From today’s on-line edition of the Culpeper Star-Exponent:

OUR VIEW: Sacrificing history for the sake of convenience

STAFF EDITORIAL
Published: August 27, 2009

We are extremely disappointed in this week’s news that Walmart has been approved to build near the Wilderness battlefield.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in the early morning hours Tuesday to allow a Walmart Super Center to be built across the road from the Wilderness Civil War battlefield.

It makes our stomachs churn.

Many Orange County residents pointed to the need for shopping outlets, new jobs and tax dollars that would remain in local coffers — all legitimate needs, just not at the expense of the hallowed ground where Robert E. Lee and

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I’m horrified to find myself in agreement with Microsoft on anything, but I actually find myself completely aligned with Microsoft on the issue of the Google Books settlement. Below is the reason why:

The Proposed Google Book Search Settlement: Fact vs. Fiction

FICTION: The proposed settlement agreement merely resolves private litigation between private parties, which is a good thing.

FACT: The deal far exceeds the bounds of a typical legal settlement. It would tread directly on Congress’ jurisdiction, privatizing important copyright and public policy decisions historically made by Congress. It abuses class action procedure to create an exclusive joint venture between Google, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Authors’ Guild, strengthening Google’s dominance in search and creating a

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Mary Koik, Deputy Director of Communications of the CWPT, sent along a link to an extraordinary letter from the presidents of every group that makes up the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition to the CEO of the Great Satan….oops, Wal-Mart. That letter can be found here, and I commend it to you. I hope it has some influence, but if Wal-Mart ignored the Governor of Virginia and two influential U.S. Senators, I doubt that it’s going to pay much attention to this letter. However, we can all hope…..

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It’s my unfortunate duty to announce that the Orange Count Board of Supervisors voted to approve the construction of the Wilderness Wal-Mart last night. I wish I could say that I’m surprised by this, but I’m not.

Here’s the press release from the CWPT regarding this vote:

Orange County Supervisors Approve Wal-Mart Superstore on Wilderness Battlefield

COUNTY REJECTS NATIONAL AND LOCAL VOICES URGING PROTECTION OF BATTLEGROUND AND NATIONAL PARK

(Orange, Va.) – The Orange County Board of Supervisors today approved a proposal to build 240,000-square feet of big box retail on the Wilderness Battlefield. James Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), issued the following statement in the wake of the vote:

CONTACTS
Jim Campi, (202) 367-1861, ext.

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Between us, Susan and I probably have 3000 books. When we bought this house, we had less than half that number. When we bought the house, we had 24 linear feet of floor-to-ceiling bookcases built into one of the five bedrooms. Between us, we filled it.

However, in 14 years, we’ve both bought a lot of books. Before long, I had squeezed Susan out of the room. Then, I filled the built-ins completely and commissioned a couple of custom bookcases. And then all of that was filled. We were supposed to move a couple of years ago, and, in fact, had broken ground on a new house that would have had 65 linear feet of floor to ceiling bookcases. However, …

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From Jim Campi of the CWPT today comes some very good news:

Planning Commission Recommends Against Special Use Permit, But Threat to Battlefield Remains

Last night, the Orange County Planning Commission voted 4-4 against recommending approval of Walmart’s special use permit at its rescheduled public hearing. Although a tie, the vote is functionally the same as a denial, since it was not approved by a majority of the commissioners. The vote is a reversal of what occurred in July, when the commission prematurely approved the application 5-4.

It is now more critical than ever for supporters of the Wilderness and historic preservation to attend Monday’s Board of Supervisors hearing, as it is important to remember that the Planning Commisison is

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I got three cases of my biography of Ulric Dahlgren, Like a Meteor Blazing Brightly: The Short but Controversial Life of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, today. I have actually held a copy in my hand and can confirm that the book exists. 🙂

To those who helped me along the way, your copies will follow in the next week or so. For those waiting to buy it, just be patient a bit longer and your Amazon orders will be filled.

Finally!

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As I have mentioned here previously, my book manuscript on the Battle of Brandy Station is complete and is in the hands of the publisher. A couple of days ago, the publisher advised me that the book will released right around Memorial Day 2010, in time for the anniversary of the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9. Stay tuned. More details to follow.

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I received an e-mail from CWPT President Jim Lighthizer today, announcing another battlefield preservation victory, this time at Davis Bridge, Tennessee:

Dear Friend,

It gives me great pleasure to report to you that CWPT has successfully closed on 643 acres at Davis Bridge, Tennessee, helping to create one of the largest Civil War state parks in the state!

As you may recall from our appeals earlier this year, the Battle of Davis Bridge, sometimes known as Hatchie’s Bridge, was fought on October 5, 1862, the final significant action of the operations around Corinth, Mississippi, one of – in my humble opinion – the most neglected theaters of the entire war.

CWPT was able to purchase this important 643 acres for

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The following letter to the editor appeared in the August 14, 2009 edition of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star:

In the July 31 article titled “Orange schedules Wal-Mart do-over,” the author indicates that the proposed Wal-Mart site, while not on National Park Service land, is “in an area designated for study for possible historic significance.”

In fact, the area in question has been accepted as part of the battlefield since the early 1990s.

In 1990, a Congress concerned with the rapid private development of historic battlefield land appointed a blue-ribbon commission of Civil War scholars and educators to study the conditions of and threats to battlefields across the country.

As part of its study, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission

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