Monday, January 24, 2011

Walmart Trial to Start on Tuesday

The trial deciding whether Walmart will gain hallowed land near the Wilderness Battlefield in Orange County, Virginia will start today.Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian James McPherson will be called to testify as a volunteer expert witness. The trial will take place in Orange County Circuit Court and is expected to last a week.

The Battle of the Wilderness, which took place on May 5 and 6 in 1864, is considered to be one of the most decisive battles of the Civil War. 185,000 soldiers participated, and 30,000 became casualties. McPherson's testimony will elaborate on the importance of this land, and the historical significance it plays. The proposed Walmart site will destroy land on and around the battlefield.

McPherson won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Battle Cry of Freedom." He plans to play on the judge's sympathies by relating the graphic details of wounded and dying men who were taken to a field hospital that was located less than a mile from the proposed Walmart site.

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