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Hallowed ground

List of endangered battlefields notable for one that is no longer on the list

Date published: 2/28/2005

One site graduates from endangered list, but the battle continues

THE NEW REPORT from the Civil War Preservation Trust lists plenty of battlefields that remain threatened by sprawl. But the good news about the list is one site that is no longer on it: Chancellorsville.

That's because of an agreement reached last fall among the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors, developer Tricord Inc., and John Mullins, the former owner of a huge tract commonly known as Mullins Farm. By agreeing to sell to the preservation trust 140 acres of land that saw bloody skirmishes leading up to the Battle of Chancellorsville in the spring of 1863, Tricord has served both history and itself.

The now-and-then metaphor is easy to draw here. The victory at Chancellorsville represents but one battle in a long and bloody war. Likewise, the trust still includes three Virginia sites among its list of the 10 most endangered Civil War battlefields. Spotsylvania Courthouse, considered merely at-risk a year ago, has taken Chancellorsville's place on the Top 10 roster. The trust suggests that history is repeating itself: "Today, Spotsylvania County is again an epicenter, only this time it is ground zero in the fight to save America's remaining Civil War battlegrounds."

The growth pressure on the Courthouse area is evident and has been increasing steadily for decades. The number of traffic signals between Four-Mile Fork and the Courthouse, though an unscientific indicator, has tripled in the past 10 years. Residential development will become even more attractive as booming commercial and industrial endeavors bring traffic to the Massaponax/Southpoint area of the county.

The Chancellorsville lesson must be taken to heart wherever sprawl encroaches. Despite Tricord's gesture, developers are unlikely to save historic sites out of the goodness of their hearts. It is the willingness of all sides to compromise that is at the center of preservation victories. When Tricord next comes before Spotsylvania officials with a proposal--say, for a 1,550-home, mixed-use project at New Post--it will bring to the table a resume that includes its Chancellorsville preservation deal.

Business is business. Tricord's comptroller will still keep the company's eye trained on the bottom line. But now preservationists and developers alike can look at the solemn list prepared by the trust and see not only targets for commercial exploitation but also opportunities for enshrinement. Given the alternative, that is reason for optimism.

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Date published: 2/28/2005