The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-04-15
BATTLEFIELDS PARK.
Its Establishment Here Advocated BY the
New York sun.

A bill to establish a national park on
the battlefeds of fredericksburg, Chan.
cellorsyile, the Wilderness and Spotsyl-
vania has been reported iayorably by
the House Military Committee, and il
Speaker Henderson says the word 1t can
be brought up for passage at this session.
The Senate has already passed the bill
twice. There are excellent and unanswer-
able reasons why it should becomea a law.
( The West has had more than its share oi
appropriations for battlefield memorial
parks. Chickamauga, Shiloh and Nicks-
burg have cost $2.215,26l in the aggre-
! gate, while the expenditure on Gettys-
burg has been only Sl23,3 ,322 and on An
tietam Sl32,237. 70 put it another
way, iour-fiths Of the appropriations
have gone for the preservation OF battle.
fields where the West was largely repre-
sented. although two-thirds OF the Fed
eral casualties occurred in the Eastern
armies. fredericksburg. by which name
the proposed park would be known, has
unusual claims to consideration. Half a
million Northern and Southern troops
were engaged in the four battles in the
vicinity. In killed, wounded and missing
the losses were more than l20,OOO
Fighting on such scale occurred no
where else during the Civil war Never
before or afterward were 30 many general
officers killed. The list on the Northern
side includes Sedgwick, Wadsworth,
Whipple, Hays and Kerry, and on the
Southern Stonewall Jackson, Cobb
Gregg. Paxton and Micah Jenkins. No
less than Is, 500 nion soldiers are buried
in the National Cemetery at fredericks-
burg. Gen. Horatio c. King points out
that Fredericksburg is nearer the centre
of population Of both Northern and
Southern soldiers than any other mill
tary park ia the country. and readily az.
cessible to all, and It affords also the best
facilities for the concentration, instrue-
ton and mobilization OF great array
lie also refers TO fact of extraordinary
interest in connection with the proposal
to make fredericksburg a place OF pill
grimage an inspection: lt is the most
historic spot of a lLsSSSss, historic state
Almost within site Of its sScs,sSsss sSc,sS.... were
born some OF the foremost men Ci~he
country: Washington, Monroe Jefferson,
Madison. the Lees both Of the Revolu-
tion and Civil war, and Zachary Taylor.
Although the Northern and Southern
armies swayed to and fro in death
struggle for four years in Virginia, not
a national park has been dedicated on
It's soil. The claim OF fredericksburg Is
paramount, and none will dispute 1t.
Still can be seen the intrenchments
OF the four battlefelds, but il the land
is not taken for a military park they
will in course OF time be obliterated
by lumber operations. Already the saw
mill is at work in the forests. For
tunately, an act OF the Virginia Legis-
lature provides that the tract of 5000
acres may be condemned at its fair value
In favor of the bill by formal Endorsement
and memorial are the Secretary OF War,
Grand Army of the Republic, the Society
OF the Army OF the Potomac, and the So
ciety of the United Confederate Veterans.
Congress should not adjourn without
sending the fredericksburg National
Park bill to President Roosevelt.-New
York Sun.