Introduction by Col Michael C. Howard US Marines (Ret)

In a move long overdue, the US military is renaming installations and ships that were originally given names honoring the Confederacy. Following the end of the #CivilWar in 1865, those rebelling against the Union should never have been honored. Those military officers who fought for the #Confederacy had renounced their oath of office and allegiance to the United States of America. It was only due to the failure of the federal government following Lincoln’s intended Reconstruction that political, racist, pro-slavery sentiments were allowed to tragically return before the Civil Rights movement a century later. The false glorification of the southern cause is a sad period of American history. These mistakes are now being corrected. Army installations in the south named after Confederate leaders during the Civil War, and in this case, a ship named after one of the Confederacy’s greatest battlefield victories, are being renamed to honor all Americans, not just some who rebelled against what America truly stood for. Robert Smalls was a patriotic American who stood up to fight the Confederacy. He did not steal a CSA ship, he captured and commandeered it in an act of bravery in fighting for freedom and preserving the Union.

US Navy to rename USS Chancellorsville after former slave who ‘commandeered’ (not stole) Confederate steamer

By ALEX WILSON. STARS AND STRIPES, February 28, 2023

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A U.S. Navy ship originally named for a Confederate victory will soon be known by the name of a former slave who hijacked a Confederate vessel.

The USS Chancellorsville, named for an 1863 battle in Virginia remembered as a major victory for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, will be renamed for Robert Smalls, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced Tuesday in a news release.

Smalls, born into slavery in South Carolina in 1839, was conscripted into the Confederate States Navy in 1862 to serve as a pilot for the CSS Planter, an ammunitions transport ship, according to his biography on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website. He rose to fame that year when he hijacked the ship and turned it over to the Union Navy.

He went on to pilot the USS Planter and another ship, the ironclad USS Keokuk, on behalf of the Union in numerous battles. Later, Smalls accepted a commission as brigadier general of his home state before being elected as a South Carolina state representative from 1870 to 1874.

Between 1875 and 1887, Smalls represented South Carolina for five terms in the House of Representatives, then returned to local government in Beaufort, S.C., before dying of natural causes in 1915, according to his biography.

“Robert Smalls is a man who deserves a namesake ship and with this renaming, his story will continue to be retold and highlighted,” Del Toro said the release.

The Chancellorsville, which was at its homeport in Yokosuka on Tuesday, is one of two Navy vessels set to be renamed this year due to their Confederate ties; the oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury is the other, following a 2021 Congressional mandate.

“The renaming of these assets is not about rewriting history, but to remove the focus on the parts of our history that don’t align with the tenets of this country, and instead allows us to highlight the events and people in history who may have been overlooked,” Del Toro said in the release.

It will not be the first military vessel named after Smalls. The logistics support vessel Major General Robert Smalls, which was inducted into the Army’s watercraft fleet in 2007, was the first Army vessel named for an African American.

The Navy did not identify a date for unveiling the USS Robert Smalls, but assets under the congressional mandate have until the end of 2023 to be renamed, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in September.

Alex Wilson covers the U.S. Navy and other services from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., he holds a journalism degree from the University of North Florida.

US Army bases to be re-named:
• Alabama's Fort Rucker becoming Fort Novosel in honor of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel, Sr.
• Georgia's Fort Benning changing to Fort Moore in honor of Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julia; and Fort Gordon switching to Fort Eisenhower in honor President and former Army Gen. Dwight Eisenhower
• Louisiana's Fort Polk becoming Fort Johnson in honor of Sgt. William Henry Johnson
• North Carolina's Fort Bragg shifting to Fort Liberty in honor of the American value of liberty
• Texas's Fort Hood transitioning to Fort Cavazos in honor of Gen. Richard E. Cavazos
• Virginia's Fort A.P. Hill switching to Fort Walker in honor of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker; Fort Lee morphing into Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams; and Fort Pickett becoming Fort Barfoot in honor of Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoo