I thought that I would share this information, because so many people are asking why some of our biggest military installations are still named after Confederate Generals, and what can be done to change that.
These questions piqued my interest, leading me to find the articles linked below at the Army's Center for Military History website.
NOTE: I can't hang for comments, due to work, but will check back later.
PS: There is a list of all forts named for CSA General Officers in the comments, below.
Braxton Bragg, for whom Fort Bragg is named.
I always wondered why Fort Bragg was named after this sour looking cuss, Braxton Bragg, a North Carolinian who was known to be of foul temper and who became a punching bag for General Phil Sheridan at Winchester, losing almost an entire CSA Army Corps and dozens of pieces of artillery, in the process.
The 1893 “Report of the Quartermaster-General” by Brigadier General Richard Napoleon Batchelder, Quartermaster General of the Army, suggested that the Secretary of War take responsibility for both the naming of posts and for the designation of posts as forts or camps. He deplored the use of terms such as barracks and felt that military installations should be named only after military heroes, not geographical features, Indian tribes, cities, or non-military individuals.
War Department documents indicate that the Secretary of War had assumed complete responsibility for the naming of posts by World War I. During the inter-war years, it was common for the Secretary of War to solicit recommendations for names for new posts from installation commanders; corps and branch commanders; as well as the Chief, Historical Section, Army War College. Unsolicited suggestions for names were also submitted from sources outside the military establishment, and political pressure and public opinion often influenced the naming decision. As a result, it was common for camps and forts to be named after local features or veterans with a regional connection. In the southern states they were frequently named after celebrated Confederate soldiers.
http://www.history.army.mil/...
Short version:
The Army has naming criteria for forts, which have changed over the years. They used to name forts, mostly based upon political pressure, after generals of the armies of both the United States and the CSA. Under the current regulations governing the naming of forts, "When possible, facilities are to be named for persons whose careers or actions were important to, and well known in, the locality where memorialized".
While those criteria have changed over the years, it appears that it is very hard to change the name of an existing fort - but not impossible.
This is why Southern forts are still named after Southern generals. Fort Hood, for example, is named after John Bell Hood, a CSA general who commanded troops who were primarily from Texas. Bragg was from North Carolina. I don't get that one. They could have at least picked a general who did not get his ass kicked with regularity. North Carolina had some good ones, like Lewis Armistead, who led the CSA troops to the "high water mark of the Confederacy" on July 3rd at Gettysburg and, while dying, is purported to have told the Union troops who captured him to tell his friend, Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, that he regretted and apologized for what he had done.
For those of you who are curious, these are the current facility naming criteria, contained in Army Regulation 1-33:
2-2. Memorialization criteria
a. Only deceased persons will be memorialized. Except as provided in para 1-4 i (2) above, the SA won't authorize exceptions to memorialize living persons. The SA will return all such requests without action.
b. An installation set up for the use of a specific branch of Service or activity normally will be named for a member distinguished while serving there (for example, Walter Reed Army Medical Center).
c. Facilities should be named for persons with ranks or grades comparable to those of the main users.
d. When possible, facilities will be named for persons whose careers or actions were important to, and well known in, the locality where memorialized.
e. Approval authorities who exercise authority under this regulation for the Army Memorial Program (see para 2-3 ) may establish and consider the advice and recommendations from memorialization boards. If a memorialization board takes on the characteristics of a committee, the proponent of the committee will follow all the requirements of AR 15-1 for establishing and continuing the group as a committee. All decisions to memorialize personnel will keep in mind that the memorial program is designed to —
(1) Honor deceased heroes and other deceased distinguished men and women of all races in our society.
(2) Present them as inspirations to their fellow Soldiers, employees, and other citizens.
f. For deceased former members of other Armed Services, requests for memorialization of will be sent to the Commander, HRC (para 2-3).
g. Although exception authority for the following criteria is the ASA(M&RA), organizational and unit memorials will not commemorate —
(1) Any unit smaller than a regiment, separate brigade, or comparable unit.
(2) An individual. ( Exception: When the services of the unit or individual were so distinguished as to warrant a separate memorial.)
h. Renaming actions are strongly discouraged, and seldom appropriate. Expect strong resistance from local residents, heirs, historical societies, and others from an attempt to rename. However, if a renaming becomes appropriate, it should be submitted, with recommendations, to the appropriate approval authority. The approval authorities for the Army Memorial Program are shown in table 2-1 .
Find the rest of the regs, here:
http://www.apd.army.mil/....
I suppose that some might want to make the argument that renaming is "now appropriate". Good luck to whoever wants to fight that fight. The naming of installations is now the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary of Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), Debra S. Wada, who was appointed by President Obama in 2014.
Now you know who to complain to.
Start that fight and, the next thing you know, they'll be scrapping over the names of existing parks and post offices. You'll need to be very patient and of strong constitution to fight that battle. Maybe that's a good thing. It will keep Congress from messing anything else up.