I think I finally figured out why R' Hirsch is a respected figure in the Haredi world. They portray him as Haredi. Most of them don't even know what Torah Im Derech Eretz is. They just see R' Hirsch as someone who battled the reform. Look at the Artscroll biography. It's all Rav Hirsch the fighter against the bad reformers. Haredim adore the tough guy, the body slammer, the yeller.
The Artscroll rarely addresses Torah Im Derech Eretz and nearly every time the Artscroll bio refers to secular studies they'll make sure to stress that "Torah comes first" or it didn't include literature. The book can't mention the secular studies without limiting it in the same breath.
It's interesting to watch the Haredi descendents of Hirsch. In a world where everything hinges on celebrity, ie gadolim, they can't toss away their chashuv ancestor. But they spin it in Haredi terms. Obviously the horos shah myth comes in handy.
I'm beginning to really see what sheep people are, what followers. Haredism is in and few can think through it or stare it down or just take the good that's in it.
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