To the editor:

I would not normally respond to a persons letter to the editor of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, unless that submission appeared to be specifically written to me and not the population at large. Mr. John Edelberg, in his Oct. 21 letter, took the liberty to project his personal version of the intent and accuracy of my open letter to the editor concerning a town of Tupper Lake board issue. It is not important to discuss that board’s issue any further; it has been well vetted. The intent of this reply is to correct Mr. Edelberg erroneous declaration of historical fact.

June 1, 1862 — Originally called the Confederate Army of the Potomac, the Confederate forces were renamed the Army of Northern Virginia when Robert E. Lee assumed command on June 1, 1862, in a battle to defend the city of Richmond from Union forces. (Editor’s note: A different Army of the Potomac fought for the Union.)

My Oct. 15 letter to the editor of the ADE was unquestionably accurate and verifiable, had Mr. Edelberg researched its accuracy before declaring it to be wrong.

My letter clearly defined my personal opinion and was backed up by accurate factual historical references. My intent was to elicit discussion. It appears it served that purpose.

I appreciate that John Edelberg gave his version of U.S. history, albeit not accurately.

I take no offense to his personal attack or perceptions of my reasoning. They are, after all, my opinions, not his.

I do insist on accuracy of fact when a person chooses to incorporate it in a communication. Words do matter. I choose to use them wisely and factually, and I respectfully request the same respect for fact from a respondent.

I hope Mr. Edelberg will brush up on his history before authoring any future comments for public perusals. His personal opinions can contain any variations on fact that he chooses to declare. But I have to insist that he refrain from contradicting historical fact for personal credibility.

Wayne Leonard

Melbourne, Florida