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A28    u.s. news
                  Diamars 26 OctOber 2021

                         Stripping military bases of Confederate names stirs passions


                                                                                                   “The times change,” he adds.  going to change the names of
                                                                                                                                streets throughout the Unit-
                                                                                                   Local  innkeepers  Jim  and  ed States?”
                                                                                                   Christine  Hasbrouck  ap-
                                                                                                   plaud  the  removal  of  Con-  In  fact  the  post-George
                                                                                                   federate generals’ names.    Floyd  debate  over  racial  in-
                                                                                                                                justice  does  extend  beyond
                                                                                                   “We  need  to  stop  putting  military base names. Pickett,
                                                                                                   them on a pedestal,” says Jim.  for  example,  is  a  name  that
                                                                                                                                stirs  controversy  as  far  away
                                                                                                   Fort  Pickett  is  used  mainly  as Washington state. In 2019
                                                                                                   by  the  Virginia  National  the  Bellingham  city  council
                                                                                                   Guard.  Situated  in  what  is  voted  to  remove  the  Pick-
                                                                                                   known as Southside Virginia,  ett  name  from  a  bridge  that
                                                                                                   it is roughly halfway between  troops  under  his  command
                                                                                                   Richmond, former capital of  built  during  his  establish-
                                                                                                   the  Confederacy,  and  Appo-  ment of a frontier post called
                                                                                                   mattox,  where  Gen.  Robert  Fort Bellingham in the 1850s.
                                                                                                   E. Lee surrendered his Con-
                                                                                                   federate forces in 1865.     A  hotter  topic  here  in  Not-
                                                                                                                                toway County is a November
                                                                                                   This is a heavily Republican  referendum  on  whether  to
                                                                                                   area  that  voted  for  Donald  relocate  a  Confederate  war
            (AP) — Civil War history  Pickett and other bases is part  ernment  picked  the  Pickett  Trump  over  Joe  Biden  by  monument that has stood in
            casts  a  long  shadow  in  of a national reckoning with  name in the first place. The  57%  to  42%  last  November  front  of  the  county  court-
            Virginia,  the  birthplace  centuries  of  racial  injustice,  1942  dedication  ceremony  and also favored Trump over  house since 1893.
            of  Confederate  generals,  triggered  most  recently  by  for what originally was called  Hillary  Clinton  four  years
            scene  of  their  surrender  the  May  2020  police  killing  Camp  Pickett,  attended  by  earlier by a 55% to 42% mar-  Fort Pickett is among the last
            and  now  a  crossroad  of  of  George  Floyd  in  Minne-  the  general’s  descendants,  gin.  Reminders  of  the  Civil  bases to be visited by mem-
            controversy  over  renam-    apolis. For years, the military  was  held  on  July  3  to  coin-  War are not hard to find here;  bers  of  the  federal  Nam-
            ing  military  bases  that  defended the naming of bases  cide  with  the  79th  anniver-  up  the  road  among  groves  ing  Commission  created  by
            honor rebel leaders.         after Confederate officers; as  sary of his Gettysburg charge.  of pine, elm, maple and oak  Congress. In their other vis-
                                         recently as 2015 the Army ar-  An Associated Press account  is  Sailor’s  Creek  Battlefield  its,  the  commissioners  were
            In  and  around  Blackstone,  gued that the names did not  of the ceremony quoted Vir-  State  Park,  scene  of  a  series  generally  well  received  by
            about  50  miles  (80  kilome-  honor  the  rebel  cause  but  ginia  Gov.  Colgate  Darden  of battles on April 6, 1865, in  communities, although some
            ters) southwest of Richmond,  were a gesture of reconcilia-  saying  the  story  of  Pickett’s  which Confederate forces —  people “took the opportunity
            that shadow can stir passions  tion with the South.       Charge  “will  live  forever  as  including a unit commanded  to vent a little,” according to
            when  talk  turns  to  nearby                             an  epic  of  superb  courage”  by Pickett — were defeated.  Michelle  Howard,  a  retired
            Fort Pickett. Some are trou-  Congress  easily  agreed  last  that  made  him  a  Virginia  Three days later, Lee surren-  Navy admiral who heads the
            bled  by  Congress  requiring  year  to  compel  the  name  “immortal.”                dered at Appomattox.         commission, which will visit
            the Pickett name be dropped  changes  to  remove  what  are                                                         Pickett soon.
            as part of a wider scrubbing  seen by many as emblems of  Some folks, like Greg Eanes,  Congress  last  year  created  a
            of  military  base  names  that  human  bondage  and  Black  an  Air  Force  veteran  who  federal  commission  to  rec-  Aside  from  his  decision  to
            commemorate  the  Confed-    oppression.                  grew up in the nearby town  ommend  new  names  for  at  take up arms against the fed-
            eracy  or  honor  officers  who                           of  Crewe,  see  removing  the  least nine Army bases named  eral  government,  Pickett’s
            fought for it. In all, the names  Reflecting a shift in the mili-  Pickett name as disrespecting  for  Confederate  officers,  in-  military record is the subject
            of at least nine Army bases in  tary’s  thinking,  Army  Gen.  the  rebels  and  their  descen-  cluding  three  in  Virginia.  of  conflicting  interpretation
            six states will be changed.  Mark  Milley,  chairman  of  dants.                       The  others  are  in  North  by historians. But it’s gener-
                                         the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has                            Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  ally  agreed  that  his  perfor-
            Others here say it’s high time  spoken forcefully about a leg-  “In my opinion, it is nothing  Louisiana and Texas. The law  mance was spotty at best.
            to drop the names.           acy of Black pain reflected in  less  than  cultural  genocide,  was passed over the objection
                                         Confederate  names  at  Army  albeit  with  a  velvet  glove,”  of  Trump,  who  argued  that  After  the  decimation  of  his
            “Change  them!”  says  Na-   bases  where  today  at  least  Eanes  says,  standing  beside  renaming  disrespects  those  division  at  Gettysburg  in
            thaniel Miller, a Black mem-  20% of soldiers are Black. He  a  still-visible  Confederate  who trained at the bases.  1863,  Pickett  commanded
            ber of the town council who  said  those  names  can  be  re-  trench on a battlefield in an                        Confederate forces in North
            was stationed at Pickett after  minders to Black soldiers that  adjacent county. “The South  Two  active  Navy  ships  also  Carolina  and  Virginia.  His
            he  returned  from  Vietnam  the  rebel  officers  fought  for  has a unique history. Many of  will be renamed. The USNS  defeat at Five Forks, about 20
            in 1973. “It should have hap-  an institution that may have  its people have ancestors and  Maury, an oceanographic sur-  miles  east  of  Blackstone,  in
            pened  a  long  time  ago,”  he  enslaved their ancestors.  family  members  who  were  vey ship, was named for Mat-  1865  was  especially  humili-
            says,  because  the  names  are                           in  the  Confederate  armies.  thew Fontaine Maury, a naval  ating because he had slipped
            a  reminder  of  slavery  and  a  Milley told a House commit-  It  would  be  wrong,  in  my  officer and scientist who re-  away  earlier  to  a  fish  bake,
            period  in  American  history  tee in June 2020 the Confed-  opinion,  to  dismiss  —  just  signed to join the Confeder-  not expecting a Union attack.
            when  Black  people  had  no  eracy  doesn’t  deserve  to  be  arbitrarily  dismiss  —  their  ates. The cruiser USS Chan-  Days later he fled the battle-
            voice.                       commemorated in this way.    concerns.”                   cellorsville  was  named  for  field  at  Sailor’s  Creek  after
                                                                                                   the 1863 Confederate victory  his  men  were  overwhelmed
            Fort  Pickett’s  namesake  is  “It  was  an  act  of  rebellion,  Still, stripping Fort Pickett of  at Chancellorsville, Virginia.  and forced to surrender.
            Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett,  it  was  an  act  of  treason  at  its  Confederate  connection
            best remembered for a failed  the time, against the Union,  is hardly a hot topic around  Tom Wilkinson, a Blackstone  Whatever  the  details  of  his
            Confederate  assault  at  Get-  against the Stars and Stripes,  here.                  resident  and  retired  Army  legacy,  people  who  grew
            tysburg  that  became  known  against  the  U.S.  Constitu-                            colonel  who  commanded  up  near  Fort  Pickett  say  the
            as  Pickett’s  Charge.  He  was  tion,”  he  said.  “And  those  “There  was  probably  a  time  Fort  Pickett  from  2008  to  name  change  won’t  really
            a  Virginia  native  and  a  West  officers turned their back on  in  my  life  when  this  would  2012, says he accepts the re-  matter.
            Point graduate who resigned  their oath. Now, some have a  have  gotten  me  riled  up,”  naming decision but consid-
            his  U.S.  Army  officer  com-  different view of that. Some  says  Billy  Coleburn,  52,  a  ers it a mistake.     “It  will  always  be  Pickett  to
            mission  shortly  after  the  think  it’s  heritage.  Others  Blackstone  native  who  pub-                         me,”  says  Leigh  Hart,  who
            outbreak of the Civil War in  think it’s hate.”           lishes  the  local  newspaper  “If  we  could  look  back  in  was born and raised in Black-
            1861.                                                     and is mayor of the town of  hindsight, I would say leave it  stone. “It will be Pickett for-
                                         No  one  around  Blackstone  about 3,500 residents.       alone,” Wilkinson says. “Be-  ever.”
            The  push  to  rename  Fort  seems to know why the gov-                                cause  what’s  next?  Are  you
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