The National tribune., 1911-04-20
THE FsEDERICKsBURG NATIONAL
PARK.

The bill to create a National Military
Park at Fredericksburs. Va. was intro
duced last Monday in the Senate by
Senator Martini and stands on the CAL
endar as Senate Bill 1899. 1t was in
troduced into the House by Representa-
tive Jones, of Virginia, and stands on
the House Calendar as H. r. 1929. In
both Houses the bill, which has been
published in The National Tribune, is
mainly occupied with a surveyors de-
scription of the land to be taken for
roads, locations for monuments, etc. 1t
provides that the Telegraph Road along
the line of the old stone wall to the
Sunken Road and thence to the inter-
section of Hanover street, the Freder-
icksburg and Bowling Green Road, the
famous Plank Road running thru the
battlefields of Charlottesville and the
the Wilderness; the Brock Road, the
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Court
House Road and other roads that be-
came famous in the history of those
battles shall be acquired and made into
public highways free for the use of all.
The State of Virginia is to cede her
jurisdiction over this land and such
other tracts as may be acquired for the
purpose of the act.
The said park shall be under the
control of the Secretary of War, and
the park shall be under the direction
of five Commissioners, appointed from
served in the Northern army and two
in the Confederate army.
1t shall be the duty of this Commits
sion to ascertain definitely and mark
the lines of battle of all the troops en-
gagged in the battles of Fredericksburg,
Salem Church. Charlottesville, the
Wilderness and those about Spotsylva-
MIA Court House. This will include the
operations at Mine Run.
The bill should receive the earnest
attention and strong support of every
Union veteran and Confederate veter-
an, and we ask each to write to his
member of Congress or Senator. asking
him to support the bill and help its
passage in every way.
There was far moro fierce fighting
concentrated around Fredericksburg
than any other spot in the South. From
first to last probably 60o.o0 Union SOL
diers were more or less engaged in
these combats and probably about 400,
600 Confederates. The survivors of
both these armies much outnumber the
survivors of any other operations dur
ing the war. and they have the deepest
interest in the proper determination
and marking Of the ground on which
their regiments did the hardest fight
ing and suffered the seyerest losses in
their experience.
The ground around Fredericksburg
is consecrated by the blood of 10000
Americans on both sides, who fought
there to the bitter end for what they
believed to be- right. Ground SO con-
secrated should have an intense interest
for all our people, and it should be
made an eternal monument to Ameri
can heroism and devotion to principle.
While the issue of the war did not
seem to be decided around Fredericks-
burg, yet the terrific fighting was abso-
lutely necessary to that decision. The
invincible determination Of the North
to save the Union and the equal deter
mination of the Confederates to estab-
lish their independence met there in
their fullest force, and both sides did
secure victory for their belief The
Confederates had to recognize the un-
flinching determination OF the North,
which stopped at no expenditure of life
and treasure. II was this which made
Appomattox possible, and Appomattox
it. The men of the South were too
brave to yield without such an over
whelming demonstration of the moral
force and physical strength of the
Union
Let us all, Union and Confederate,
unite in the grand purpose of preserv-
ing as an object-lesson In history the
ground consecrated by more American
blood than any other within our bor-
ders. There should not be dissenting
vote in Congress to this bill, and there
will not be if all those now living who
fought there and their sons will i'm
press upon their Senators and Repre-
sentatives their desire to have the
ground properly prepared and marked.