Letters to the Editor — December 2020

Originally published December 2020 · p. 2

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In regard to secession, let it be known that Virginia, New York, and Rhode Island all joined the voluntary Union of sovereign states with the expressed condition that they reserved the right to withdraw from it. All states being equal under the constitution, the right of secession applied to all. Secession is nothing more than the inalienable right to freedom of association in the political sphere. To those who argue that the Southern states submitted their right of secession to the arbitration of arms is no more valid than to say a pedestrian submits his right to the money in his pocket to the arbitration of a hold-up man. The money might be gone, but his right to it is not. The Southern states may have been driven back into the Union at the point of the bayonet and “overwhelming numbers and resources,” but the right of secession remains. H.V. Traywick Jr. Richmond, Va. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: First, I want to thank you for one of the greatest articles I’ve ever had the honor to read. Your “10 Favorite Books” deserves to be included in the list of many fine books mentioned in your articles! Thank You! Now that being said and I have your attention, I’d like to say that your fine writers missed several of the period’s most important books: Much of the War’s written material strikes me as scholarly attempts to find a magic formula that will make the suffering and destruction understandable or almost mathematically inevitable. This magic formula will ease our souls reading about our ancestral blood and neighbors trying to kill each other for some “justifiable” reason. To describe the War without horror being the major theme is an attempt to find the unicorn. War is the lowest measure of humanity. It is evil, it is brutal, and it is something that should be expressed as such. To not include books that attempt to describe this distress leaves the list short of real history. If I could add another book, it would be one not yet written, as there is no Confederate version of the Red Badge of Courage! Why not? If only Buster Kilraine had survived the War and written a diary to expand on his description of a “Killer Angel” and his attempt to restart a meaningful life after his experiences! (Hmmm, maybe a new novel idea?) Thank you again for an excellent publication, and more importantly, a well-thought-out, quality scholarship! Dan Cashin Havertown, Pa. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: I do not know about anyone else, but no one has to tell me why copies of the CWN are being destroyed and damaged at the US Post Office. We all know that we are under attack, law enforcement officers are being killed, our cities burned, and our monuments destroyed. Like you, I sit here on Lost Mountain, Ga., and there is not a damn thing I can do, until now. My twelve-year-old great grandfather did not roll over when President Lincoln sent the call out. He and brothers marched south with the 69th New York Militia to Bull Run. Somebody later shot one of the brothers in the forehead at the North Anna. By then, they were called the Fighting 69th of the Irish Brigade. I’m tired of rolling over. I did not roll over in the Marines or the state police. I can’t grab my gun and protect my flag. But tomorrow, I will put a check in the mail to cover my $2.50 polybagging cost and that of a few of the brothers under the weather because of the Corona Virus.

Furthermore, I just decided that I’m going up to Remembrance Day in Gettysburg. The politicians can cancel the SUVCW parade, but the 69th New York will be at our monument and visiting the graves. If you can, please join me by sending in a check to the CWN to cover the added cost of polybagging. Steve Reilly Lost Mountain, Ga. Publishers Note: Since we decided to begin mailing copies of Civil War News inside a polybag with a cover sheet starting with the November 2020 issue, we are delighted to announce that we have not received one complaint of a missing or damaged paper, a first since the beginning of 2020. The response from our readers to the addition of the polybags has been so positive. We have received donations in support of this additional cost, and based upon the numbers of renewals coming in, the additional charge of $2.50 does not appear to be a problem for most of our readers. Friends of Civil War News have graciously made generous donations to help support the paper. We appreciate any and all help in the preservation of our publication. It is no secret that these are challenging times for publications such as ours, with loss of event advertising due to the Covid-19 social distancing requirements and necessary cancellations to prevent the spread of the virus. We fully expect to regain advertising revenue as businesses open back up and events are rescheduled. Some of our long-time advertisers have found it too difficult to remain in business this year, so we have permanently lost the revenue from their support. Sadly, we will miss their friendships and we wish them the best. Civil War News is not a 501(c) non-profit; however, we are starting to feel like we should be. In spite of the lost advertising revenue this year, the price for our printing has gone up while the price we pay for other services to provide you with a top-notch publication has remained the same. Peggy and I have personally had to dig into our savings this year to keep the paper afloat. That being said, we know that there are those among our readers who have professions that have protected them from the financial burdens put upon many of us this year. We are not too proud to ask that if you love what we produce, month after month, year after year, then please consider making a donation to the