Battleground National Cemetery

Last updated
Battleground National Cemetery
BattlegroundNationalCemetery.jpg
The cemetery in 2019
Location map District of Columbia street.png
Red pog.svg
Location6625 Georgia Ave., NW., Washington, District of Columbia
Coordinates 38°58′15″N77°01′35″W / 38.97083°N 77.02639°W / 38.97083; -77.02639
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1864
Website Battleground National Cemetery
NRHP reference No. 66000032 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated DCIHSMarch 3, 1979

Battleground National Cemetery is a military burial ground, located along Georgia Avenue near Fort Stevens, in Washington, D.C.'s Brightwood neighborhood. The cemetery is managed by the National Park Service, together with other components of Rock Creek Park.

Contents

Battle of Fort Stevens

The Battle of Fort Stevens, which took place on July 11–12, 1864, marked the defeat of General Jubal Anderson Early's Confederate campaign to launch an offensive action against the national capital. During the battle, 59 soldiers were killed on the Union side. [2] There were approximately 500 casualties on the Confederate side of the battle. [3]

Burials

After the battle, Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs seized 1 acre (0.40 ha) of farm land to use for burying the dead. Under direction from President Abraham Lincoln and Meigs, forty were buried on the evening of July 12 on the battlefield site. The dead were later moved to the current location of Battleground National Cemetery. A possibly apocryphal story states that Lincoln came to the site to dedicate it as the Battleground National Cemetery.

It was declared that anyone who fought in the battle was permitted to be buried at the location, but only one more veteran of the battle, Edward R. Campbell, was buried in the cemetery in March 1936 at the age of 92. Four of the family members (the mother and three children) of the cemetery's first caretaker are also buried at the cemetery. All of them died within five years of each other. The cemetery is now a closed site and no more burials are permitted. [4]

In addition to the grave markers, the cemetery includes four monuments to units that fought at Fort Stevens, including the 25th New York Volunteer Cavalry, 98th Pennsylvania Infantry, 122nd New York Infantry, and the 150th Ohio National Guard. [2]

Administration

The historic superintendent's lodge CaretakersHouseBattlegroundNationalCemetery.jpg
The historic superintendent's lodge

The piece of land was previously part of a fruit orchard owned by farmer James Malloy. [5] When he returned to his land after the dust cleared from the battle, Malloy was upset that his land was taken and challenged the action. Through an act of Congress passed on February 22, 1867, the land was acquired and officially transferred to the government on July 23, 1868 with payment made to Malloy. [3]

A superintendent's lodge was built in 1871, [6] using a basic stone design by General Montgomery Meigs that was a prototype for all national cemeteries. The lodge was built as a residence for the superintendent of the cemetery. The superintendent's lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 4, 1980. [4]

Battleground National Cemetery was administered by the United States Department of War until 1933–34, when it was transferred to the National Park Service. [4] The cemetery was administratively listed on the National Register on October 15, 1966, and is one of the smallest national cemeteries. [7]

In 2005, the DC Preservation League listed the cemetery as one of the most endangered historic sites in Washington, D.C. The National Park Service has been allocated funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for restoration work at Battleground National Cemetery. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington National Cemetery</span> Military cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US

Arlington National Cemetery is one of two cemeteries in the United States National Cemetery System that are maintained by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres in Arlington, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Pillow State Historic Park</span> Civil war battlefield in Tennessee, United States

Fort Pillow State Historic Park is a state park in western Tennessee that preserves the American Civil War site of the Battle of Fort Pillow. The 1,642 acre (6.6 km²) Fort Pillow, located in Lauderdale County on the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, is rich in both historic and archaeological significance. In 1861, the Confederate army built extensive fortifications and named the site for General Gideon Johnson Pillow of Maury County. It was attacked and held by the Union Army for most of the American Civil War period except immediately after the Battle of Fort Pillow, when it was retaken by the Confederate Army. The battle ended with a massacre of African-American Union troops and their white officers attempting to surrender, by soldiers under the command of Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiloh National Military Park</span> United States historic area

Shiloh National Military Park preserves the American Civil War Shiloh and Corinth battlefields. The main section of the park is in the unincorporated town of Shiloh, about nine miles (14 km) south of Savannah, Tennessee, with an additional area located in the city of Corinth, Mississippi, 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Shiloh. The Battle of Shiloh began a six-month struggle for the key railroad junction at Corinth. Afterward, Union forces marched from Pittsburg Landing to take Corinth in a May siege, then withstood an October Confederate counter-attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison Springs Battleground State Park</span> United States historic place

Poison Springs Battleground State Park is an Arkansas state park located southeast of Bluff City. It commemorates the Battle of Poison Spring in the American Civil War, which was part of the 1864 Camden Expedition, an element of a Union Army initiative to gain control of Shreveport, Louisiana and get a foothold in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fort Stevens</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Fort Stevens was an American Civil War battle fought July 11–12, 1864, in Washington County, D.C., during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 between forces under Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early and Union Major General Alexander McDowell McCook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgomery C. Meigs</span> Union Army general

Montgomery Cunningham Meigs was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Meigs strongly opposed secession and supported the Union. His record as Quartermaster General was regarded as outstanding, both in effectiveness and in ethical probity, and Secretary of State William H. Seward viewed Meigs' leadership and contributions as key factors in the Union victory in the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial</span> Historic estate in Virginia operated by the U.S. National Park Service

Arlington House is the historic family residence of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War in Arlington County, Virginia. The historic home along with a memorial to Lee are situated in the middle of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, where they overlook the Potomac River and the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antietam National Battlefield</span> Historical area from the American Civil War

Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service-protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Washington County, northwestern Maryland. It commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brightwood (Washington, D.C.)</span> Place in the United States

Brightwood is a neighborhood in the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C. Brightwood is part of Ward 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Stevens (Washington, D.C.)</span>

Fort Stevens, formerly named Fort Massachusetts, was part of the extensive fortifications built around Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Hudson National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

Port Hudson National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Port Hudson, 20 miles (32 km) north of the city of Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 19.9 acres (8.1 ha), and as of the end of 2020, had over 12,000 interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grafton National Cemetery</span> Historic cemetery in Taylor County, West Virginia

Grafton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Grafton, West Virginia. It encompasses a total of 3.2 acres (1.3 ha). Along with West Virginia National Cemetery, it is one of two United States Department of Veterans Affairs national cemeteries in West Virginia, both of which are located in Grafton. The first interments took place in 1867 for casualties of the American Civil War in West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Henrico County, Virginia

Richmond National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery three miles (4.8 km) east of Richmond in Henrico County, Virginia. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 9.7 acres (3.9 ha), and as of 2021 had more than 11,000 interments. It is closed to new interments. Richmond National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Reno (Washington, D.C.)</span> American Civil War fort in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Fort Reno was a major fortification of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, located in what is now the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The fort sat on the highest natural point in the District of Columbia. Fort Reno played a part in the only Civil War battle to take place in the District of Columbia, at the Battle of Fort Stevens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park</span> State park in Arkansas

The Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park is the site of the American Civil War battle of Jenkins' Ferry, also known as the Engagement at Jenkins' Ferry, fought on Saturday, April 30, 1864, in present-day Grant County, Arkansas. The park was listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1970, and, with seven other sites, is part of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, designated a National Historic Landmark District on April 19, 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery</span> Historic site in Loudon County, Virginia, US

Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park and National Cemetery is a battlefield area and a United States National Cemetery, located 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Leesburg, Virginia. The cemetery is the third smallest national cemetery in the United States. Fifty-four Union Army dead from the Battle of Ball's Bluff are interred in 25 graves in the half-acre plot; the identity of all of the interred except for one, James Allen of the 15th Massachusetts, are unknown. Monuments to fallen Confederate Sergeant Clinton Hatcher and Union brigade commander Edward Dickinson Baker are located next to the cemetery, though neither is buried there. While the stone wall-enclosed cemetery itself is managed through the Culpeper National Cemetery and owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the balance of the 223-acre (0.90 km2) park is managed through the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Franklin Battlefield was the site of the Second Battle of Franklin, which occurred late in the American Civil War. It is located in the southern part of Franklin, Tennessee, on U.S. 31. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Zion Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)</span> Historic African American cemetery

Mount Zion Cemetery/Female Union Band Society Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 27th Street NW and Mill Road NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. The cemetery is actually two adjoining burial grounds: the Mount Zion Cemetery and Female Union Band Society Cemetery. Together these cemeteries occupy approximately three and a half acres of land. The property fronts Mill Road NW and overlooks Rock Creek Park to the rear. Mount Zion Cemetery, positioned to the East, is approximately 67,300 square feet in area; the Female Union Band Cemetery, situated to the West, contains approximately 66,500 square feet. Mount Zion Cemetery, founded in 1808 as The Old Methodist Burial Ground, was leased property later sold to Mount Zion United Methodist Church. Although the cemetery buried both White and Black persons since its inception, it served an almost exclusively African American population after 1849. In 1842, the Female Union Band Society purchased the western lot to establish a secular burying ground for African Americans. Both cemeteries were abandoned by 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil War Unknowns Monument</span> Monument at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA, US

The Civil War Unknowns Monument is a burial vault and memorial honoring unidentified dead from the American Civil War. It is located in the grounds of Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States. It was designed by Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs and constructed in 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McClellan Gate</span>

The McClellan Gate is a memorial to Major General George B. McClellan located inside Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. Constructed about 1871 on Arlington Ridge Road, it served as a main gate until about 1879 when the Sheridan Gate was constructed. The McClellan Gate became nonfunctional in 1966 when the road closed, and expansion of the cemetery eastward in 1971 left the gate deep inside Arlington. It is the only gate constructed on the cemetery's eastern boundary in the 1800s that survives.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Civil War Defenses of Washington". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  3. 1 2 United States Congress, House Committee on Appropriations (1921). Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill. pp. 2770–2774.
  4. 1 2 3 "List of Classified Structures". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  5. McGowan, Elizabeth (2009-07-01). "I Couldn't Give Up on These Guys". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  6. 1 2 "Nationwide Cemetery Preservation Summit Schedule and Abstracts". National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. Archived from the original on 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  7. "District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites" (PDF). District of Columbia Office of Planning. September 2004. p. 46. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-09-19.