The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 171 nationally important cemeteries in the United States. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress on July 17, 1862.[1] By the end of 1862, 14 national cemeteries had been established (see text of photo). A national cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, veterans and their spouses, but not exclusively so. The best known national cemetery is Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.. Some national cemeteries, especially Arlington, contain the graves of important civilian leaders and other important national figures. Some national cemeteries also contain sections for Confederate soldiers. In addition to national cemeteries, there are also state veteran cemeteries.
The National Cemetery Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains 155 national cemeteries as well as the Nationwide Gravesite Locator, which can be used to find burial locations of American military veterans.[2] [3] The Department of the Army maintains 2 national cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.[4] The National Park Service (NPS) maintains 14 national cemeteries associated with historic sites and battlefields.
The American Battle Monuments Commission, an independent agency, maintains 26 American military cemeteries and other memorials outside the United States.
History[edit]
The first national cemeteries were set up after the United States Civil War by Edmund Burke Whitman.[5] Congress passed a law to establish and protect national cemeteries in 1867.[6]
Final military honors are provided for qualified veterans by several volunteer details known as a Memorial Honor Detail (MHD) upon request of family members through their choice of mortuaries handling the deceased's remains.
List of United States national cemeteries[edit]
Cemetery | City | State | Agency | Founded |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery | Elwood | Illinois | VA | 1999 |
Acadia National Cemetery | Jonesboro | Maine | VA | 2020 |
Alabama National Cemetery | Montevallo | Alabama | VA | 2009 |
Alexandria National Cemetery (Louisiana) | Pineville | Louisiana | VA | 1867 |
Alexandria National Cemetery (Virginia) | Alexandria | Virginia | VA | 1862 |
Alton National Cemetery | Alton | Illinois | VA | 1948 |
Andersonville National Cemetery | Andersonville | Georgia | NPS | 1865 |
Andrew Johnson National Cemetery | Greeneville | Tennessee | NPS | 1906 |
Annapolis National Cemetery | Annapolis | Maryland | VA | 1862 |
Antietam National Cemetery | Sharpsburg | Maryland | NPS | 1862 |
Arlington National Cemetery | Arlington | Virginia | Army | 1864 |
Bakersfield National Cemetery | Bakersfield | California | VA | 2009 |
Balls Bluff National Cemetery | Leesburg | Virginia | VA | 1865 |
Baltimore National Cemetery | Baltimore | Maryland | VA | 1936 |
Barrancas National Cemetery | Pensacola | Florida | VA | 1868 |
Bath National Cemetery | Bath | New York | VA | 1879 |
Baton Rouge National Cemetery | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | VA | 1867 |
Battleground National Cemetery | Washington | D.C. | NPS | 1867 |
Bay Pines National Cemetery | Bay Pines | Florida | VA | 1933 |
Beaufort National Cemetery | Beaufort | South Carolina | VA | 1863 |
Beverly National Cemetery | Beverly | New Jersey | VA | 1864 |
Biloxi National Cemetery | Biloxi | Mississippi | VA | 1934 |
Black Hills National Cemetery | Sturgis | South Dakota | VA | 1948 |
Calverton National Cemetery | Calverton | New York | VA | 1976 |
Camp Butler National Cemetery | Springfield | Illinois | VA | 1862 |
Camp Nelson National Cemetery | Nicholasville | Kentucky | VA | 1866 |
Cape Canaveral National Cemetery | Scottsmoor | Florida | VA | 2015 |
Cave Hill National Cemetery | Louisville | Kentucky | VA | 1863 |
Chalmette National Cemetery | Chalmette | Louisiana | NPS | 1868 |
Chattanooga National Cemetery | Chattanooga | Tennessee | VA | 1867 |
Cheyenne National Cemetery | Cheyenne | Wyoming | VA | 2020 |
City Point National Cemetery | Hopewell | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Cold Harbor National Cemetery | Mechanicsville | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Corinth National Cemetery | Corinth | Mississippi | VA | 1866 |
Crown Hill National Cemetery | Indianapolis | Indiana | VA | 1866 |
Culpeper National Cemetery | Culpeper | Virginia | VA | 1867 |
Custer National Cemetery | Crow Agency | Montana | NPS | 1879 |
Cypress Hills National Cemetery | Brooklyn | New York | VA | 1862 |
Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery | Dallas | Texas | VA | 2000 |
Danville National Cemetery (Illinois) | Danville | Illinois | VA | 1862 |
Danville National Cemetery (Kentucky) | Danville | Kentucky | VA | 1866 |
Danville National Cemetery (Virginia) | Danville | Virginia | VA | 1898 |
Dayton National Cemetery | Dayton | Ohio | VA | 1867 |
Eagle Point National Cemetery | Eagle Point | Oregon | VA | 1952 |
Fargo National Cemetery | Harwood | North Dakota | VA | 2019 |
Fayetteville National Cemetery | Fayetteville | Arkansas | VA | 1867 |
Finn's Point National Cemetery | Salem | New Jersey | VA | 1875 |
Florence National Cemetery | Florence | South Carolina | VA | 1865 |
Florida National Cemetery | Bushnell | Florida | VA | 1987 |
Fort Bayard National Cemetery | Bayard | New Mexico | VA | 1922 |
Fort Bliss National Cemetery | Fort Bliss | Texas | VA | 1939 |
Fort Custer National Cemetery | Augusta | Michigan | VA | 1982 |
Fort Donelson National Cemetery | Dover | Tennessee | NPS | 1867 |
Fort Gibson National Cemetery | Fort Gibson | Oklahoma | VA | 1868 |
Fort Harrison National Cemetery | Richmond | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Fort Jackson National Cemetery | Columbia | South Carolina | VA | 2009 |
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery | Fort Leavenworth | Kansas | VA | 1862 |
Fort Logan National Cemetery | Denver | Colorado | VA | 1950 |
Fort Lyon National Cemetery | Las Animas | Colorado | VA | 1867 |
Fort McPherson National Cemetery | Maxwell | Nebraska | VA | 1873 |
Fort Meade National Cemetery | Sturgis | South Dakota | VA | 1878 |
Fort Mitchell National Cemetery | Fort Mitchell | Alabama | VA | 1987 |
Fort Richardson National Cemetery | Fort Richardson | Alaska | VA | 1984 |
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery | San Diego | California | VA | 1934 |
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery | San Antonio | Texas | VA | 1937 |
Fort Scott National Cemetery | Fort Scott | Kansas | VA | 1862 |
Fort Sheridan National Cemetery | Fort Sheridan | Illinois | VA | 1889 |
Fort Sill National Cemetery | Elgin | Oklahoma | VA | 2001 |
Fort Smith National Cemetery | Fort Smith | Arkansas | VA | 1867 |
Fort Snelling National Cemetery | Minneapolis | Minnesota | VA | 1939 |
Fort Stevens National Cemetery | Hammond | Oregon | VA | 1905 |
Fredericksburg National Cemetery | Fredericksburg | Virginia | NPS | 1865 |
Georgia National Cemetery | Cherokee County | Georgia | VA | 2006 |
Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery | Schuylerville | New York | VA | 1999 |
Gettysburg National Cemetery | Gettysburg | Pennsylvania | NPS | 1863 |
Glendale National Cemetery | Richmond | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Golden Gate National Cemetery | San Bruno | California | VA | 1938 |
Grafton National Cemetery | Grafton | West Virginia | VA | 1867 |
Great Lakes National Cemetery | Holly | Michigan | VA | 2005 |
Hampton National Cemetery | Hampton | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Hampton VAMC National Cemetery | Hampton | Virginia | VA | 1898 |
Hot Springs National Cemetery | Hot Springs | South Dakota | VA | 1930 |
Houston National Cemetery | Houston | Texas | VA | 1963 |
Indiantown Gap National Cemetery | Annville | Pennsylvania | VA | 1976 |
Jacksonville National Cemetery | Jacksonville | Florida | VA | 2009 |
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery | St. Louis | Missouri | VA | 1866 |
Jefferson City National Cemetery | Jefferson City | Missouri | VA | 1867 |
Keokuk National Cemetery | Keokuk | Iowa | VA | 1862 |
Kerrville National Cemetery | Kerrville | Texas | VA | 1943 |
Knoxville National Cemetery | Knoxville | Tennessee | VA | 1863 |
Leavenworth National Cemetery | Leavenworth | Kansas | VA | 1930 |
Lebanon National Cemetery | Lebanon | Kentucky | VA | 1867 |
Lexington National Cemetery | Lexington | Kentucky | VA | 1863 |
Little Rock National Cemetery | Little Rock | Arkansas | VA | 1868 |
Long Island National Cemetery | Farmingdale | New York | VA | 1936 |
Los Angeles National Cemetery | Los Angeles | California | VA | 1930 |
Loudon Park National Cemetery | Baltimore | Maryland | VA | 1862 |
Louisiana National Cemetery | Zachary | Louisiana | VA | 2012 |
Marietta National Cemetery | Marietta | Georgia | VA | 1866 |
Marion National Cemetery | Marion | Indiana | VA | 1930 |
Massachusetts National Cemetery | Bourne | Massachusetts | VA | 1976 |
Memphis National Cemetery | Memphis | Tennessee | VA | 1867 |
Mill Springs National Cemetery | Nancy | Kentucky | VA | 1862 |
Miramar National Cemetery | Miramar, San Diego | California | VA | 2010 |
Mobile National Cemetery | Mobile | Alabama | VA | 1865 |
Mound City National Cemetery | Mound City | Illinois | VA | 1864 |
Mountain Home National Cemetery | Mountain Home | Tennessee | VA | 1903 |
Nashville National Cemetery | Madison | Tennessee | VA | 1866 |
Natchez National Cemetery | Natchez | Mississippi | VA | 1866 |
National Cemetery of the Alleghenies | Cecil Township | Pennsylvania | VA | 2005 |
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona | Phoenix | Arizona | VA | 1989 |
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific | Honolulu | Hawaii | VA | 1948 |
New Albany National Cemetery | New Albany | Indiana | VA | 1862 |
New Bern National Cemetery | New Bern | North Carolina | VA | 1867 |
Northwoods National Cemetery | Harshaw | Wisconsin | VA | 2020 |
Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery | Rittman | Ohio | VA | 2000 |
Omaha National Cemetery | Omaha | Nebraska | VA | 2016 |
Philadelphia National Cemetery | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | VA | 1862 |
Pikes Peak National Cemetery | Colorado Springs | Colorado | VA | 2018 |
Poplar Grove National Cemetery | Petersburg | Virginia | NPS | 1866 |
Port Hudson National Cemetery | Zachary | Louisiana | VA | 1866 |
Prescott National Cemetery | Prescott | Arizona | VA | 1931 |
Puerto Rico National Cemetery | Bayamon | Puerto Rico | VA | 1948 |
Quantico National Cemetery | Triangle | Virginia | VA | 1977 |
Quincy National Cemetery | Quincy | Illinois | VA | 1899 |
Raleigh National Cemetery | Raleigh | North Carolina | VA | 1871 |
Richmond National Cemetery | Richmond | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Riverside National Cemetery | Riverside | California | VA | 1976 |
Rock Island National Cemetery | Rock Island | Illinois | VA | 1863 |
Roseburg National Cemetery | Roseburg | Oregon | VA | 1932 |
Sacramento Valley National Cemetery | Dixon | California | VA | 2006 |
Salisbury National Cemetery | Salisbury | North Carolina | VA | 1865 |
San Antonio National Cemetery | San Antonio | Texas | VA | 1867 |
San Francisco National Cemetery | San Francisco | California | VA | 1884 |
San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery | Gustine | California | VA | 1992 |
Santa Fe National Cemetery | Santa Fe | New Mexico | VA | 1875 |
Sarasota National Cemetery | Sarasota | Florida | VA | 2009 |
Seven Pines National Cemetery | Sandston | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Shiloh National Cemetery | Shiloh | Tennessee | NPS | 1867 |
Sitka National Cemetery | Sitka | Alaska | VA | 1924 |
Snake River Canyon National Cemetery | Buhl | Idaho | VA | 2020 |
South Florida National Cemetery | Lake Worth | Florida | VA | 2007 |
Springfield National Cemetery | Springfield | Missouri | VA | 1867 |
St. Augustine National Cemetery | St. Augustine | Florida | VA | 1881 |
Staunton National Cemetery | Staunton | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Stones River National Cemetery | Murfreesboro | Tennessee | NPS | 1865 |
Tahoma National Cemetery | Kent | Washington | VA | 1997 |
Tallahassee National Cemetery | Tallahassee | Florida | VA | 2015 |
Togus National Cemetery | Chelsea | Maine | VA | 1936 |
US Soldiers' & Airmen's Home National Cemetery | Washington | D.C. | Army | 1862 |
Vancouver Barracks National Cemetery | Vancouver | Washington | VA | 1882 |
Vicksburg National Cemetery | Vicksburg | Mississippi | NPS | 1866 |
Washington Crossing National Cemetery | Newtown | Pennsylvania | VA | 2009 |
Western New York National Cemetery | Pembroke | New York | VA | 2020 |
West Virginia National Cemetery | Grafton | West Virginia | VA | 1987 |
Willamette National Cemetery | Portland | Oregon | VA | 1950 |
Wilmington National Cemetery | Wilmington | North Carolina | VA | 1867 |
Winchester National Cemetery | Winchester | Virginia | VA | 1866 |
Wood National Cemetery | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | VA | 1871 |
Woodlawn National Cemetery | Elmira | New York | VA | 1874 |
Yellowstone National Cemetery | Laurel | Montana | VA | 2014 |
Yorktown National Cemetery | Yorktown | Virginia | NPS | 1866 |
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery | Louisville | Kentucky | VA | 1928 |
See also[edit]
- Fort Leavenworth Military Prison Cemetery
- USVA emblems for headstones and markers
- List of military tombstone abbreviations
Notes and references[edit]
- ^ "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875". memory.loc.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ "Nationwide Gravesite Locator". National Cemetery Administration.
- ^ Administration, National Cemetery. "National Cemetery Listing – National Cemetery Administration". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ "Office of Army Cemeteries > Cemeteries". armycemeteries.army.mil. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ "Edmund Whitman (1812–1873)". University of Michigan. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
After the war Whitman became assistant quartermaster in charge of national cemeteries and mortuary records for the same district. Charged with inspecting cemeteries and battlefields, he located Union soldiers buried in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama.
- ^ Chap. LXI. 14 Stat. 399 from "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U. S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875". Library of Congress, Law Library of Congress. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
Further reading[edit]
- Bontrager, Shannon. Death at the Edges of Empire: Fallen Soldiers, Cultural Memory, and the Making of an American Nation, 1863–1921 (University of Nebraska Press, 2020); memories of American war dead. online summary by author
External links[edit]
- Department of Veteran's Affairs, National Cemetery Administration