A.G. Gancarski
Ron DeSantis is still committed to restoring the name a North Carolina fort to honor one of the worst generals in the Confederate Army.
During remarks in Eagle Pass, Texas, the Florida Governor doubled down on his assertion that the newly rechristened Fort Liberty should have its name changed back to honor Braxton Bragg, whose legacy as a rebel commander was undistinguished even by the markers of the rebel army.
“Here’s what I said with respect to Fort Bragg is, that’s an iconic base in this country. I didn’t even know it was a Civil War general,” said DeSantis, who graduated from Yale in 2001 with a B.A., magna cum laude in history.
“I don’t think most people knew it was a Civil War general. You just know you’ve been to Bragg, right? And they’re changing it for political correctness reasons. And so I don’t believe in doing it for political correctness reasons and that’s just kind of how we’re going to roll on it. And here’s the thing, you know, you learn from history, you don’t erase the history.”
Fort Bragg was renamed “Fort Liberty” earlier this month, on the recommendation of the Department of Defense’s Commission on the Naming of Items. The goal was to change the names of facilities “that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.”
Despite the limited scope of the DoD’s renaming, the Governor likened taking Bragg’s name off the fort to moves to “take Abraham Lincoln off the statue down in Boston … take Teddy Roosevelt down in New York City” and “remove George Washington’s name from schools in San Francisco.”
“And that’s not, I think, what I want to see. I mean, I think you can look back at anybody and you could find flaws. But at the end of the day, you know, we had people that have done great things for this country,” DeSantis said.
“I’m not in a position to say that somehow I’m so much better than any of this. It’s a different time. People make mistakes. There’s different parts of our society, we look back and can say was a mistake. But this idea that we’re going to erase history, I just think, is fundamentally wrong, and we’re not going to do that.”
The installation’s former name honors Gen. Bragg, a North Carolinian, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles that contributed to the Confederacy’s downfall.
A native of Warrenton, North Carolina, Bragg was in his position until 1863, when after a defeat at Chattanooga, he was removed from that lead role at his request and became a military advisor for Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Despite his relegation, he would go on to be the on-the-scene commander during Confederate defeats throughout the war, including a failed attempt to protect the port in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Rather than lead protection of the port, Bragg stayed behind at the fort away from the fray, to the consternation of the fort’s commander.
Beset by interpersonal conflicts throughout the war, the defeated Confederate would seem to be a poor namesake for an American fort in the 21st Century. However, as President, DeSantis would restore that ignominious name to glory.
24 comments
Joe
June 26, 2023 at 12:07 pm
“Bragg is generally considered among the worst generals of the Civil War. Most of the battles he engaged in ended in defeat. Bragg was extremely unpopular with both the officers and ordinary men under his command, who criticized him for numerous perceived faults, including poor battlefield strategy, a quick temper, and overzealous discipline.”
Ocean Joe
June 26, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Just when you thought Desantis’s personality was his biggest liability, turns out his actual ideas are even worse.
As he says “Nobody wants to hear from you..” and voters say “nobody wants to have a beer with you, Ron, except some billionaires who think you will make them even richer.”
Jay Smif
June 26, 2023 at 2:10 pm
“Let’s re-re-name the base back to the incompetent traitor to the USA that used to shoot his own troops.”
That’s entirely on-brand for pudgy fascist Ron DeSantis.
M. Mouse
June 26, 2023 at 12:22 pm
Let’s rename it Fort Mouse! A little man like DeSantis would surely agree to that. Squeak!
TJC
June 26, 2023 at 12:29 pm
It’s good to hear that DeSantis is looking to tackle really important issues if he becomes President. Restoring an Army fort’s name to honor a sworn enemy of the United States is a fine idea. It certainly offers insight into his grasp of history, and shines a light on his real focus: grab the attention of the Trump Suckers.
Jay Smif
June 26, 2023 at 2:11 pm
“Bragg – he was a white southerner that fought to keep slavery in place – that’s the guy for me.”
Tryingtomakesense
June 26, 2023 at 12:32 pm
DeSantis says you don’t erase history…Is n’t that the type of policy he is supporting in Florida with banning race history in Florida schools? I’m confused
You Lost And Get NOTHING
June 26, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Second Place Civil War looooosers DO NOT GET TO MAME ANYTHING.
Losers sit in back in the bus, and all through life.
New York BEAT YOU.
Damn Right Yankee
June 26, 2023 at 12:47 pm
Amen to that, brother!
Ron Burgundy
June 26, 2023 at 12:39 pm
Ron is just wishing he had a really cool last name like “Bragg” and how it sounds so plainly rude, a real tough guy name. And how it would fit like a glove on him.
Sorry Governor, but cool last names for guys named Ron are all taken.
Biscuit
June 26, 2023 at 12:46 pm
The Confederate States of America was a nation that lasted for four years and was at war the entire four years — against the United States of America. The four-year nation lost the war, and the only thing it accomplished was an enormous loss of life on both sides. The idea of honoring anyone associated with the Confederacy is absurd, repugnant, ignorant and idiotic. When I read the argument put forth by DeSantis, I don’t know if I want to arf or barf. He deserves both, I think. And a bite.
Charles L Ball
June 26, 2023 at 12:56 pm
Gosh, I am certain Ron does not recall then signing the bill that caused the dismantling of the Lawton Chiles Endowment, the largest legacy of the Governor of Florida who spearheaded the Tobacco Lawsuit settlement that was a model for the entire country. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/441752-1b-transferred-from-lawton-chiles-endowment-fund-as-dismantling-begins/
It was not renaming the fund, it was literally destroying the lasting legacy of someone he disagrees with although he cant say why. From the story:
“And they’re changing it for political correctness reasons. And so I don’t believe in doing it for political correctness reasons and that’s just kind of how we’re going to roll on it. And here’s the thing, you know, you learn from history, you don’t erase the history.”
Copyleft
June 26, 2023 at 1:08 pm
DeSantis says he’s not any better than a Confederate general, and I agree with him. Fortunately, the rest of us ARE.
Michael K
June 26, 2023 at 1:19 pm
Sorry, Ron. America is not interested in you and your fevered dream of a second coming of the confederacy and your dunces.
Bwj
June 26, 2023 at 1:24 pm
Why do we insist upon honoring a traitor to this country? We’re better off naming Fort Liberty after General Westmoreland. If Liberty isn’t good enough, I’d suggest a Medal of Honor winner.
Bwj
June 26, 2023 at 1:29 pm
Max Thompson would be a suitable candidate.
Ron DeSantis is a Racist
June 26, 2023 at 2:14 pm
So being oppose to slavery is “Woke”.
Got it. Thanks.
Peter Janovsky
June 26, 2023 at 4:27 pm
Hah! I agree with the Wiz. Call it “Fort Loaer Bragg: The traitor who helped the South lose.”
It's Complicated
June 27, 2023 at 8:53 am
Who is advising DeSantis on which hills to fight on? Good grief.
Not to mention that “Fort Liberty” is a pretty good name. It’s not like it’s “Fort Diversity” or “Fort Intersection.”
Dont Say FLA
June 28, 2023 at 9:45 am
Maybe Rhonda is upset by the name “Fort Liberty” because of how Moms For Liberty changed the meaning of the word “liberty” from “liberty” to “fascism.”
Errr, wait. No. Rhonda IS a Moms For Liberty. So that can’t be the problem here.
CPT America
June 30, 2023 at 8:31 am
I bet that not one of you anti-American subversives have served in the Army. I would have bet every dollar to my name that not ONE of you knew ANYTHING about Ft. Bragg’s namesake, nor ever gave it one thought, before this renaming effort began.
Ft. Bragg is known by the Greatest generation, collectively a group of people whose feet you are not worthy to wash, as a place where they were trained to go save the world from twisted people who think like you.
Joe
June 30, 2023 at 4:00 pm
And it was named after a traitorous loser who is better off forgotten, so quit being a baby and get over it.
Jay
June 30, 2023 at 5:40 pm
You’re right. I had no idea who Bragg was until I learned about him. And then I thought “Wow, that’s a sh!tty person to name a base after! Particularly a base with such an outsized and noble history. I mean, it’s pretty darn close to Fort Benedict Arnold – at least he WON a couple of battles, and even for the USA! We should probably find a name more fitting.”
Maybe a Medal of Honor winner from that Greatest Generation? A general that got us through a key engagement? Turns out there were SO MANY options for worthy names from that base that they decided, for that base only, to go with a more lofty and general name. Sounds reasonable to me.
My Take
July 1, 2023 at 1:16 am
Fort Sherman.
He deserved more than a tank.
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