RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The dispute over whether a Walmart should be built near a Civil War battlefield in Virginia is headed to court.
The case pits preservationists and some residents of a rural northern Virginia town against the world's largest retailer and local officials who approved the Walmart Supercenter. The site of the store is near where Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant first met on a battlefield in 1864.
The Battle of the Wilderness is viewed by historians as a critical turning point in the war, which ended 11 months later. An estimated 185,000 Union and Confederate troops fought over three days, and 30,000 were killed, injured or went missing.
Both sides are scheduled to make arguments before a judge Tuesday.
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Online:
Save the Wilderness Battlefield: http://www.wildernesswalmart.com
Orange County Walmart: http://www.orangewalmart.com/
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