The last chapter of the modern day struggle over possession of a piece of the Wilderness Battlefield land appears to have been written. Nearly five years ago the preservation community was galvanized by news that super-retailer Wal-Mart planned to purchase 50 acres of Wilderness Battlefield land on the edge of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park to build a super-sized outlet. In the end, it wasn’t built there, and on Friday, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell announced that Wal-Mart had donated the much disputed parcel to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Wal-Mart eventually purchased another parcel about four miles away and opened its store there in July.

According to a news release from McDonnell’s office, the deal has been finalized, and the Department of Historic Resources will receive and steward the donated land. McDonnell and DHR’s director Kathleen S. Kilpatrick both praised Wal-Mart for its gift to Virginia.

The National Archives, as part of its public program series, will show Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Spielberg directed Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Davis in this powerful drama about Lincoln’s efforts to get the slavery abolishing 13th Amendment passed. It will be shown in the William G. McGowan Theater.

Use the Archive’s Special Events Entrance on the corner of 7th Street and Constitution Ave. NW. Doors open 30 minutes ahead of a program, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The movie was released a year ago and is rated PG-13.

Supporters of Virginia’s Mosby Heritage Area Association, or just those who love a traditional Civil War ball, will have an opportunity on Nov. 16 to dance in the spacious ballroom of historic Rockburn Farms, located just outside Middleburg, and raise funds for the association. Built originally in 1728 and rebuilt after a fire in 1828, Rockburn added a ballroom in 1930 specifically to host the Piedmont Hunt Ball.

Rockburn also has a direct connection to the namesake of the association. During the Civil War, Col. John Mosby was badly wounded and was secretly transported to the mansion by ox cart where he stayed until he was ready to rejoin his rangers.

Those attending the Chrysanthemum Jubilee shouldn’t worry if they have forgotten how to do the Virginia Reel. The Civil War Era Dancers will be there to demonstrate. Time-honored cocktails will be served as well as authentic Virginia food, according to the invitation.

Admission is $100 each and reservations are required. Contact 540-687-6682 or go to info@mosbyhrtitagearea.org.

The Sam Davis Home in Smyrna, Tenn., is trying to survive financially as it approaches a sesquicentennial commemoration this month of the death of one of the South’s favorite martyrs.

Davis refused to name names after he was captured carrying stolen Union documents and dramatically chose a death by hanging over betraying his friends. Davis’s heroic act will be remembered at the pillared, two-story house and museum over a three-day weekend, Nov. 22 to 24.

The state-owned Davis home, run on an annual $200,000 budget, has long been supported by the town, but that contribution has been slashed by 60 percent over the past seven years. In response, the museum has reduced hours and recently decided to close for the month of January. The commemoration is taking place on the weekend before the actual anniversary date of Davis’s death on Nov. 27, 1863, and officials are hopeful it will bring in much-needed money and a new base of support. They are planning for a crowd of as many as 100,000.

Events include a bus trip to Nashville to see the Davis memorial on the capital grounds, a banquet with keynote speaker, a guided tour of the home, performance of a play about Davis, a Sam Davis Memorial Ball and a Sunday morning service at Davis’s grave. Of particular interest to Davis fans will be an exhibit of artifacts loaned to the museum for the event that include the shackles Davis wore as a prisoner as well as the overcoat and one of the boots he was wearing when captured.

Davis left school to join the 1st Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, and by 1863 had been recruited to work as a scout, disrupting Union communications and reporting on troop movements. He was working behind enemy lines when he was captured carrying stolen papers and a map of fortifications. Although he said he was a mere courier, Union officials decided he was a spy. He refused to say who had given him the documents, was tried by court martial and sentenced to be hanged. When given a last chance to save himself by identifying those who had helped him, he refused, reportedly saying “You may hang me a thousand times and I would not betray my friends.”

His story had a powerful appeal and overnight Davis became the “Boy Hero of the Confederacy,” although he was 21 when he died.

The 40th Annual Historical Studies Conference, scheduled from Nov. 14 to 17, includes lectures and panel discussions of interest to Civil War enthusiasts. Extremely well planned with morning to night presentations, the conference is a true bargain at $20.

On Thursday, the first event for the “Marching on Washington” conference will be held at George Washington University where Northwestern University associate professor of history Kate Masur will speak on “Black Politics in Civil War Washington: What Spielberg’s Lincoln Didn’t Tell You.”

The next day, the conference resumes at the Historical Society of Washington D.C. at the Carnegie Library in Washington. Beginning at 11:15 a.m., three concurrent sessions will be offered, including, “From Slavery to Freedom,” that deals with slavery and its aftermath in Washington. Beginning at 2:15 p.m., more concurrent sessions are scheduled with “Anticipation, Shock and Aftermath of Washington’s Civil War,” offering a look at how the city defended itself against expected Confederate attack and what happened to the 1st D.C. Cavalry.

There will be more concurrent sessions on Saturday with several that are Civil War related. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., “Campus and Complex in the Nation’s Capital,” includes one talk on the history of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, formerly the Government Hospital for the Insane, where Union soldiers were treated for war wounds. At 2:15 p.m., “Extraordinary Success” includes a discussion of Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckly.

The final day, Sunday, is devoted to various tours including Downtown, Lafayette Square and the Mall.