This past June, the Department of Defense restored the original names to a number of military bases that were changed during the last Administration. Forts Hood, Polk, Lee, and Bragg were a few of those installations whose names were surnames of Civil War Confederate Army officers from 160 years ago. This produced some hand-wringing by certain factions over such re-re-naming.
This consternation is misplaced. Few service members who served at those bases associate their names with the Confederacy, and fewer persons in living memory, whether they served in the military or not, even know or care who those installations were named for. Anyone who paid any attention in history class would know who Robert E. Lee was; how many know who Leonidas Polk, Braxton Bragg, and John Bell Hood were?
Outside of the so-called woke movement, there are few of us who do know and care. Here in Texas, Fort Hood — whose former name is now restored — was renamed for General Richard Cavazos. Cavazos and the others doubtless deserve to be honored for their service. But those honors can be given without cancelling the names of bases, especially prominent ones like Bragg or Hood.
Many present and former service members have memories — fond and otherwise — of their service to the nation at those installations. I served, albeit briefly, at Forts Lee and Polk. Fort Lee, near Petersburg in Virginia, was a day trip from many famous and interesting historical sites, including Williamsburg and Monticello. Fort Polk was not exactly Alligator Alcatraz, but it is in the boondocks not close to much of interest.
Regardless of who or what these or other public places were named for, after a while they become recognizable, not for their namesakes, but for geographical locations or what subsequently occurred at the location. Those names should not be disturbed, particularly to make a political point. That would also go for renaming international waters like the Gulf of Mexico, a bit petulant but perhaps a boon to map publishers.
Biographical Note: Leonidas Polk was a West Point Graduate who subsequently attended the Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained as a priest in the Protestant Episcopal Church and later a bishop in that church. Polk, who was a cousin of President James K. Polk, was appointed as a general in the Confederate army and was in battles at Shiloh, Chickamauga, and others. He was killed in the Battle of Atlanta in 1864. If interested, see Parks, Joseph H. General Leonidas Polk, C.S.A.: The Fighting Bishop (Southern Biography Series). Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1992; Mitchell, Joseph B. Decisive Battles of the Civil War. New York: Ballantine Books, 1955.
One reply on “What’s in a Name?”
My son, Tim, a UT-Austin Plan II / History grad, pointed out, e.g, in the case of Lee, that it’s hard to overlook the fact that he went to war against the U. S. I’m not a base name changer, but I see people’s view about Confederate war heroes. Good read, thx!