Dear Editor,

Last week I had the privilege to work near the Spotsylvania battlefield north of Richmond. A former student of mine lives a few miles from the spot where "the highest ranking officer that was killed in the Civil War" fell. General John Sedgwick encouraged his men to refrain from ducking when they heard a bullet from a Confederate sharpshooter come into their area.  

Sedgwick said, "Those Confederates couldn't hit the side of an elephant from this dis..." He never finished his sentence as he was immediately hit with one of those Rebel bullets.

One never knows how long one has before meeting his Maker. Would that all of us should live in such a way as to be ready for death and judgment to follow. What a blessing it is to lay one's head down on a pillow at night and know that they are at peace with God.

Yours for America,

Dan Manka

Fairmont, WV