Part of Civil War battlefield to be set aside as model

CHANCELLORSVILLE, Va. (AP) -- A portion of the battlefield where Gen. Robert E. Lee's outnumbered Confederate forces defeated Union soldiers in 1863 will be spared from development under a proposed deal preservationists call a model for other Civil War sites.
The agreement to set aside 140 acres of the "core" Chancellorsville battlefield marks a breakthrough in a long campaign to save part of the land.
The national Civil War Preservation Trust compared the deal to the successful effort to defeat Walt Disney Co.'s plans 10 years ago to build a theme park near Manassas National Battlefield.
"We see this as the beginning of a trend of battlefield preservationists working with developers," trust spokesman Jim Campi said Wednesday.
Under the agreement, the trust would pay developer Tricord Homes of Spotsylvania $3 million for 140 acres near Fredericksburg. Tricord Homes would forfeit its right to build retail space on its remaining property along a heavily traveled road nearby and also would agree to set back homes 1,000 feet from the road.
In exchange, Spotsylvania officials would permit Tricord to build 294 homes for adults on three parcels -- roughly 220 more homes than allowed under current zoning.
The deal is subject to approval by the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors.
From May 1 to May 3, 1863, Lee's forces stopped the Union from wresting Fredericksburg from the Confederacy.
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