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| President Lincoln |
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| Arlington National Cemetery |
The National
Cemetery System was developed as a way to provide a respectable and honored
burial location for Civil War soldiers killed defending the Union. In the Act of July 17, 1862, Congress
authorized President Abraham Lincoln "to
purchase cemetery grounds ... to be used as a national cemetery for soldiers
who shall have died in the service of the country." This was the first U.S. legislation to set in
motion the concept of a national cemetery.
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| Civil War Graves |
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| Burying the Dead |
Before the national cemeteries were developed, soldiers were buried where
they fell, at military posts, or the body was sent back to the family for a
private burial. A headboard was usually
placed at the grave with the soldier’s name and information either painted or
written on in chalk. Since the wooden
markers could not withstand the elements, the boards deteriorated rapidly and
burial sites were lost.
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| Gettysburg National Cemetery |
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| Civil War Battlefields |
In
July of 1862, the Army’s Quartermaster Department was assigned the task of
establishing and maintaining the national cemeteries. After the end of the
Civil War in 1865, the program began in earnest – to search for, locate,
recover, and identify the remains of all Union soldiers, before re-interment in
a national cemetery. By June 1866, over
1 million dollars had been spent re-interring the war dead. The Quartermaster General estimated that over
$2.6 million would be the ''total cost of national cemeteries, and collection,
transfer and re-interment of remains of loyal soldiers.'' The average cost of re-interment for each body was
$9.75.
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| National Cemetery Act |
The
first National Cemetery Act was passed on February 22, 1867. It provided funding in the amount of
$750-thousand for the construction of national cemeteries, including the
purchase of land, fencing and head stones.
The act also set some rules into place regarding conduct in a national
cemetery stating, “Any person who shall willfully destroy, mutilate,
deface, injure, or remove any monument, gravestone . . . or shrub within the
limits of any said national cemetery” would
be arrested and found guilty of a misdemeanor.
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| Headstones with Shield Design |
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| U.S. Colored Troops |
The
headstone design was subject to several years ofdebates. Many materials were suggested for use,
including cast iron. Final approval and
the appropriation of 1-million dollars was given by Congress, in March 1873 for
the erection of a marble or granite headstone, measuring 12 inches high by 10
inches wide by 4 inches thick, with a slightly rounded top. Name, rank or affiliation was placed in a
federal shield carved into the stone.
Headstones for the regular Army soldiers were marked as “USA.”
Stones for the U.S. Colored Troops were marked as “USCT.” Stones for
‘contrabands’ and civilians were not allowed.
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| Unknown |
Marble
or granite headstones for those whose remains were unidentified measured 6
inches high by 6 inches wide and 30 inches deep. They were marked only with a number and/or by
the words “Unknown U.S. Soldier.”
Forty-two percent of the bodies and remains recovered were never identified.
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| Gen. Meigs |
It
took eight years for the interment of nearly almost 300,000 Union remains into
designated national cemetery grounds. Of
those, over one hundred thousand were not identifiable. In 1870, General Montgomery Meigs declared the
reburial project to be completed with
a total of seventy-three national cemeteries created. However, more would need to be started in the
West where fallen soldiers had been abandoned at their frontier posts.
During
the 1870’s several amendments were added to the National Cemetery Act of 1867
to allow the burial of Union veterans in national cemeteries. In 1872, an amendment was passed to allow “all soldiers and
sailors honorably discharged from the service of the United States who may die
in a destitute condition, shall be allowed burial in the national cemeteries of
the United States.”
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| Mexico's U.S. National Cemetery |
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| Danville, KY National Cemetery |
As
a result of the amendments, many national cemeteries were located throughout
the country – not just at the site of Civil War battles. National cemeteries were set up in New
Mexico, Nevada, California, and Mexico City, Mexico for those slain in the
Mexican War.
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| Fredrick Olmsted |
Landscape
architect, Fredrick Law Olmsted was called in
to offer his opinion on the appearance of the national cemeteries. Olmsted advised, “The main object should be to establish permanent
dignity and tranquility ... sacredness being expressed in the
enclosing wall and in the perfect tranquility of the trees within.”
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| Oak Hill Cemetery - Evansville, IN |
As
a result, trees and shrubs were added to the national cemeteries, flowers were
planted, and stone, brick or iron fences enclosed the grounds. Many times cannons and other artillery were
added as cemetery monuments.
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| Tomb of the Unknown |
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| Arlington National Cemetery |
In
June of 1881, General Meigs issued a recommendation that “Arlington Cemetery, … be declared and constituted by law the official
national cemetery of the government, and that its space, not needed for the
interment of soldiers, be used for the burial of officers of the United States legislative,
judicial, civil, and military, who may die at the seat of government or whose
friends may desire their interment in a public national cemetery.”
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| Confederate Monument |
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| Unknown Confederate Soldier |
In
1906, over forty years after the war, legislation passed that allowed the
re-interment of Confederate soldiers in national cemeteries.
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| Cave Hill National Cemetery |
There
are now 146 national cemeteries located throughout the United States and Puerto
Rico which bear the title of National Cemetery. Many are on or near Civil War
battlefields, or troop concentration points such as military hospitals and
campsites.
The
original fourteen national cemeteries, created in 1862 are –
Alexandria
National Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia
Annapolis
National Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland
Antietam
National Cemetery, Sharpsburg, Maryland
Camp
Butler National Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois
Cypress
Hills National Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York
Danville
National Cemetery, Danville, Kentucky
Fort
Leavenworth National Cemetery, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas
Fort
Scott National Cemetery, Fort Scott, Kansas
Keokuk
National Cemetery, Keokuk, Iowa
Loudon
Park National Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland
Mill
Springs National Cemetery, Nancy, Kentucky
New
Albany National Cemetery, New Albany, Indiana
Philadelphia
National Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Soldier’s
Home National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Since 1862, more than 3-million burials have
occurred in national cemeteries. The purpose of the National Cemetery System remains
the same as it did 151 years ago; to provide a proper burial service,
headstone, and interment in hallowed ground for veterans, those on active duty,
reservists and National Guard members who have, or continue to, serve and
defend our country.
~
Joy
Fort
Scott National Cemetery, Fort Scott, Kansas 
Since 1862, more than 3-million burials have
occurred in national cemeteries. The purpose of the National Cemetery System remains
the same as it did 151 years ago; to provide a proper burial service,
headstone, and interment in hallowed ground for veterans, those on active duty,
reservists and National Guard members who have, or continue to, serve and
defend our country.
