"It is a place that White people built and control. RELATED: Law remains major obstacle in relocating the more than 100 confederate monuments in North Carolina Supporters insist posts like Fort Bragg hold significant historic value and keeping the name is about a heritage worth preserving. "They had no idea of the long-lasting impact it would have on Fayetteville."įor decades, critics have argued these installations pay homage to slave owners and white supremacy. They just let locals name it without thinking there would ever be a World War II, let alone a Vietnam War," said Sturkey. Army was more worried about mobilizing troops. According to Sturkey, the local chamber of commerce named Fort Bragg after General Braxton Bragg because he was the only general from North Carolina during the Civil War. RELATED: Marine Corps bans public display of confederate flagĪ Department of Defense official said the protests following the murder of George Floyd were the catalyst for the Army's willingness to have this conversation. William Sturkey, a historian and assistant professor teaching the history of race in the American South at UNC-Chapel Hill. He didn't fight under the banner of the United States of America and therefore, he was the enemy," said Dr. It was the Confederacy against the United States of America. "It's pretty rare for the country to have a major military installation named for somebody who fought against that country. Fort Bragg is the Army's largest military installation with nearly 50,000 soldiers on post. He was also a slave owner before the start of the Civil War and owned a sugar plantation in Louisiana. (WTVD) - As the nation continues a tough conversation on race relations, ten Army installations with names honoring Confederate leaders are coming under scrutiny.įort Bragg is named after Warrenton native Braxton Bragg whose success in the Mexican-American War made him a national hero, but his weaknesses as a military leader were exposed and exploited by the Union during the Civil War. ![]() Fort Bragg is named after Warrenton native, Braxton Bragg, who was a general in the Confederate Army.įORT BRAGG, N.C.
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