And it’s about damn time.
Route 1 (which runs north-south along the entire East Coast if I’m not mistaken) has a bit of it that runs through Alexandria, Virginia. It is a major thoroughfare stretching probably a good 15 miles or so, perhaps even longer, that is extensively used by commuters, shoppers, and everyone else for that matter. It runs runs to National Airport, the Pentagon, and - well, you get it. It’s a big road. And it is named the Jefferson Davis Highway.
Today the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to rename its section of the road. Name still TBD. Also, a notable statue in the middle of a particularly busy part of the road, honoring Confederate soldiers, will be moved to a museum.
Three cheers for the Alexandria City Council! Jefferson Davis should not be edited out of history books, but he certainly doesn’t merit being honored with having his name on street signs. There’s more than enough heroes in the US who are more deserving of such recognition. One possibility is Francis C. Hammond, an Alexandria native who was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Korean War and now rests in Arlington Cemetery. A Navy corpsman serving with the 1st Marine Division, he dodged machine gun and artillery fire from superior forces, saving lives of his Marines. He did not leave the battlefield despite being wounded and his position reinforced, and ultimately succumbed to his wounds.
Sounds like a much better man than Jefferson Davis.