The US Military Named Bases and Ships for Confederate Leaders

The US Military Named Bases and Ships for Confederate Leaders

Larry Holzwarth - August 15, 2020

The US Military Named Bases and Ships for Confederate Leaders
Lodge at Fort A. P. Hill in 1941. US Army

20. Fort A. P. Hill, Bowling Green, Virginia

As the United States Army expanded in 1941, the need for a new training site for corps and division-size units on the East Coast arose. The site selected, in Caroline County, Virginia, first received Army troops in the summer of 1941. The Army considered three names for the new facility. James McAndrews, a career officer who rose to the rank of Major General in the United States Army and served with distinction in World War I was one. Another was John Hunt Morgan, a Confederate general of cavalry, who led a raid into Indiana and Ohio during the Civil War, reaching the furthest north of any Confederate troops during the war. In the end, the army settled on Morgan’s brother-in-law, Ambrose Powell Hill.

The Army elected to name the new post Fort A. P. Hill at a time when new installations around the country drew names from regional soldiers or local heroes. Hill was a native of Virginia, having been born in Culpeper. The fact that many of the new posts’ names were from men who fought against the United States was simply not considered at the time. Fort A. P. Hill trained American troops for combat in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and prepared them for deployment to Europe during the Cold War. It is used by all branches of the US military, as well as branches of law enforcement. It also provides training to troops and agencies of America’s allies.

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