Opinion: What good does it do to topple Confederate monuments?

To the editor: What happened in Charlottesville, Va., this weekend was horrific, no doubt about it. The white supremacists’ protest and the killing of a counter-demonstrator were senseless acts of hate.

However, I do not agree with those who want to rewrite history by removing monuments like the one of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville. (“After violence in Charlottesville, cities rush to take down monuments as white supremacists gear up to fight,” Aug. 14)

Yes, slavery was evil and very wrong, but it is part of our history and it cannot be denied. These monuments are reminders of what can never happen again. They are a reminder of how far we as country have come.

Marylane Graham, Costa Mesa

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To the editor: Like many Americans, I have a family connection with a soldier of the Civil War. He fought with a Pennsylvania regiment. Like many thousands each year, I once visited Gettysburg, Pa., to search for his name. He was a private by all accounts.

At Gettysburg, there are also Confederate monuments that list some of the names of soldiers who fought and died there.

I was particularly saddened to see a picture recently of a monument in Georgia depicting an angel standing over a Confederate soldier being defaced. It is my hope that the same angel, unmarred, stands guard over my Union ancestor and the graves of all people who fought and died in the Civil War.

We should all cool down and heed the “better angels of our nature.”

David Strauss, Arcadia

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