In her Jan. 18 Back Page essay (“Tainted Textbooks”), Beth Morelli lists many historical mistakes made by Five Ponds Press in books used in Virginia schools. While I support Ms. Morelli’s perspective, I am compelled to do a little fact checking myself. The Battle of Richmond, Ky., was fought on Aug. 29-30, 1862, and was a decisive Confederate victory. This year the Battle of Richmond Association will hold its 11th annual re-enactment on the 150th anniversary of the battle. Curiously, Richmond, Ky., is named for Richmond, Va., as is Richmond, Calif. In all there are 81 communities around the world named Richmond including in Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka — and of course our namesake, Richmond-on-Thames, in London.

Rick Tatnall
Replenish Richmond LLC