The evening times., 1900-03-20
FOR A BATTLEFIELD PARK
Preservation Of Virginia's Famous
War The ire Approved.
A Favorable Report Presented by
the House Military Affairs Com
mittec-The BiII Provides for a Me-
noriaI HexerVation Including
FredcricLsburg and other Places.

fIr Hay of Virginia. from the Commit
tee on Military Affairs. today presented
favorable report on House bill 5044 to IS
tablish the Fredericksburg and Aajacen
National Battlehelds Memorial Park in thl
State of Virginia.
This bill provides that for the purpos
OF preserving and suitably marking for bis
torical and professional military study tE
famous battlefelds in Spottsylvania coun
ty. Va. known as fredericksburg Salen
Church. Charlottesville the Wilderness
and Spottsylvania Court House, all OF then
within a radius of eight miles, and OF
which limited territory the late distin
guished Union general, John c. Newton
after careful investigation, declared tina
more great battles were fought, more mel
engaged, and more execution done than or
any other spot of similar area in the
world; and upon the ceding OF jurisdiction
to the United States by the State of Nir.
ginia over all lands and public highways
called for by this act. and the report OF
the Attorney General of the United States
that the title to the land over which ju=
risdic4ion is ceded and the right of the
United States to occupy, use, and improve
the highways is perfect. the following de-
scribed highways in the State Of Virginia
and parts of the Fredericksburg and Adja-
cent National Battlefelds Memorial Park.
Highways as Approaches.
First-The Telegraph Road from the
national cemetery gate along the line OF
the old stone wall to the Sunken Road,
and the Sunken Road to the Intersection
of Hanover Street and the old Pike Road;
thence the old Pike Road to its intersec-
ton with the Plank Road about one mile
west of Fredericksburg.
Second-The Fredericksburg and Bowl
ing Green Road from Fredericksburg to
opposite the Smithield mansion and 10
the nearest point to the field fought over
by General Franklin and Gen. Stonewall
jackson on the 18th of December, 1862.
Third-The Plank Road from its juno
tion with the old Pike Road, about one
mile west of Fredericksburg, running
through the battleields of Salem Church,
Charlottesville, and the Wilderness to
Parker's Store near where Generals
Wadsworth and Jenkins were killed and
General Longstreet was wounded.
Fourth-Brock Road from the old Turn
pike Road running along the line Of the
Union breastworks; thence TO TOdd's Tay-
ern. now known as Finchville. on by the
Sedgwick monument. near the Bloody An
derness Todd's Tavern, and Spottsylva
MIA Court House to Spottsylvania Court
House.
FiftE-The Fredericksburg and SpOttsyl-
vsnis Court House Road, running by the
battlefield on Fall Hill and the Union
breastworks near Spottsylvania Court
House from Fredericksburg TO Spottsylva
MIA Court House. Each and all of these
described roads and highways, after the
free public highways. and all public roads
and rights of way now existing through
the grounds of the park, and approaches
thereto. are to be continued as such.
Duties OF commissioners.
II shall be the duty of the Commission
ers. under the direction of the Secretary CT
War. TO cause and superintend the open
ing of such roads as may be necessary to
the purposes of the park and the repair
and improvement of the public roads lead
ing tC the same. and to ascertain and def
nitely mark the lines of battle Of all troops
engaged in the battles of Fredericksburg,
Salem Church, Charlottesville, the Wild
erness. and those about Spottsylvania
Court House, so far as the same fall with
in the lines of the park; and for the pur-
pose of assisting them in their duties and
in ascertaining these lines, the Secretary
OF War is to have authority TO employ at
such compensation as he may deem rea-
sonable and just, TO be paid out of the ap-
preparation made by the act, some person
recognized as well informed in regard TO
the details of the battles.
The report recites that the bill proposes
to set apart 5000 acres. which can be pur-
chased at the average price of IS an acre.
In this area were fought the great battles
OF Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville the
Wilderness. and Spottsylvania Court
House. embracing also Marye's Heights. |
Hamilton S Crossing, Laurel Grove, the
Bloody Angle, Todd's Tavern, and the Po
and Ny Rivers.
Troops from every State North and
South, were here arrayed in opposition, to
the number Of at least SOC, 600. and the |
losses in killed and wounded and missing !
on both sides aggregated 129, ,63S In the |
National Cemetery on Marye's Heights |
there lie 16 500 Union soldiers. and fire. |
quent additions are made from the ex-
humations On the battlefields.
The general officers who were killed on |
these fields on the Union side were Major |
Generals John Sedgwick. Hiram G.. Ber- |
ry, and Amiel W. Whipple Brevet Major |
Generals James S. Wadsworth and Alex
ander Hays. Brig. Gems. George ID. Bay
ard. Conrad +. Jackson, Edmund Kirby
James c. Rice. and Thomas ]. Stevenson
and on the Confederate side Lieut.. Gen.
Thomas J. Jackson. Brigadier Gems. Thom-
as Y. r. Cobb. Junius Daniel. Abner Per-
rim, Mayey Gregg. Z. +. Paxton. j. NJ
Jones, Leroy A. Stafford, and Micah Jen-
kins
Entrcnchments Well Preserved.
10 is said that over the entire field the
are in q remarkable state
Of preservation, protected in large part
by heavy growth Of timber, which, how
ever, is disappearing.
The report says: But there are other |
in this section. Fredericks-
burg was the home of the mother of
Washington, and there she was buried
Almost within sight of Fredericksburg's
SteeDles were born Washington, Monroe,
Jefferson, Madison, the Lees of both of
me Revolution and of the great war, and
Zachary Taylor.
In Virginia the great war began and
snded, and not an acre of this SOIL con-
c~rated by the loss of more men than fell
N all the other battlefields of that war,
les yet been dedicated as a national park.
The proposed project has received the
approval of the Secretary of War OF the
State of Virginia. of the Grand Army of
he Republic. of the Society of the Army
I