The American Civil War, raging from 1861 to 1865, was the United States’ first truly modern conflict and remains the deadliest war in the nation’s history. More than a century and a half later, the legacy of that brutal struggle still echoes across the Southern landscape, especially in the names of ten active Army installations. In this top 10 army roundup we’ll tour each of these forts, uncovering the stories of the Confederate generals they commemorate and the contemporary missions they support.
Top 10 Army Bases and Their Confederate Namesakes
10 Ambrose Powell Hill Jr.
Established in 1941 just outside Bowling Green, Virginia, Fort A.P. Hill began as a sprawling training ground for the United States Army. Over the decades it has evolved into a premier weapons‑training hub, welcoming not only soldiers from every branch but also law‑enforcement agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as state and local police forces seeking advanced firearms instruction.
The installation bears the name of Ambrose Powell Hill, a Virginian who first fought for the United States in the Mexican‑American and Seminole wars before throwing in his lot with the Confederacy when the Civil War erupted. Hill quickly rose through the Confederate ranks, becoming commander of the famed “Light Division” and one of Stonewall Jackson’s most trusted sub‑ordinates.
After Jackson’s death at Chancellorsville, Hill was promoted to lieutenant general and assumed command of General Lee’s Third Corps, steering it through the Gettysburg Campaign. He met his end during the Union’s assault on the Third Battle of Petersburg in 1865, just weeks before the war’s conclusion.
9 Henry Benning
Fort Benning, located in the heart of Georgia, serves as the home of the U.S. Army Infantry School, the Maneuver Center of Excellence, and the Armor School, among other elite training institutions. Supporting more than 120,000 active‑duty personnel, family members, veterans, and civilian staff, the post is a cornerstone of the Army’s combat‑training enterprise. Its origins trace back to 1918 when it was founded to provide basic training for new recruits.
The fort honors Henry L. Benning, a staunch secessionist who led “Benning’s Brigade” during the Civil War. A vocal opponent of abolition, Benning entered politics as a Democratic congressman before abandoning any chance at a Confederate cabinet post to join the Confederate Army as colonel of the 17th Georgia Infantry in 1861.
Rising to the rank of brigadier general, Benning led his troops against Ulysses S. Grant during the Overland Campaign. He remained in the field until the Confederacy’s collapse, personally overseeing the surrender of his men in April 1865, a poignant end to a fiercely fought career.
8 Braxton Bragg
Fort Bragg, situated just outside Fayetteville, North Carolina, holds the distinction of being the world’s most populous military installation, regularly supporting around 50,000 active‑duty service members. The base hosts the XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Special Operations Command, and a host of other high‑profile units.
Founded in 1918 as an artillery‑training center, the post was christened for Braxton Bragg, a North Carolina native who served in the U.S. Army during the Second Seminole and Mexican‑American wars before joining the Confederacy. Though originally opposed to secession, Bragg accepted a commission as a Confederate brigadier general in 1861 and commanded forces in Pensacola, Florida.
Throughout the war he led troops in pivotal battles such as Chattanooga and Chickamauga, later becoming a trusted advisor to President Jefferson Davis. Bragg is credited with helping Davis recognize the inevitable defeat of the Confederacy, a realization that paved the way for the final surrender.
7 John Brown Gordon
Originally opened as Camp Gordon in 1917 to train the 82nd Division, the installation was upgraded to Fort status in 1941 and today houses the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Cyber Corps, and a suite of other high‑tech units.
The fort bears the name of John B. Gordon, a Georgian who entered the Confederate service without prior military experience. After a rapid rise through the ranks—captain of the 6th Alabama Infantry, colonel at Seven Pines, and a hard‑earned brigadier general following multiple wounds at Antietam—Gordon earned General Robert E. Lee’s admiration for his tenacity.
Gordon continued to lead his men until the war’s end, surrendering at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865. Post‑war, he entered politics, fiercely opposing Reconstruction, later serving as a U.S. senator and the 53rd governor of Georgia.
6 John Bell Hood
Commissioned in January 1942, Fort Hood was sited on the wide‑open Texas plains to test tank destroyers during World War II. Today it stands as the world’s most populous military base, sprawling over 214,000 acres and serving as headquarters for III Corps, the 1st Cavalry Division, and numerous other cavalry and infantry formations.
The installation is named for John Bell Hood, a West Point‑trained officer who briefly served in the U.S. Army before resigning his commission after the bombardment of Fort Sumter. A native Kentuckian, Hood aligned himself with Texas when his home state remained neutral, receiving a colonel’s commission in September 1860 to lead the 4th Texas Infantry.
Hood fought in many of the war’s most famous engagements—Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga—earning a temporary promotion to major general in July 1864 before returning to his lieutenant‑general rank. His aggressive tactics made him both feared and respected on the battlefield.
5 George Pickett
Fort Pickett, positioned near Blackstone, Virginia, operates as a Virginia Army National Guard post and houses the Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center. Established in 1941, the base was designed to simultaneously train multiple infantry divisions.
The fort commemorates George Pickett, a career U.S. Army officer who served in the Mexican‑American War before resigning his commission after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Within a month he had become a colonel in the Confederate Army and was promoted to brigadier general by 1862.
Pickett is most famously remembered for leading the ill‑fated “Pickett’s Charge” at Gettysburg, a desperate advance that ended in a catastrophic loss for the Confederacy. Despite the disaster, he remained active throughout the war and stood alongside General Lee during the surrender at Appomattox Court House.
4 Edmund Winchester Rucker
Opened during World War II, Fort Rucker in Alabama was originally a flight‑training center and today serves as the home of Army Aviation and the Warrant Officer Candidate School, where future Army aviators earn their wings.
The base honors Edmund Winchester Rucker, a Confederate officer who enlisted as a private in 1861. He first served with Pickett’s Tennessee Company of Sappers and Miners, rising to lieutenant by 1862, and later commanding the 1st East Tennessee Legion—known as Rucker’s Legion—as a colonel in 1863.
Although he never received formal confirmation from the Confederate Congress, Rucker attained the rank of brigadier general, suffered multiple wounds, and even lost an arm after being captured. He was eventually released in a prisoner exchange orchestrated by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
3 Leonidas Polk
Founded in 1941 as a training camp for the Louisiana Maneuvers, Fort Polk now hosts the Joint Readiness Training Center and a variety of combat units, including the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division.
The installation was named for Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana who set aside his clerical duties to become a major general in the Confederate Army. A West Point classmate of Jefferson Davis, Polk offered his services early in the war and was assigned command of forces in Kentucky, a move that inadvertently forced the Union to intervene and effectively ceded the state to the North.
Polk led troops in the Army of Mississippi and Tennessee, commanding roughly 20,000 men in Georgia as the Confederacy’s second‑in‑command. He met his end in June 1864 near Marietta, Georgia, when Union artillery spotted him and delivered a fatal third shot.
2 Pierre Gustave Toutant‑Beauregard
Established in 1918 as a training site for the 17th Division before the United States entered World War I, Camp Beauregard now serves the Louisiana Army National Guard as a primary training area.
The camp is named after Pierre Gustave Toutant‑Beauregard, a West Point graduate who fought in the Mexican‑American War and became the Confederacy’s first brigadier general. Within five months of joining the Southern cause, Beauregard rose to the rank of full general, making him the fifth‑highest‑ranking officer in the Confederate Army.
He famously ordered the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, earning him the nickname “The Hero of Fort Sumter.” After the war, Beauregard entered politics, surprisingly supporting black civil‑rights initiatives as a Republican, while also working as a railroad executive and promoting the Louisiana Lottery, the nation’s only legal lottery at the time.
1 Robert Edward Lee
Fort Lee began its life as a Civil War‑era training camp west of Richmond, originally known as Camp Lee. It grew into a full‑scale fort during World War I and today hosts the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command, the Quartermaster, Ordnance, and Transportation schools.
The post honors Robert E. Lee, a distinguished U.S. Army officer who served in the Mexican‑American War and later served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Though initially reluctant to join the secessionist cause, Lee ultimately resigned his commission and became one of the Confederacy’s most celebrated generals.
Lee was swiftly promoted to full general and commanded the Confederate forces in western Virginia. He led the infamous Maryland Campaign that culminated in the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point that resulted in a decisive Union victory. Lee continued to command the Army of Northern Virginia until its surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865, after which the Confederacy collapsed.