Some folks in Orange County just don’t get it.

Lately I am becoming more and more irritated (and frankly alarmed) at how utterly ignorant many of the residents of Orange County are. I’m speaking specifically of those outspoken citizens that are rallying in the local press against preservationist groups who are trying to curb the construction of a Wal-Mart near The Wilderness Battlefield.

They write letters to the paper and accuse the CWPT and historians of spreading false information. They smugly turn their noses up at those from the quote: outside, who are attempting to save an important part of their county and refer to them as "carpetbaggers." Unfortunately their witty humor is totally overshadowed by their lack of understanding and respect for their own backyard. The bottom line is they don’t deserve to live near such hallowed ground.

If I had my way I would grab every one of these “activists” and lead them back to May of 1864 when Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac went head-to-head against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in some of the most horrific and savage fighting of the entire Civil War. Close to 10,000 men died at The Wilderness and over 12,000 were wounded. Most were scarred by the terror they experienced firsthand. Many wounded men burned to death as the trees caught fire around them. We can’t even begin to imagine the nightmarish scenes they witnessed. Maybe if these pro-Wal-Mart people realized the tragic cost of human life that this battle claimed and had a better sense of the gallons of blood that was spilled on their soil, they would finally get a clue.

The truth is ‘Orange County Wal-Mart supporters’, we “carpetbaggers” don’t care about your shopping convenience. We care about a priceless piece of the American landscape that is far more important than you, or me, or any of our children, or their children. This land was hallowed long before we were here and it will be here long after we are all dead and gone. Frankly, your (and our) quality of life is second to the conservation of our nation’s legacy. We that live in the adjacent counties know the price of urban sprawl firsthand as we allowed our own battlefields to fall victim to progress. Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg are examples of what NOT to do.

Message to Orange County: DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES WE DID. We’ve set the bar for ignorant when it comes to preservation and are still dealing with the error of our ways. The bottom line is that the individual’s wants and needs do not matter here. That battlefield is what matters and everything else that threatens the sanctity of it is a moot point. Stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the thousands of men who fell on the land you want to pave near.

Their memory matters more than any of us.

Michael Aubrecht
Historian/CWPT member