Untitled (p. 12)

Originally published May-June 2025 · pp. 13

At Brown’s Ferry and Chattanooga, the Trust is aiming to preserve 31 acres where intact Civil War-era earthworks on an adjacent preserved tract continue into this property, connecting the earlier preservation work by the Trust. At Spring Hill, the Trust seeks to protect 12 acres, located within the core of the battlefield and adjacent to previously preserved land. Finally, two separate tracts at Bentonville, North Carolina, totaling 118 acres, were central to the action of the major 1865 battle. Every one of these battles was critical to the outcome of the war and with ever-looming developmental threats, the preservation of these tracts is critical. For more information, visit www.battlefields.org/give/save-battlefields/preserve161-acres-five-western-theater-battlefield-tracts.

Preservation Groups Come Out Against Wilderness Crossing Mega-Development In late February, the Trust and other plaintiffs urged the Circuit Court of Orange County, Virginia, to allow their lawsuit against the Wilderness Crossing project, a 2,600acre mega-development at the gateway to the Wilderness Battlefield, to advance. The Trust cited that Orange County’s approval of the process violated state and local law in numerous ways and threatens irrevocable harm on Wilderness battlefield as well as other nearby historical and cultural resources. The Trust is joined in the lawsuit by two other nonprofits, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust Inc., and Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, all three of which own or steward historic properties near the Wilderness Crossing project and stand to suffer significant adverse impacts. Private citizens who live next to the Wilderness Crossing site also joined as plaintiffs to protect their homes. In May 2023, the Trust and other Plaintiffs challenged Orange County’s hurried and haphazard approval, which permits thousands of acres of residential, commercial, and industrial development, including data centers and distribution warehouses, to mar the viewshed and bring tens

of thousands of vehicles past and over the hallowed grounds where the Battle of the Wilderness was fought. Ahead of its hurried vote, the Board ignored repeated requests from the preservation community and the NPS to discuss the project and further study its impacts. By far the largest rezoning in Orange County history, the Wilderness Crossing mega-development could add up to 5,000 residential units and over 800 acres of commercial and distribution warehouses. The project was approved over near unanimous public opposition. In addition to the filings by plaintiffs, the National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the Wilderness Crossing lawsuit, emphasizing the irreparable harm the Wilderness Crossing development will have on the Wilderness Battlefield Unit of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Battlefield Park.

86 Acres Saved at Wyse Fork Ahead of Battle’s 160th Anniversary In February, the Trust celebrated the preservation of 86 acres of hallowed ground at Wyse Fork Battlefield in North Carolina. The two adjacent properties were preserved ahead of the battle’s 160th anniversary in early March. This preservation effort marked the effort to preserve key areas of the site that saw North Carolina’s second largest battle forever. In recent years, Wyse Fork has faced developmental threats, including a proposed highway expansion that would have located a massive interchange in the heart of the battlefield. The proposed interchange would have erased a significant part of the battlefield, damaged interpretation efforts, and undermined other preservation opportunities. The Trust and its partners were vocal in raising concerns about the development and recommended alternative routes. In 1865, Union Gen. John M. Schofield pushed inland from Wilmington, aiming to join forces with Gen. William T. Sherman’s advancing troops in North Carolina. As part of this effort, Schofield ordered Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox to lead his XXIII Corps from New Bern toward Goldsboro. Confederate forces under Gen. Braxton Bragg moved to intercept and blocked Cox’s advance at Southwest Creek, just east of Kinston. The preservation project was made possible with help from the North Carolina State Capital Infrastructure Fund and the American Battlefield Protection Program.

Mark Your Calendars: Gettysburg Film Festival

A rainbow at the Wilderness Battlefield. (Buddy Secor)

The Gettysburg Film Festival is returning this year from May 8 to 11, 2025, focusing on the legacy of World War II. Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns will open the festival on Thursday, May 8th, marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Special guests include Martin Sheen, Anna Deavere Smith, Robert Edsel, Susan Eisenhower, Stephen Lang, and more. For more information, visit www.gettysburgfilmfestival. org.