February 2021 Readers’ Letters
Readers share dispatches about Billy the Kid's colorized tintype, Custer subordinate Frederick Benteen, transcontinental railroads, the Dakotas and horses
American Outpost at Japan’s Front Door
Remote Pacific Islands attracted settlers who dreamed of annexation
Deep Blue in a Reb State
Martinsburg’s unionist passion was so unshakable, confederates resorted to calling the key western Virginia town ‘little Massachusetts
Uncommon Grit: Navy SEALs in Training
Take a closer look at the harsh reality of Navy SEAL training through these powerful images
From Hair to Opportunity
Rochester working girl builds an empire of businesswomen and changed the salon experience
How a New York Dentist Developed a Unique “Volley Gun”
The Billinghurst Requa Battery, a breechloading gun, consisted of 25 horizontally arrayed barrels and required a crew of three to work it.
Navy Ship to be Named After Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient
“One of the hardest things about the medal is that you’re really not allowed to forget about it."
Battle of the Mounts: Two of the Civil War’s Fiercest Cavalry Commanders Face Off
In June 1864 two of the Civil War’s fiercest cavalry commanders faced off at Trevilian Station, Virginia.
Book Review: True Grit
Colorado's Ridgway Western Heritage Society offers John Wayne fans a wide-format, photo-laden 50th anniversary look at the filming of True Grit
Skeletons in Buckskin at the Alamo
The murky fate of the Texian dead grows murkier after human remains turn up inside the famed San Antonio mission chapel
Letter From Wild West — February 2021
Wayne Brazel confessed to having killed Pat Garrett, the onetime New Mexico sheriff forever known as the man who shot Billy the Kid
Japanese Ace Tomokazu Kasai Dies at 94
“I still have the same dream of a Hellcat on my tail, and I can’t shake it.”
America’s Political Divide Has Roots in Clash Over Enlightenment
Philosophers who argue that reason defines truth face resistance from those who value tradition, culture, and faith
Long Tan: Australians and New Zealanders Beat the Odds
Although not the biggest battle the Australians experienced, Long Tan was perhaps their most desperate and critical fight in Vietnam
