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The value of historic preservation
By MAC WYCKOFF. Historical terrain is key to understanding the events that happened on a battlefield, says a Civil War historian. What happens if the land has been changed?
Date published: 7/17/2004
PEOPLE VISIT Civil War battlefields for many reasons. For some, it is to pay tribute to an ancestor. They walk the ground where their ancestor fought and, in some cases, died. For others, it is an intellectual curiosity. They seek to understand what happened. Some come to learn lessons from history that will improve their lives. In each case, the historic terrain is the key to their visit. I have seen people emotionally overcome, with tears in their eyes, as they walk what they consider sacred soil in areas like the Spotsylvania battlefield's Mule Shoe. On the other hand, I have seen them appalled at what has happened to areas like Salem Church in Spotsylvania County. What has happened at the Mule Shoe and at what is now called old Salem Church provides a good contrast in understanding how the terrain can help us appreciate a historical event. For 17 years, I have studied Kershaw's Brigade. I have walked the ground of every major battlefield and dozens of smaller actions where those soldiers fought. With the exception of Beans Station, which is now under a man-made lake in Tennessee, Salem Church is the most damaged of their battlefields. Except for the church and the Orange Turnpike (now heavily traveled and widened State Route 3 west), none of the landmarks described by the soldiers survive. On May 3, 1863, Gen. John Sedgwick, with over 20,000 soldiers, headed west from Fredericksburg to relieve the pressure of the Union army engaged at Chancellorsville. On a ridge where Salem Church is located, a a smaller Confederate force stopped Sedgwick's men to protect the rear of the Gen. Lee's army at Chancellorsville. The woods, ravines and secondary roads are all gone, covered by modern suburban sprawl. It is impossible to stand where they stood and see what they saw. Some of their written words survive; the terrain--a key to understanding what happened--does not. The soldier's descendants and those seeking lessons from history gain next to nothing by visiting the site.
Date published: 7/17/2004
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