Rid federal lands of Confederate legacy, congressman says

WASHINGTON — Situated in the woods of North Carolina, the Army base of Fort Bragg is home to some of the most storied units in the American military, including the 82nd Airborne Division and elite special operations units such as Delta Force. With some 40,000 residents living on 19 square miles, it is the largest military installation in the world. Fort Bragg also happens to be named for a pro-slavery Confederate officer, Braxton Bragg. A slave owner who fought for the South in the Civil War, Bragg rose to the position of general and commanded the Army of Tennessee. An infamously poor tactician, he has been called “the most hated man of the Confederacy.” Despite that, his name graces one of the most prominent military installations in the United States. Nor is Bragg alone. Nine other military bases are named after Confederate figures, including Fort Hood in Texas. And those are part of a greater network of some 1,500 symbols commemorating the Confederacy across the country.