Duvall Joins Fight to Save Battlefield
Actor portrayed ancestor Robert E. Lee on film
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Duvall fights to preserve the battlefield where his famous ancestor fought.
LOCUST GROVE, Va. -- Academy and Emmy Award-winning actor Robert Duvall has added his voice in opposition to a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter near a Virginia Civil War battlefield where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee first met the Union's Ulysses S. Grant.
At a news conference in Locust Grove on Monday, the descendant of Lee said he will help preservationists in "chasing out" the retailer from a site near the Wilderness Battlefield.
Duvall said he has no grudge against Wal-Mart but believes in capitalism coupled with sensitivity.
Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vermont and Ted Poe, R-Texas, joined Duvall in representing states that lost many lives at the Wilderness battle 145 years ago.
The Wal-Mart proposal must first be approved by Orange County supervisors.
Duvall portrayed his ancestor Gen. Lee in the 2003 film "Gods and Generals."
Another Oscar winner, Richard Dreyfuss, came to the Washington area in March to defend the battlefield.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC4 Washington
Posted Monday, Jul 13, 2009 - 10:14 PM EST
