Now the Defense department has been authorized to replace the names of Confederate Generals on military bases, whom should we honor instead? I know that there are at least 10 bases to be renamed, so decided to start the ball rolling. All of these fought—the only one fighting on the other side was Tecumseh, and he was quite justifiably playing self-defense. Robert Smalls is my favorite hero of the civil war. He did great service to the Union. Nathan Hale died for his country in the revolutionary war. All but two of the others are military leaders one was an enslaved person and the other was an enlisted man in World War II. Here are my candidates.
#1. Robert Smalls, the South Carolina-born slave who stole a ship from the Confederate navy in Charleston harbor and piloted it to the Union blockade to turn it over to the U.S. Navy. Smalls subsequently served in the U.S. Navy and later in Congress. He can be the new name of Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC.
#2-5. Heroes of the American Revolution. Francis Marion. Sergeant Jasper, the hero of the battle of Fort Moultrie who declined a commission from the governor because he was illiterate. A county in South Carolina and a square in Savannah are named for him. Lafayette, who offered invaluable help to George Washington and once had an installation named for him that has since been decommissioned. John Paul Jones, founder of the American Navy—is there a navy base in need of a new name?
#6. U.S. Grant for the Union side of the Civil War, but probably best used at a non-Southern military base.
#7-8. Generals Patton and Eisenhower.
#9. Nathan Hale.
#10. Tecumseh.
And as for #11, look him up! Isaac Woodard.
PurpleSage41 