Walmart Near Civil War Battlefield

ORANGE, Va. (AP) - Officials in central Virginia have approved plans for a Walmart Supercenter near one of the nation's most important Civil War battlefields.

The proposal has historians and preservationists up in arms.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to grant the special permit to the world's biggest retailer. A majority of more than 100 speakers told the board they favor bringing the Walmart to Locust Grove, within a cannonball's shot from the Wilderness Battlefield.

The Wilderness is where generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee first met in battle 145 years ago and where 145,000 Union and Confederate soldiers fought and more than 29,000 were killed or injured.

Historians and Civil War buffs are fearful the Walmart store will draw traffic and more commerce to an area within the battlefield's historic boundaries. But they couldn't sway supervisors, who said they didn't see the threat.

Walmart says construction could begin in a year.