Numerous military installations in the United States are or were named after general officers in the Confederate States Army (CSA). These are all U.S. Army or Army National Guard posts, typically named following World War I and during the 1940s.[1][2] In 2021, the United States Congress created The Naming Commission, a United States government commission, in order to rename federally-owned military assets that have names associated with the CSA.[3] On 5 January 2023 William A. LaPlante, US USD (A&S) directed the full implementation of the recommendations of the Naming Commission, DoD-wide.[4]
Although the individual states are not required to rename their state-owned National Guard facilities, Louisiana has chosen to do so. There are currently no plans to rename state-owned facilities outside of Louisiana, with governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia electing to leave the names of Confederate figures in place.
History
During the world wars, the United States established numerous military bases in former states of the Confederacy that were named after Confederate military figures. Calls to rename the bases occurred sporadically during the 2010s.
In 2015, the Pentagon declared it would not rename any military installations named after Confederate generals, saying "the naming occurred in the spirit of reconciliation, not division",[5] and declined to make further comment when the issue was raised in 2017.[6] Following the June 2020 nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, the federal government began rethinking its traditional connection to Confederate Army symbols, including base names. President Donald Trump strongly opposed renaming the bases.[7] Partially due to provisions allowing Confederate-named bases to be renamed, Trump vetoed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), however, the veto was overridden by a bipartisan vote of Congress.[8]
In 2021, per a provision in the NDAA, Congress created The Naming Commission in order to rename military assets with names associated with the Confederacy.[9] The United States Secretary of Defense was required to implement a plan developed by the commission and to "remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from all assets of the Department of Defense" within three years of the commission's creation.[10][11]
Active installations
There are nine major U.S. military bases that were formerly named in honor of Confederate military leaders, all in former Confederate States.[12] All were renamed in 2023:
- Fort Benning (1917), near Columbus, Georgia, named for Confederate General Henry L. Benning, was redesignated Fort Moore on 11 May 2023 in honor of General Hal Moore and his wife Julia Compton Moore[13]
- Fort Bragg (1918), in North Carolina, named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg, was redesignated Fort Liberty on 2 June 2023 in honor of liberty[14]
- Fort Gordon (1917), near Augusta, Georgia, named for Confederate General John Brown Gordon, was redesignated Fort Eisenhower on 27 October 2023 in honor of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the ninth renaming.[15][16]
- Fort A.P. Hill (1941), near Bowling Green, Virginia, named for Confederate General A. P. Hill, was redesignated Fort Walker on 25 August 2023 in honor of Medal of Honor recipient and civilian army surgeon Dr. Mary Edwards Walker[17][15][18]
- Fort Hood (1942), in Killeen, Texas, named for Confederate General John Bell Hood, was redesignated Fort Cavazos on 9 May 2023 in honor of General Richard Cavazos[19]
- Fort Lee (1917), in Prince George County, Virginia, named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee, was redesignated Fort Gregg-Adams on 27 April 2023 in honor of Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams[20]
- Fort Pickett (1942), near Blackstone, Virginia, a Virginia National Guard installation named for Confederate General George Pickett, was redesignated Fort Barfoot on 24 March 2023 in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Van T. Barfoot[21]
- Fort Polk (1941), near Leesville, Louisiana, named for Episcopal bishop and Confederate General Leonidas Polk, was redesignated Fort Johnson on 13 June 2023 in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant William Henry Johnson[15]
- Fort Rucker (1942), in Dale County, Alabama, named for Confederate Colonel Edmund Rucker, was redesignated Fort Novosel on 10 April 2023 in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel[22]
Former federal installations that were given to the states
The following installations were transferred over to their respective state's National Guard units and are not considered to be assets of the Federal government nor part of The Naming Commission's mandate:[23]
- Camp Beauregard, near Pineville, Louisiana, a Louisiana National Guard installation named for Louisiana native and Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard.[24] In September 2022, the State of Louisiana started the process of renaming this facility.[25] The installation was redesignated Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville on 18 October 2023.[26]
- Camp Maxey, near Paris, Texas, a Texas National Guard installation named after Confederate Brigadier General Samuel B. Maxey.[27] As of 2023[update], the State of Texas has no plans to rename this facility.
- Camp Pendleton, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a Virginia National Guard installation named after Confederate Brigadier General William N. Pendleton. In January 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam "directed his administration to review and recommend a replacement name for Camp Pendleton".[28][29] Northam left office in January 2022 before any change could be implemented. By March 2023, the Virginia National Guard added this statement to the installation's official website: "The Virginia National Guard no longer uses the Camp Pendleton designation and now refers to it only by the original name of the State Military Reservation".[30]
Deactivated installations
Other deactivated mid-20th century installations named for Confederate Generals were:
- Camp Breckinridge, in Kentucky, named for John C. Breckinridge. The former camp has been occupied by the Clements Job Corps Center since 1980.
- Camp Forrest, a large WWII-era training base near Tullahoma, Tennessee named for Nathan Bedford Forrest, now the site of Arnold Air Force Base
- Camp Van Dorn, another massive WWII-era training facility near Centreville, Mississippi named for CSA Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. Except for areas still possessing environmental hazards caused by hazardous munitions, most of the area has been transferred to private ownership.
- Camp Wheeler, in Georgia, named for Joseph Wheeler. The former camp is now occupied by a municipal airport and an industrial park.
See also
References
- ^ Burns, Robert (10 June 2020). "Trump: No change at bases named for Confederate officers". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Grosvenor, Edwin S. (1 June 2020). "Confederates Honored by the U.S. Army". American Heritage Magazine. 65 (3).
- ^ "H.R.6395 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021". U.S. Congress. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ "Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds an On-Camera Press Briefing". U.S. Department of Defense (Press release). 5 January 2023.
- ^ Sims, Cliff (30 June 2015). "Pentagon won't rename Alabama's Ft. Rucker, named after Confederate officer". Yellowhammer News. Yellowhammer Multimedia. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ Bergengruen, Vera (16 August 2017). "Ten major Army bases honor Confederate generals, and there are no plans to change that". McClatchy DC Bureau. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ Daly, Mathew (20 April 2021). "Trump, GOP ally vow Confederate base names won't change". Associated Press.
- ^ Daly, Mathew (20 April 2021). "In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill". Associated Press.
- ^ "The Naming Commission". www.thenamingcommission.gov. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "H.R.6395 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021". U.S. Congress. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ Homan, Timothy R. (12 February 2021). "Pentagon, Congress appoint panel members to rename Confederate base names". TheHill. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ Doornboos, Caitlin (25 May 2022). "New names recommended for 9 Army bases that honor Confederates". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ Dickstein, Corey (11 May 2023). "'Our name may be changing, but our mission is not': Army's Fort Benning is now Fort Moore". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ "Fort Bragg in North Carolina becomes Fort Liberty, dropping name of Confederate general". CBS News. 2 June 2023.
- ^ a b c Philpot, Robert (22 March 2023). "Exchange Teams Prepare for Big Changes as 9 Army Posts Get New Names".
- ^ US Army Garrison (23 Oct 2023) WELCOME TO FORT EISENHOWER
- ^ MDW USARMY (25 August 2023) Fort Walker Redesignation Ceremony 59:22, Ceremony sponsored by MG Trevor Bredencamp, commander of Military District of Washington; additional remarks by LTG (Ret) Nadja West 44th US Army Surgeon General
- ^ The U.S. Army (30 Aug 2023) Fort Walker: Honoring an American Hero 1:50
- ^ Thayer, Rose (9 May 2023). "Fort Hood becomes Fort Cavazos, paying homage to general from Texas known for warrior ethos, selfless service". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ Adams, Matthew (27 April 2023). "Fort Lee renamed Fort Gregg-Adams to honor two pioneering Black officers". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ Vrabel, Mike (24 March 2023). "VNG installation officially redesignated Fort Barfoot". U.S. Army.
- ^ Gast, Phil (11 April 2023). "Fort Rucker was named for a Confederate. The Army post will now be called Fort Novosel, for a Medal of Honor recipient who rescued thousands". CNN.
- ^ Dickstein, Corey (31 March 2022). "More than 750 Defense Department items with names tied to the Confederacy listed for possible renaming". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ "Camp Beauregard, near Alexandria Louisiana in World War II". Alexandria-Louisiana.com. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ Martinez, Melinda (8 September 2022). "Most at meeting oppose name change but Camp Beauregard will get new name in 2023". Town Talk.
- ^ Vedros, Colin (18 October 2023). "New name redesignation held for Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville". KALB-TV. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Malachowski, James. "Camp Maxey". East Texas History. Sam Houston State University.
- ^ South, Jeff (20 January 2021). "In purge of Confederates, Virginia plans to rename Camp Pendleton". Virginia Mercury.
- ^ Ress, Dave (20 January 2021). "Northam to rename Virginia Beach's Camp Pendleton, which honors Confederate general". The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ State Military Reservation, 2023, archived from the original on 23 March 2023, retrieved 30 April 2024
- ^ Seidule, Ty (16 June 2020). "What to rename the Army bases that honor Confederate soldiers". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 July 2020.