Evening star., 1898-01-12
FREDERICkSBURG'S FIELD
Meeting of the Subcommittee of the Park
Commission.
Surveys of the Historic Site Have
Been COmpleted-Necessar Work
to BE Accomplished.

A subcommittee of the battlefields park
commission of Fredericksburg, consisting
OF Judge James 3. Sener, chairman; James
P. Corbn. secretary; Col. M. B. Rowe OF
Gov. Tyler's staff J. S. Potter and Major
T. E. Norris, the latter two having re-
Gently removed to Virginia from the north
met at the Riggs House yesterday at
O'Clock. These gentlemen were here to
confer with the committee appointed by the
G. A. r. at the Buffalo encamDment last
August. consisting of Past Grand Com
n'ander Edgar Allen of Richmond, David
w. Grcsvenor. deputy third auditor of the
Treasury Department, and z. B. Ayars OF
Wilmington. Del, together with Gen. J. P
S. Goblin, commando er-in-chief of the G. a.
H., IN regard to the preservation Of the
battletelds of Fredericksburg, Chancellors
ville the Wilderness and Spottsylvania
Court House in one great national park.
The Fredericksburg subcommittee brought
with them surveys of the proposed lines
to be laid off and marked. 1t seems that
the entire acreage of these surveys is
only $3.50 acres. just about the extent
of Chickamauga Park While this acre
age embraces the four most import ant
battlehelds of the war, strange to say,
most OF the lines are in the county of
Spottsylvania, including Fredericksburg.
1t also includes Stafford Heights, which
were crowned with the Union artillery
during the Fredericksburg fight of De-
cember, 1862.
The roads necessary to he laid ont and
improved are not more than those embrace
ed in the Chickamauga Park, and proba-
bly, not more than fifty miles in all.
Will s0Gn Re Incorporated
That these fields were the greatest of the
civil war is shown by the fact that the
federal cemetery at Fredericksburg IS the
largest except that at Arlington, while
the confederates nave also {. very large one
near by.
The commission now conducting this mat
Ter in Virginia was organized by a mass
meeting called at Fredericksburg in April
ls"'' by the city council of the place.
ana was participated in by citizens of
+ fredericksburg, Orange and Spottsylyania
counties. 1t proceeds from a desire on the
part of tie people of that locality to have
these fields marked. because of their ma
tional Importance. What little money is
beng used has Ieen furnished by Freder-
nkspurs and the counties named and no
one connected with it receives any salary.
The commission is about to become incor
porated by the legislature of Virginia nm
DER the lame of The Fredericksburg and
Adjacent l3attlefields Park Association
with with the view OF presenting the matter to
Congress for its favorable action. Evcrv
step in the matter so far has been cIosnIy
lollowins the precedent of the Chickamau-
ga incorporation.
Deep Interest shown.
MANY distinguished soldiers on both
sldes' In and out of Congress- are lending
me ald OF their names to the INCORPORATION
ana 10 the purposes had in view. Among
IAese are senators Daniel, Morgan. Bate
i"'ils' Jones and Faulkner of the south
ana Senators Sewell Thurston and Bur
rows OF the rorth, and Gems. Rutterffeld
Grant and others -
tIx-Gov. James A. Beaver of Pennsv1v,-
ma In accepting, says: Il am glad to learn
that an effort is being made to have a com
MISSION ls created for the purpose of preserv-
iiiS 'he batt!eiieldS of Frederickshurp
'nanceiiorsville the Wilderness and Sno,.
sSiVanla Court House. l am deeply ii;f.r
tsIeu In this movement. and If nv name
7 Tia a We VI any use, or If any service which
l can render Will help in the premises Won
are at nberty to use the name and com.
,.iaho tne services at any time" And n
IKE spirit seems to animate all those mort n
ana south, who are lending their ala to ~
fields. i''oiic pattle-
. Zen. Horatic G. King, secretary of the
1.llhy OF the Potomac, came over from
brooklyn to inspect the mans and nr,nns.n
sites and locations. Gen. III V Royn,o,
chalrnan OF the Chickamauea commission
and Gen. Roy Stone one Of the Pennsvi
.@aila ana hcorporators, Were also present.
After the joint commission had dissoI,,ad
Gen Goblin and the G.. A. r. suhcommittna
htiu an executive session. at the close of
when MI Allan said Gen. Goblin author
.zeu @ the statement after fully inspecting
me plans and reading the report of the
freder1cksburg committee on sites and To-
cations OF the four great battIefelds Of
freder1cksburg. the Wilderness Chancel-
icrsvile and Spcttsylvania Court House
mat the undertaking has his full and
hearty approval. and that if the COMMITTEES
proceeds TO prepare bill according to the
pan or the Chickamauga Park, and with
the lines and locations exhibited to him by
the Fredericksburg committee filed in. he
VIII give every aid in his power to further
the accomplishment of the great work.
Ger King said that of all the notable
battletields of the war those around Fred
ericksburg seemed most worthy of being
preserved. He expressed the hope and be-
lief that the work will be carried to a sue
ce ssful completion.
Just SO soon as the association is char
tered bill for an appropriation for the
purchase Of the property, laying out of the
ROADS. &c, VIII he introduced in Congress-
and Ii is believed that 1t will be passed
The amount asked for will be only about
$4,000, it is said.