Civil War Revisited

Every American should at least visit Gettysburg or one of the major battlegrounds to feel . . . and understand what the Civil War (or what the South still calls the War Between the States) really meant to our nation.

I am, however, surprised that the Gibsons did not stop at Bennett Place State Historic Site outside of Durham, N.C., where the Civil War actually ended. Here, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the last active army to Gen. William T. Sherman.

The federal government has ignored this historic site, where the largest army to surrender during the war gave up its arms. North Carolina has a modest, informative museum on the site, and tours are conducted of the rebuilt Bennett House, where the two generals discussed terms over a bottle of whiskey.

CLIFF DEKTAR

North Hollywood