I didn’t think they would go through with it. I really thought that last month’s renaming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg (minus the honoring of a Confederate general) would be the end of it.
On my watch-list: a Navy spouse friend just visited the Natl Defense University and sent photos. Magnificent place.
However, there is a plaque quoting retired General and Secretary of State Colin Powell, you know, the guy hung out to dry by his boss, VP Cheney, puppet-master behind Bush the II in front of the United Nations.
"I came here to study war, and while I learned about war, I learned even more about the importance of finding peace-- General Colin Powell".
General CP might have wanted to insert a phrase about not trusting your boss or its puppet-master. Especially as DOGElon's puppies just taped over the name-plate of the US Agency for International
I used to chalk his actions up to ignorance; off the cuff remarks, misstatements, that revealed a lack of understanding of history. I now see it as intentional weaponization; the careless disregard for our “mystic chords of memory”, the realization that historical memory makes an effective weapon if you’re looking to drum up a culture war.
We put our presidents in charge of so many things, not the least of which is as chief caretaker of history. A shared understanding of history, done well, can be used to unite people together, to provide “we, the people” with a shared sense of purpose. How utterly tragic that our current president cares so little for the lessons of history, except to use them as sledgehammers for exploitation and division.
I agree with those who say that this means there'll be more re-renamings--more dishonorable dishonorings. And I wonder what retired Brigadier General Ty Seidule--vice chair of the naming commission and frequent commenter on the country's memorial landscape--is thinking about that.
Thanks for the clip of President Eisenhower emphasizing his admiration for Col. Robert E. Lee (the officer's U.S. Army rank when he chose to betray the USA). It calls to mind the importance of Gen. Seidule's "Robert E. Lee and Me."
It seems to me that it's usually important to include the 20,000 Black sailors when recalling the 180,000 Black soldiers who took up arms for the Union.
Good point about Col 'Bobby' Lee. He was a Federal colonel for about two whole days before he turned traitor. He had to be told to resign his USA commission, as well!
I wonder if he put in his forwarding address for the final paycheck the US Treasury would cut to make sure he got every penny out of the dammyankees that had provided him a long and honored career?
I'd love to know the price tag for changing the name back to Fort Benning if everything had already been rebranded to Fort Moore. Thanks for keeping us updated on these issues, Kevin.
Wow, it's really sad how that "River of Blood" plaque is so poorly written. It's not hard to figure out that it's hogwash, but that's only if you know enough about the Civil War. And it's also too bad that Fort Moore was renamed. But I am glad that at least it's not back to Confederate General Henry Louis Benning. My great-great-grandfather was Floyd Benning, born in 1845 and enslaved by H. L. Benning. An apostle of secession, Benning said to the Virginia Convention on February 16, 1861 that
"By the time the North shall have attained the power, the black race will be in a large majority, and then we will have black governors, black legislatures, black juries, black everything. Is it to be supposed that the white race will stand for that? It is not a supposable case. War will break out everywhere like hidden fire from the earth. We will be overpowered and our men will be compelled to wander like vagabonds all over the earth, and as for our women, the horrors of their state we cannot contemplate in imagination. We will be completely exterminated, and the land will be left in the possession of the blacks, and then it will go back to a wilderness and become another Africa or Saint Domingo."
By the way, you quoted "roughly 180,000 Black Americans" as the number of Black soldiers in the Civil War. But the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC has the names of 209,145 who served in Black regiments. I don't know where the 180,000 number came from in the first place, but the memorial wall includes the names of 7000 White officers (and White NCOs) of these regiments, as well as over 2000 Hispanics, 20,000 Black sailors, and those who served in state regiments like the 29th Connecticut, and the 55th Massachusetts. Perhaps once all the other numbers are added, the 180,000 is actually accurate to document the men in the ranks who served in regiments with the USCT designation. But of course, when many speak of 180,000, it's as if they are including all or most of those mentioned here.
And please don't forget that in January 2024, the Guiness Book of World Records declared the Most Names on a War Memorial belongs to the African American Civil War Memorial.
(Before I start in: honors to your ancestors, however many hundred-thousands volunteered.)
"Wow, it's really sad how that "River of Blood" plaque is so poorly written." Due to your post, I finally realized that's how we know the non-functioning #47 must have been its author!
To reach this epiphany, I meditated on your sentence from almost the moment you posted it. (OK, it's Friday, my brain cells aren't as closely packed as they were on Monday.) I'd seen that plaque posted somewhat shortly after it was posted, without context, and been puzzling over it for that interim of time. (Unfortunately, the real facts you immediately posted afterwards distracted me from my meditations!)
As a native of the WashDC area, and CW fanatic for 70 years, I could not picture where the armies fought a battle that caused the Potomac to flood blood. There was the early battle of Ball's Bluff where half a brigade died. It was led by one of Lincoln's best friends, US Sen Ed Baker. They walked into an ambush. Sen-Col Baker was killed nearly immediately; his men were driven off the 70-foot cliffs and those who managed not to die in the impact drowned in the Potomac.
The battlefield site is well upriver of the near-illiterate's "National" golf "club". 28 miles. The casualties who fell into the river could not have spilt much blood into it. Other CW battles were fought NEAR the Potomac, e.g., Antietam (Very Bloody), Monocacy, but casualties were all on land, not in the river.
Contrary to popular maga belief, donald is no leader. A leader LEADS. A leader brings people together. A leader heals divides among the people. A leader is honest. A leader has good intentions for the people, even if they make errors in judgment. A leader puts the common good before his own best political interest. A leader is confident in distinguishing between good and evil. donald.is.NONE.of.these.things.
On my watch-list: a Navy spouse friend just visited the Natl Defense University and sent photos. Magnificent place.
However, there is a plaque quoting retired General and Secretary of State Colin Powell, you know, the guy hung out to dry by his boss, VP Cheney, puppet-master behind Bush the II in front of the United Nations.
"I came here to study war, and while I learned about war, I learned even more about the importance of finding peace-- General Colin Powell".
General CP might have wanted to insert a phrase about not trusting your boss or its puppet-master. Especially as DOGElon's puppies just taped over the name-plate of the US Agency for International
"Hal and Julia Moore’s son ‘saddened’ and ‘angered’ over Fort Benning renaming"
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-moore-base-family/
Isn’t the name of the battle fought usually on the plaque somewhere? 🧐 what a tool
I used to chalk his actions up to ignorance; off the cuff remarks, misstatements, that revealed a lack of understanding of history. I now see it as intentional weaponization; the careless disregard for our “mystic chords of memory”, the realization that historical memory makes an effective weapon if you’re looking to drum up a culture war.
We put our presidents in charge of so many things, not the least of which is as chief caretaker of history. A shared understanding of history, done well, can be used to unite people together, to provide “we, the people” with a shared sense of purpose. How utterly tragic that our current president cares so little for the lessons of history, except to use them as sledgehammers for exploitation and division.
What a great comment.
Thank you.
Kevin,
I found it sickening as Hegseth had called General Moore “garbage” after being nominated by Trump. He was a great Soldier and a great American.
All the best and watch your six,
Steve
> Hegseth had called General Moore “garbage”
I don't want to defend that Trump crime cultist, but I do want to defend accuracy in the History Wars. I googled and found this at USA Today:
QUOTE Last year, he called names like Liberty and Moore "garbage," and said changing them "breaks" a "generational link." UNQUOTE
That's a stupid comment about renaming, not a despicable personal attack on the general.
I agree with those who say that this means there'll be more re-renamings--more dishonorable dishonorings. And I wonder what retired Brigadier General Ty Seidule--vice chair of the naming commission and frequent commenter on the country's memorial landscape--is thinking about that.
Thanks for the clip of President Eisenhower emphasizing his admiration for Col. Robert E. Lee (the officer's U.S. Army rank when he chose to betray the USA). It calls to mind the importance of Gen. Seidule's "Robert E. Lee and Me."
It seems to me that it's usually important to include the 20,000 Black sailors when recalling the 180,000 Black soldiers who took up arms for the Union.
Good point about Col 'Bobby' Lee. He was a Federal colonel for about two whole days before he turned traitor. He had to be told to resign his USA commission, as well!
I wonder if he put in his forwarding address for the final paycheck the US Treasury would cut to make sure he got every penny out of the dammyankees that had provided him a long and honored career?
I never had any doubts that he would change the names, given the chance. No one should be surprised.
I'd love to know the price tag for changing the name back to Fort Benning if everything had already been rebranded to Fort Moore. Thanks for keeping us updated on these issues, Kevin.
It’s amazing what they can find money for.
He’s an idiot. We will find ourselves in a dictatorship and without any way to stop it Putin is our leader now.
Waste, fraud and abuse.
Wow, it's really sad how that "River of Blood" plaque is so poorly written. It's not hard to figure out that it's hogwash, but that's only if you know enough about the Civil War. And it's also too bad that Fort Moore was renamed. But I am glad that at least it's not back to Confederate General Henry Louis Benning. My great-great-grandfather was Floyd Benning, born in 1845 and enslaved by H. L. Benning. An apostle of secession, Benning said to the Virginia Convention on February 16, 1861 that
"By the time the North shall have attained the power, the black race will be in a large majority, and then we will have black governors, black legislatures, black juries, black everything. Is it to be supposed that the white race will stand for that? It is not a supposable case. War will break out everywhere like hidden fire from the earth. We will be overpowered and our men will be compelled to wander like vagabonds all over the earth, and as for our women, the horrors of their state we cannot contemplate in imagination. We will be completely exterminated, and the land will be left in the possession of the blacks, and then it will go back to a wilderness and become another Africa or Saint Domingo."
By the way, you quoted "roughly 180,000 Black Americans" as the number of Black soldiers in the Civil War. But the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC has the names of 209,145 who served in Black regiments. I don't know where the 180,000 number came from in the first place, but the memorial wall includes the names of 7000 White officers (and White NCOs) of these regiments, as well as over 2000 Hispanics, 20,000 Black sailors, and those who served in state regiments like the 29th Connecticut, and the 55th Massachusetts. Perhaps once all the other numbers are added, the 180,000 is actually accurate to document the men in the ranks who served in regiments with the USCT designation. But of course, when many speak of 180,000, it's as if they are including all or most of those mentioned here.
And please don't forget that in January 2024, the Guiness Book of World Records declared the Most Names on a War Memorial belongs to the African American Civil War Memorial.
(Before I start in: honors to your ancestors, however many hundred-thousands volunteered.)
"Wow, it's really sad how that "River of Blood" plaque is so poorly written." Due to your post, I finally realized that's how we know the non-functioning #47 must have been its author!
To reach this epiphany, I meditated on your sentence from almost the moment you posted it. (OK, it's Friday, my brain cells aren't as closely packed as they were on Monday.) I'd seen that plaque posted somewhat shortly after it was posted, without context, and been puzzling over it for that interim of time. (Unfortunately, the real facts you immediately posted afterwards distracted me from my meditations!)
As a native of the WashDC area, and CW fanatic for 70 years, I could not picture where the armies fought a battle that caused the Potomac to flood blood. There was the early battle of Ball's Bluff where half a brigade died. It was led by one of Lincoln's best friends, US Sen Ed Baker. They walked into an ambush. Sen-Col Baker was killed nearly immediately; his men were driven off the 70-foot cliffs and those who managed not to die in the impact drowned in the Potomac.
The battlefield site is well upriver of the near-illiterate's "National" golf "club". 28 miles. The casualties who fell into the river could not have spilt much blood into it. Other CW battles were fought NEAR the Potomac, e.g., Antietam (Very Bloody), Monocacy, but casualties were all on land, not in the river.
Contrary to popular maga belief, donald is no leader. A leader LEADS. A leader brings people together. A leader heals divides among the people. A leader is honest. A leader has good intentions for the people, even if they make errors in judgment. A leader puts the common good before his own best political interest. A leader is confident in distinguishing between good and evil. donald.is.NONE.of.these.things.
That's waste fraud and abuse
No, it's classic Donald: an incompetent, easy and tacky toss of red meat to his base.
Trump, the lying treasonous criminal cheapens America.