Can Yankees Spell?

Otto Friedrich’s article in the April issue, “Traveling with a Sense of History,” was well written, factual, and entertaining. However, you should never send a Yankee to write about the War Between the States in Virginia. Friedrich refers to “half-forgotten” battles his great-grandfather recalled. For the record, the fighting prior to surrender at Appomattox was at “Sayler’s Creek” (named after Mr. V. Sayler), not “Sailor’s Creek” as printed. After all, the “sailors” were on the Monitor , and their battle ended in a tie with the Merrimac .

Mr. Calisch is quite right about Sayler’s Creek; Otto Friedrich spelled the name of the town as his great-grandfather had spelled it in his list of battles. Incidentally, it has always puzzled us that the fight between the Monitor and the Merrimac is considered a draw. After all, the Monitor drove off the Merrimac and saved the Union fleet, and the Confederate ironclad subsequently was scuttled by her own crew .