Robert Duvall, Lawmakers to Commemorate Battle of the Wilderness

Jim Campi of the Civil War Preservation Trust sends this along:

MEDIA ADVISORY:ROBERT DUVALL, LAWMAKERS, TO COMMEMORATE ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS

(Orange County, Va.) Academy and Emmy Award-winning actor Robert Duvall, who portrayed his famous ancestor Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, will speak at a news conference on Monday, May 4, 2009, to commemorate the 145th anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness.  Joining Duvall will be Congressmen Ted Poe of Texas and Peter Welch of Vermont, both of whom hail from states whose troops were particularly bloodied in the battle.  The trio will also address the preservation challenges currently confronting the battlefield.

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5&6, 1864, was among the most significant engagements of the American Civil War, and marked the first encounter between legendary chieftains Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. Nearly 29,000 American soldiers were killed, wounded or captured in the horrendous, two-day struggle.  Today, just 21 percent of the battlefield is protected from development.

The news conference will begin at 11:00 a.m., at historic Ellwood Manor, located off Route 20 (Constitution Highway) in Orange County, Va.  Following the news conference, attendees will be able to tour the historic home, which has recently undergone a major renovation. The grounds, including the Lacy Family cemetery containing the left arm of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, will also be open to the public.  The press and public are encouraged to arrive early, since there is only one entrance to the site.

WHAT: News conference at Ellwood Manor on the Wilderness Battlefield
WHO: Academy and Emmy Award-winning actor Robert Duvall, Rep. Ted Poe of Texas, Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont and Zann Miner of Friends of Wilderness Battlefield
WHEN: Monday, May 4, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. (the press and public are encouraged to arrive early)
WHERE: Ellwood Manor, 36380 Constitution Highway (Route 20), Locust Grove, Va.

For more information, contact:
Mary Koik, (202) 367-1861 x231
Beth Newburger, (571) 436-0887
Jim Campi, (202) 367-1861 x205