Fort Bragg, CA
Fort Bragg
Established in this vicinity June 11, 1857, by 1st Lieut. Horatio Gate Gibson, 3d Artillery. Later brig. gen. U.S. Army. Named by Gibson in honor of his former company commander, Braxton Bragg, later gen. C.S.A. Abandoned in October 1864.
Registered Historical Landmark No. 615
Plaque placed by California State Park Commission in cooperation with the citizens of Fort Bragg and the Union Lumber Company, September 2, 1957.
Some more context on the military history of Fort Bragg, established mostly to "protect white settlers" (i.e., to suppress the Native American population) in the surrounding area: Fort Bragg.
Also: A 2015 discussion about whether a town named for a Confederate general ought to think about a name change: "Should Fort Bragg change its name?"
And yes, it's odd that Bragg, who was singularly unsuccessful as a commander, has not one but two places named after him (the other being the military post in his native North Carolina). Here's what a soldier who served under him in the Civil War had to say about his leadership:
None of General Bragg's soldiers ever loved him. They had no faith in his ability as a general. He was looked upon as a merciless tyrant. The soldiers were very scantily fed. Bragg was never a good feeder or commissary-general. . . Bragg was the great autocrat. . . He loved to crush the spirit of his men. The more a hang-dog look they had about them the better was General Bragg pleased. Not a single soldier in the whole army ever loved or respected him. ("Co. Aytch," by Sam R. Watkins, published by Collier.)
And finally, Ulysses S. Grant's notes on Bragg, whom he defeated during the Chattanooga campaign in late 1863, from "The Personal Memoirs:
Bragg was a remarkably intelligent and well-informed man, professionally and otherwise. He was also thoroughly upright. But he was possessed of an irascible temper, and was naturally disputatious. A man of the highest moral character and the most correct habits, yet in the old army he was in frequent trouble. As a subordinate he was always on the lookout to catch his commanding officer infringing his prerogatives; as a post commander he was equally vigilant to detect the slightest neglect, even of the most trivial order.
I have heard in the old army an anecdote very characteristic of Bragg. On one occasion, when stationed at a post of several companies commanded by a field officer, he was himself commanding one of the companies and at the same time acting as post quartermaster and commissary. He was first lieutenant at the time, but his captain was detached on other duty. As commander of the company he made a requisition upon the quartermaster—himself—for something he wanted. As quartermaster he declined to fill the requisition, and endorsed on the back of it his reasons for so doing. As company commander he responded to this, urging that his requisition called for nothing but what he was entitled to, and that it was the duty of the quartermaster to fill it. As quartermaster he still persisted that he was right. In this condition of affairs Bragg referred the whole matter to the commanding officer of the post. The latter, when he saw the nature of the matter referred, exclaimed: "My God, Mr. Bragg, you have quarrelled with every officer in the army, and now you are quarrelling with yourself!"
Submitted by Dan Brekke