The 325 armed engagements that took place in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War were just the beginning.

In recent years, real estate developers have eyed the battlefields where these conflicts occurred and dreamed of riches. Some, like Disney, hoped to convert the area’s Civil War history into theme parks. Others are just looking for more space for Virginia’s growing retail and commercial economy.

The battles that have been erupting between developers and preservationists have not been as bloody as the battles of Bull Run or the Wilderness, but the feelings behind them run just as deep.

Finally, the federal government has stepped in — on the right side, the side of preservation.

A commission established by Congress has formed the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation to protect battlefields from development. The foundation will initially manage 10 battlegrounds that include more than 20,000 undeveloped acres in eight counties.

Until recently, these areas were relatively untouched. But Washington growth has crept in from the north, and Interstate 81 has become a major transportation corridor. Add to that the decline in farming —and the allure of big-bucks development deals to people going out of the farming business —and the future of the battlefields was looking endangered.

The foundation will buy some battlefields outright. Its first act was to purchase the remainder of the Second Kernstown battlefield south of Winchester, Va. (Only 350 of its original 5,000 acres are left.) But most of its work will involve buying conservation easements from farmers and other landowners to keep development off the land.

It’s a good plan —as far as it goes. Unfortunately, many valuable sites to the east of the Shenandoah Valley are subject to even greater development pressure. The foundation may have started too late and be too limited in geographical scope for some of the war’s most historic battles sites, such as the aforementioned Bull Run and Wilderness. Disney did not win its battle to transform the Manassas area, but others have picked away at this region piecemeal.

The second drawback to the foundation is its limited funding: $1.4 million in start-up cash. That won’t go far in beating back subdivisions and mega-malls. But Congress’ role in setting up this foundation at least sends a message: These historic battlefields are to be remembered and preserved. When it comes to the Civil War, most people long ago decided to forgive. But the nation should never forget.