April 4, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: Having historical roots in the Shenandoah Valley, I read with interest the editorial last week about the marking 160 years since the surrender of the failed separation of the South which resulted in such a horrendous war.
I was surprised there was no mention of the sad and tragic act in nearby Charlottesville, an act the direct result of unresolved division and which we in Lexington felt direct results.
It was a sobering and frightening change between the first MLK parade and the second one, after the Unite the Right “rally” in Charlottesville, to see the necessity to park snow plows at the end of the streets.
I agree that learning from history is important and I believe that the major lesson from the Civil War is that of surrender. We were wrong to use unbridled exploitation of human beings. We would do well to take that lesson to a general attitude of surrendering to civility, that is, how we treat one another and our natural resources. There are no winners in a war of exploitation.
MARSHA HEATWOLE Rockbridge County
