It's like the South is losing all over again. I guess the Lost Cause crowd will have to console themselves with the revival of racism or the pardon of the modern-day traitors who tried to overturn the election.
The Washington Post has posted the opinion piece "Fort Bragg is back." Gift link: https://wapo.st/3CNkF6U The authors were members of the base renaming commission:
* Ty Seidule of Hamilton College, an Army combat officer who became an Ohio State history Ph.D., who later chaired West Point's history department, and who retired as a brigadier general.
* Connor Williams, who teaches at Middlebury College and was the commission’s lead historian.
Here are excerpts:
* Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who continues to use the old names, just signed a document ordering the Army to rename Fort Bragg once again. By returning the name “Bragg” to the Army base in North Carolina, Hegseth seems to think he won a battle in the culture war. Importantly, however, he chose to honor U.S. Army Private First Class Roland Bragg, a World War II paratrooper who received the Silver Star at the Battle of the Bulge. Hegseth upheld the most important decision from Congress and the Naming Commission. Confederates like the old namesake, Braxton Bragg, do not deserve commemoration in the Defense Department.
* The current names come from the deeds of an Army that freed the enslaved, helped win two world wars, committed itself to civil rights, and fought for democracy against dictatorships and communist empires. ... The names of the 10 American heroes we recommended to replace Confederate names at eight other installations remain in use. Changing them now would not only forsake the hard-won heritage of our modern military, but it would also betray the trust of generations of soldiers.
Fact check while the Norman name of Bragg is the same (meaning sword), this time, the fort's name is not for Braxton Bragg but rather in honor of Ronald L. Bragg, a World War II hero, instead of the treasonous general.
I signed up to your newsletter for the history, and I enjoy that. I had ancestors on both sides of the war. Many deserted the CSA and when to fight for the Union.
I've noticed that many of your newsletters include political comments. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some of your thoughts, like this one, are somewhat misleading. Think about if your market is filled with history lovers and if you should back off the political spin.
1. Re “fact check”: Isn’t that why Kevin wrote “The fort will be renamed to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944”?
2. What you dismiss as Kevin’s “political spin” appears to me to be worthy commentary about the recurring overlaps between politics and national memory.
I've been writing and commenting on political matters as they relate to Civil War memory for twenty years. If you don't like it, I suggest you unsubscribe and find other sources of information.
A quick look at ancestry shows that Roland L Bragg was born, raised, and died in Maine. In Lincoln County, Maine to be exact. I wonder if Roland’s ancestors fought against the side with the other Bragg?
This is such a brilliant solution, I honestly wonder whether Pete Hegseth had anything to do with it 🤣 His social media is certainly giving the impression that this is a straight reversion, not a progression.
I think they correctly recognized that most people clamoring for the name to be restored are doing so for reasons that have little to do with the Confederacy. No one knew who Braxton Bragg was before the question of renaming began and now it officially has nothing to do with Bragg and the people left with their thumbs up their asses are the ones who were the most invested in him It's hilarious.
James Monroe was the one who appointed Jefferson Davis to West Point.
John Tyler was originally a Democrat, so Jeff Davis had his coffin draped with a Confederate flag at the funeral.
All three Presidents (James Monroe, John Tyler and Jeff Davis) are buried together at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.
Jefferson Davis was from Kentucky. I think the Battle of Richmond refers to Richmond, KY not Richmond, VA. My uncle Swift was from Richmond, VA. He told me one time that the dirt mounds surrounding his neighborhood were left over from the Battle of Richmond. For 2nd through 5th Grade I lived in Richmond, so the teachers would have said so if it were true. That was '68 through '72, when the high school was still named after Robert E. Lee. We were enormously proud of our Civil War ancestors back then. My whole family on both sides are from Birmingham.
I misspelled it. Should be capitol, because the building proper is spelled capitol. State capital cities are spelt with an a. Substack doesn't let us edit comments.
Makes me think that Donald is actually exacting revenge on everybody - even supporters - because they "let" him lose office. Lordy, that's funny, though.
"Atticus sais that naming people after Confederate generals made for slow steady drinkers." (if I recall correctly)
I think it has more to do with the fact that Trump doesn't really care about Confederate memory beyond the political benefits he stands to gain. In this case he needed to fulfill a campaign promise and this was the only way to do so.
It's tempting to see this as turbulence & distraction, but the fact that THAT is now a governing principle is itself kind of central to our, um, civic challenges... On a recent tour of the US Capitol I was astounded to find the statues of Jefferson Davis & Alexander Stevens (among others) STILL on display.
Yes, those statues are still on display, but keep in mind that is is the individual states the control who represents them in the Capitol Building. A number of states have removed their Confederate statues and this will likely continue.
Yes -- I'm fascinated by how we've set up that delicate balance of powers, where the states & federal gov't interweave their powers to define & represent national history. That alone gives us a sense of how & where history & identity change --
E.G. Virginia removes the Lee statue from the crypt, the US Capitol commission recommends replacement w/ Barbara Johns (Civil Rights organizer)... (But her spot remains vacant in the crypt.) Meanwhile BOTH Mississippi's allocated statues are Confederate leaders. The resulting juxtapositions (Alexander Stephens sitting next to Rosa Parks in statuary hall) is itself a representation of history as process!
I love this for them,LMMFAO!!!
It's like the South is losing all over again. I guess the Lost Cause crowd will have to console themselves with the revival of racism or the pardon of the modern-day traitors who tried to overturn the election.
The Washington Post has posted the opinion piece "Fort Bragg is back." Gift link: https://wapo.st/3CNkF6U The authors were members of the base renaming commission:
* Ty Seidule of Hamilton College, an Army combat officer who became an Ohio State history Ph.D., who later chaired West Point's history department, and who retired as a brigadier general.
* Connor Williams, who teaches at Middlebury College and was the commission’s lead historian.
Here are excerpts:
* Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who continues to use the old names, just signed a document ordering the Army to rename Fort Bragg once again. By returning the name “Bragg” to the Army base in North Carolina, Hegseth seems to think he won a battle in the culture war. Importantly, however, he chose to honor U.S. Army Private First Class Roland Bragg, a World War II paratrooper who received the Silver Star at the Battle of the Bulge. Hegseth upheld the most important decision from Congress and the Naming Commission. Confederates like the old namesake, Braxton Bragg, do not deserve commemoration in the Defense Department.
* The current names come from the deeds of an Army that freed the enslaved, helped win two world wars, committed itself to civil rights, and fought for democracy against dictatorships and communist empires. ... The names of the 10 American heroes we recommended to replace Confederate names at eight other installations remain in use. Changing them now would not only forsake the hard-won heritage of our modern military, but it would also betray the trust of generations of soldiers.
Fact check while the Norman name of Bragg is the same (meaning sword), this time, the fort's name is not for Braxton Bragg but rather in honor of Ronald L. Bragg, a World War II hero, instead of the treasonous general.
I signed up to your newsletter for the history, and I enjoy that. I had ancestors on both sides of the war. Many deserted the CSA and when to fight for the Union.
I've noticed that many of your newsletters include political comments. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some of your thoughts, like this one, are somewhat misleading. Think about if your market is filled with history lovers and if you should back off the political spin.
How would you discuss this without the "political spin"?
1. Re “fact check”: Isn’t that why Kevin wrote “The fort will be renamed to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944”?
2. What you dismiss as Kevin’s “political spin” appears to me to be worthy commentary about the recurring overlaps between politics and national memory.
I've been writing and commenting on political matters as they relate to Civil War memory for twenty years. If you don't like it, I suggest you unsubscribe and find other sources of information.
I suspect lots of people do that. Thus, you essentially are building yourself an echo chamber. That won't help anyone learn anything. Just saying.
If you wanted to learn anything, you wouldn't be lecturing the rest of us on appropriate content.
Your complaint seems to be that Kevin's content in his own newsletter is impinging on your echo chamber.
Good luck with that.
In fact, not that many people write with my particular focus, which is one of the reasons I have such a large number of readers.
Like I said, you are free to unsubscribe.
I write what I find interesting and what falls under the umbrella of Civil War memory. That's it. There is nothing more to say.
A quick look at ancestry shows that Roland L Bragg was born, raised, and died in Maine. In Lincoln County, Maine to be exact. I wonder if Roland’s ancestors fought against the side with the other Bragg?
Good to hear from, Professor Feis and thanks for adding this bit of information.
Honestly, they had to come up with this using Leon's...uh, Elon's AI, right?
Musk: "Who was this Bragg?"
Big Balls: "Here you go boss!"
This is such a brilliant solution, I honestly wonder whether Pete Hegseth had anything to do with it 🤣 His social media is certainly giving the impression that this is a straight reversion, not a progression.
I wonder if Hegsteth reads what he signs.
I think they correctly recognized that most people clamoring for the name to be restored are doing so for reasons that have little to do with the Confederacy. No one knew who Braxton Bragg was before the question of renaming began and now it officially has nothing to do with Bragg and the people left with their thumbs up their asses are the ones who were the most invested in him It's hilarious.
Snort!
James Monroe was the one who appointed Jefferson Davis to West Point.
John Tyler was originally a Democrat, so Jeff Davis had his coffin draped with a Confederate flag at the funeral.
All three Presidents (James Monroe, John Tyler and Jeff Davis) are buried together at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.
Jefferson Davis was from Kentucky. I think the Battle of Richmond refers to Richmond, KY not Richmond, VA. My uncle Swift was from Richmond, VA. He told me one time that the dirt mounds surrounding his neighborhood were left over from the Battle of Richmond. For 2nd through 5th Grade I lived in Richmond, so the teachers would have said so if it were true. That was '68 through '72, when the high school was still named after Robert E. Lee. We were enormously proud of our Civil War ancestors back then. My whole family on both sides are from Birmingham.
Birmingham didn't even exist during the Civil War.
Birmingham was called Tarrant City. Captain Jack Tarrant is my Great Grandfather x ?. My brother's middle name is Tarrant.
The Nathan Bedford Forrest bust was installed in the Tennessee state capital building in 1973, the first year of Joe Biden's career as a Senator.
Forrest was Grand Wizard of the KKK at one time.
It was indeed--a great example of how Confederate memory was used to take a stand against the gains made during the civil rights era.
I misspelled it. Should be capitol, because the building proper is spelled capitol. State capital cities are spelt with an a. Substack doesn't let us edit comments.
No worries. I missed it as well.
As I said on BlueSky, God bless and keep whoever slid this past Hegseth, who is too ignorant to know better. Also, it’s “pursuant.”
Yeah caught his blunder, pursue it, 🙄JFC what a maroon as Bugs would say.
Makes me think that Donald is actually exacting revenge on everybody - even supporters - because they "let" him lose office. Lordy, that's funny, though.
"Atticus sais that naming people after Confederate generals made for slow steady drinkers." (if I recall correctly)
I think it has more to do with the fact that Trump doesn't really care about Confederate memory beyond the political benefits he stands to gain. In this case he needed to fulfill a campaign promise and this was the only way to do so.
I am not sure it slid by as much as it reflects the constraints under which they were operating.
I'm laughing with you, Kevin. Great post!
It's tempting to see this as turbulence & distraction, but the fact that THAT is now a governing principle is itself kind of central to our, um, civic challenges... On a recent tour of the US Capitol I was astounded to find the statues of Jefferson Davis & Alexander Stevens (among others) STILL on display.
Hi Merek,
Yes, those statues are still on display, but keep in mind that is is the individual states the control who represents them in the Capitol Building. A number of states have removed their Confederate statues and this will likely continue.
Yes -- I'm fascinated by how we've set up that delicate balance of powers, where the states & federal gov't interweave their powers to define & represent national history. That alone gives us a sense of how & where history & identity change --
E.G. Virginia removes the Lee statue from the crypt, the US Capitol commission recommends replacement w/ Barbara Johns (Civil Rights organizer)... (But her spot remains vacant in the crypt.) Meanwhile BOTH Mississippi's allocated statues are Confederate leaders. The resulting juxtapositions (Alexander Stephens sitting next to Rosa Parks in statuary hall) is itself a representation of history as process!
Well said. Public memory is constantly evolving.
He was on board a C-17 when he signed it.
Ah. That explains it. Thanks.