this hallowed Civil War battlefield. They simply deny that there is anything wrong with their plans. You can add your voice. Support NPCA and our work to protect America’s national parks and Civil War Battlefields.

Take action now!