Talyn
SAINT
Fort Lee is now named for Pvt. Fitz Lee. The new namesake was a Buffalo Soldier who earned the Medal of Honor.
When the U.S. Army announced on June 10 that it was changing the names of seven bases back to their earlier designations, it skipped over one major milestone: Fort Lee in Virginia will now be the first base to be named after a Buffalo Soldier.
The bases reverted back to their names, which had previously honored Confederate leaders, although with new, non-Confederate namesakes. In the case of Fort Lee, rather than Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, it’s now named for Pvt. Fitz Lee, a Buffalo Soldier. Fitz Lee fought in the Spanish-American War and earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at Tayabacoa, Cuba, when he helped rescue trapped soldiers.
taskandpurpose.com
Private Fitz Lee with his Medal of Honor, shortly before his death in 1899. Photo courtesy the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
When the U.S. Army announced on June 10 that it was changing the names of seven bases back to their earlier designations, it skipped over one major milestone: Fort Lee in Virginia will now be the first base to be named after a Buffalo Soldier.
The bases reverted back to their names, which had previously honored Confederate leaders, although with new, non-Confederate namesakes. In the case of Fort Lee, rather than Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, it’s now named for Pvt. Fitz Lee, a Buffalo Soldier. Fitz Lee fought in the Spanish-American War and earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at Tayabacoa, Cuba, when he helped rescue trapped soldiers.
An Army base will now honor a Buffalo Soldier
Fort Lee is now named for Pvt. Fitz Lee. The new namesake was a Buffalo Soldier who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions in Cuba.
taskandpurpose.com
Private Fitz Lee with his Medal of Honor, shortly before his death in 1899. Photo courtesy the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
