The US Military Named Bases and Ships for Confederate Leaders

24. The military was segregated when it named bases for Confederates

The US Army practiced strict segregation during the First and Second World Wars and during the period in between. The closest thing the Army had to an integrated unit was the United States Military Academy at West Point, which admitted the first black cadet in 1870 (he failed to graduate). The first to graduate and accept a commission in the Army was Henry Ossian Flipper in 1877. He was assigned to a segregated unit, the 10^th Cavalry, one of the units known as the Buffalo Soldiers. When the Army created new facilities named for Confederate leaders their was little if any, resistance from African-Americans, either in the military or elsewhere. In fact, strong support emerged from Southern politicians and community leaders.

President Truman, himself a Southerner, ended segregation in the United States Army by executive order in 1948, but years went by before integration became a reality. Opposition to the names of military bases first emerged during the protests over Civil Rights in the 1950s and 1960s. The issue faded during the Vietnam War, only to re-emerge in the late 20^th and early 21^st century, along with protests over display of the Confederate battle flag, and the existence of monuments and memorials to men who led the fight to uphold slavery in the United States. In the early 21^st century the US military took steps to prohibit the display of the Confederate flag or its image in any form, including on license plates, bumper stickers, and tee shirts. The prohibition extends to bases named for the leaders who fought under that flag.

Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

“Braxton Bragg”. Biography, American Battlefield Trust. Online

“Fort Bragg History”. Article, U.S. Army History, Fort Bragg. Online

“Leonidas Polk”. Article, National Park Service. Online

“History”. Article, U.S. Army JRTC and Fort Polk. Online

“The Making and the Breaking of the Legend of Robert E. Lee”. Eric Foner, The New York Times. August 28, 2017

“41 for Freedom”. Article, Submarine Force Library and Museum. Online

“P. G. T. Beauregard”. Article, National Park Service. Online

“History of Camp Beauregard”, Article, Louisiana National Guard Museums. Online

“John Bell Hood”. Biography, American Battlefield Trust. Online

“Fort Hood”. Frederick L. Briuer, Texas State Historical Association. Online

“Civil War High Commands”. John H. Eicher, David J. Eicher. 2001