Date published: 8/17/2009 – Fredericksburg.com

BY PETE CIHELKA

Original Article

About a year ago, Jackson Lee Sulcer (above), 7, came to the Confederate Cemetery in Fredericksburg looking for a dirty grave. He happened on the grave site of Virginia soldier Samuel Davis, which appeared unkempt to the boy, so he decided to tidy it up.

"The [headstone] looked scraped and I was kind of putting spit on my finger and cleaning it off," the Stafford County youth said.

Since that day, Jackson–who was voted "history hero" in his Ferry Farm Elementary second-grade class–has become a frequent visitor to the historic cemetery.

About every other week, he checks in on Davis’ grave to make sure it’s tidy. He removes any weeds that may have popped up near the Virginian’s tombstone, and brushes away any leaves that may cover the site.

On a recent visit, he placed a small Confederate battle flag at the base of Davis’ headstone and made an arrangement out of pine cones. Then he paused and said a prayer for the fallen soldier.

Jackson has tried to find information about Davis on the Internet, but hasn’t had any luck. Nonetheless, he believes Davis was a good man who deserves the respect of having a clean resting place.

"I’ve been wanting to do something like this for years," said Jackson’s father, Jason. "I think the fact that he’s remembering this soldier this way is amazing."

Webmaster Comment

  God bless this child for remembering those who sacrificed for what they believed in and God bless his parents for teaching him the importance of honoring those who served.  We can all learn something from his example.

     On Wednesday, the state of Florida closed on the purchase of almost 55 acres of land previously owned by the Rakestraw family including a large portion of the land in which the battle of Natural Bridge was fought upon. This battle was the second largest battle fought in the state of Florida and occurred within a few weeks of the close of the war. The battle was a Confederate victory that preserved Tallahassee’s status of the only Confederate Capital East of the Mississippi never to be captured by Union forces. Natural Bridge was listed last year as the 6th most endangered battlefield in the nation by the Civil War Preservation Trust.

    The purchase was funded through the Florida Forever program, which provides for the purchase of environmentally fragile land.  The battlefield features many unique karst features including sinkholes, a natural bridge, swallets, karst windows, and a submerged cave system.  Artifacts dating back to as early as 10,000 B.C. have been found on the property. These exceptional environmental features allowed the state to save the land despite a budget crisis.

     James Lighthizer, President of the Civil War Preservation Trust had the following to say “We are extremely pleased to be working with the state of Florida to protect a key part of the Natural Bridge Battlefield” “The Rakestraw property saw some of the most intense fighting of the battle, fought just five weeks before General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Governor Crist and his administration should be applauded for stepping up to protect this unique part of Florida’s heritage.” The purchase of the land comes just before the 32nd annual reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge that is held at the state park adjacent to the newly acquired land. The Reenactment will be held on March 7th and 8th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

     “Originally established in 1999, the 10-year, $3 billion Florida Forever program is the largest land-buying initiative in the nation, conserving environmentally sensitive land, restoring water resources and preserving important cultural and historical sites. More than two million acres throughout the state have been placed in public ownership under Florida Forever and its predecessor program, Preservation 2000 (P2000).”

     If it wasn’t enough that Wal-Mart already has one of these monstrosities every 5 miles along every major highway and dirt road, they now want to put one immediately next to the Wilderness Battlefield in Orange County, Virginia.  A formal application for the project was filed on Friday, December 5, 2008. 

     A group of 253 historians have sent a letter to Wal*Mart’s CEO Lee Scott urging him to reconsider their plans to build the 138,000 square-foot store in that location.  Among the historians signing the letter are documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and Nation Park Service Chief Historian Edwin C. Bearss.

     An article on the website of the National Civil War Preservation Trust is quoted as saying

“Although many individual historians have previously voiced opposition to Wal-Mart’s Wilderness proposal, such a large and diverse group uniting in this cause demonstrates how important the Wilderness is to our nation’s heritage, noted Lee White, executive director of the National Coalition for History (NCH), one of the eight groups making up the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition, which circulated the letter.”

     It is feared that the building of the store will increase traffic and promote other development that will only further encroach on the Wilderness Battlefield.

“The Wilderness Battlefield is the biggest tourist destination in Orange County,” remarked Craig Rains of the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield. “A store this large, set amid a nearly pristine rural landscape, threatens to overshadow the experience of the tens of thousands of visitors who come to the battlefield each year. Moving the store, even just a short distance, can prevent that” said Historian Edwin Bearrs.

     The Battle of the Wilderness was fought over the course of two days in May of 1864 and was one of the most significant engagements of the Civil War.  This battle was also important because it was the first meeting of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General U.S. Grant in the war. Almost 29,000 combatants were killed, wounded or captured during the struggle of The Wilderness.

   I strongly encourage our visitors to visit www.wildernesswalmart.com and lend their support to The Wilderness Battlefield Coalition to prevent this degradation of one of our nations treasured battlefields.