Readers Respond to the January/February 2024 Issue

Forgotten Guides

Reading William Bartram’s book of travels south into Florida (“Second Nature,” January/February 2024) was an amazing eye-opener for me. The details of the landscape and flora transported me back to the days before the occupation by Europeans. What seems missing in your article are the descriptions of Bartram’s encounters with the many Indigenous peoples who supported him as he traveled through their land. —Barbara J. Spiegelberg | Pequea, Pennsylvania

Safeguarding Species

Thank you for the excellent article on leatherback turtles and the dedicated scientist, Callie Veelenturf, who is working to protect them (“The Leatherback Guardians,” January/February 2024). The world needs more people like Veelenturf who dedicate their lives to protecting our planet’s species and working with the surrounding communities to educate them on the importance of preserving their habitat. —Donna Snow | Olympia, Washington

Humble Headquarters

The article on George Washington’s mobile field tent was excellent (“Command Center,” January/February 2024). It conjured up images of the sacrifices, struggles and hardships of our amazing founding fathers and the patriots who served under them in forging a nation. —Angelo DiDonato | Macomb, Michigan

A New Sound of Music

Thank you for your very poetic piece on John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” (“A Whole New Music,” January/February 2024). It’s great to see it put in historical perspective. The image that writer Jeff MacGregor paints of himself as a young boy intently listening during a time of emotional emptiness is very poignant. Keep on writing about music! —Yaakov Levy | Studio City, California

Family Portraits

“Civil War History, Reframed” (January/February 2024) was wonderful in so many ways. As I read it, I became more and more joyful imagining how each of these people were feeling about resurrecting the past and bringing that past into their lives. Congratulations on a truly moving and significant story. —Barbara Stoffa | Northampton, Pennsylvania

I did note a minor mistake in your statement that “When the Civil War began in April 1861, the U.S. didn’t allow Black men to join the armed forces.” The article should have stated that Black men were not allowed in the U.S. Army. The U.S. Navy (then as now an arm of the U.S. armed forces) had a fair number of Black sailors even before the war. Agreed, Black sailors were restricted to the lowest ranks and the hardest labor. Over many years, there had been efforts by the Navy Department to ban Black enlistments or restrict their numbers, but those efforts were always relaxed within a few years of being promulgated. —Lee Stone | Leesburg, Virginia