United States National Cemetery System

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A plaque at Chattanooga National Cemetery that explains the history of the National Cemetery System Chattanooga National Cemetery plaque on National Cemetery System.jpg
A plaque at Chattanooga National Cemetery that explains the history of the National Cemetery System
Gettysburg National Cemetery, Pennsylvania Gettysburg national cemetery img 4164.jpg
Gettysburg National Cemetery, Pennsylvania
Golden Gate National Cemetery, California GGNC;895 goldengate.jpg
Golden Gate National Cemetery, California
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia Tomb of the Unknowns.jpg
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia
Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota 2 Fort Snelling Looking Southeast.JPG
Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii Punchbowl (1236).JPG
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Memorial Day 2010 Ft Sam 5-27-10.JPG
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Memorial Day 2010
Gravesites at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006 Fort logan national cemetery 4.jpg
Gravesites at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006
Flags flying at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006. The cemetery has flat markers, a practice which is used extensively in the new fields at this cemetery. Fort logan national cemetery 5.jpg
Flags flying at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006. The cemetery has flat markers, a practice which is used extensively in the new fields at this cemetery.
Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee Memphis national cemetery.jpg
Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee
Creation of national cemeteries A National Cemetery System.pdf
Creation of national cemeteries

The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 military cemeteries in the United States and its territories. 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, 12 national cemeteries had been established. [2] Two of the nation's most iconic military cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, and Gettysburg National Cemetery, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, were established in 1864 and 1863, respectively.

Contents

National Cemetery Administration

The National Cemetery Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains 156 national cemeteries as well as the Nationwide Grave-site Locator, which can be used to find burial locations of American military Veterans through their searchable website. [3] [4] The Department of the Army maintains two national cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery. [5] The National Park Service (NPS) maintains 14 national cemeteries associated with historic sites and battlefields. [6]

The American Battle Monuments Commission, an independent agency of the executive branch, established by Congress in 1923, maintains 26 American military cemeteries and other memorials outside the United States.

History

Twelve national cemeteries were established in 1862. A total of 34 were established during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Additional cemeteries were set up after the United States Civil War by Edmund Burke Whitman. [7] Congress passed additional laws to establish and protect national cemeteries in 1867. [8] The National Cemetery Administration lists a total of 73 Civil War-Era National Cemeteries from 1861 to 1868. [9]

Final military honors are provided for qualified Veterans by volunteer veteran or National Guard details known as Memorial Honor Details (MHD), upon application by family members through their choice of mortuary handling the deceased.

List of United States national cemeteries

*Please note that the year listed is the official date of establishment listed by the VA. This may differ from the year of the first burial, the oldest remains, the year the land was acquired, etc. Many post cemeteries have been given national cemetery status as late as 2020, which is considerably later than the original cemetery. For example, Vancouver Barracks post cemetery was established in 1849 and became a national cemetery in 2020—one of 11 cemeteries transferred from the Army to NCA in 2019–2020 per Exec. Order No. 13781, 2017. [10]

CemeteryCityStateAgencyFounded*
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Elwood Illinois VA1999
Acadia National Cemetery Jonesboro Maine VA2020
Alabama National Cemetery Montevallo Alabama VA2009
Alexandria National Cemetery (Louisiana) Pineville Louisiana VA1867
Alexandria National Cemetery (Virginia) Alexandria Virginia VA1862
Alton National Cemetery Alton Illinois VA1948
Andersonville National Cemetery Andersonville Georgia NPS1865
Andrew Johnson National Cemetery Greeneville Tennessee NPS1906
Annapolis National Cemetery Annapolis Maryland VA1862
Antietam National Cemetery Sharpsburg Maryland NPS1865
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia Army1864
Bakersfield National Cemetery Bakersfield California VA2009
Ball's Bluff National Cemetery Leesburg Virginia VA1865
Baltimore National Cemetery Baltimore Maryland VA1936
Barrancas National Cemetery Pensacola Florida VA1868
Bath National Cemetery Bath New York VA1879
Baton Rouge National Cemetery Baton Rouge Louisiana VA1867
Battleground National Cemetery Washington D.C. NPS1864
Bay Pines National Cemetery Bay Pines Florida VA1933
Beaufort National Cemetery Beaufort South Carolina VA1863
Beverly National Cemetery Beverly New Jersey VA1864
Biloxi National Cemetery Biloxi Mississippi VA1934
Black Hills National Cemetery Sturgis South Dakota VA1948
Calverton National Cemetery Calverton New York VA1976
Camp Butler National Cemetery Springfield Illinois VA1862
Camp Nelson National Cemetery Nicholasville Kentucky VA1866
Cape Canaveral National Cemetery Scottsmoor Florida VA2015
Cave Hill National Cemetery Louisville Kentucky VA1863
Chalmette National Cemetery Chalmette Louisiana NPS1864
Chattanooga National Cemetery Chattanooga Tennessee VA1863
Cheyenne National Cemetery Cheyenne Wyoming VA2020
City Point National Cemetery Hopewell Virginia VA1866
Cold Harbor National Cemetery Mechanicsville Virginia VA1866
Corinth National Cemetery Corinth Mississippi VA1866
Crown Hill National Cemetery Indianapolis Indiana VA1866
Culpeper National Cemetery Culpeper Virginia VA1867
Custer National Cemetery Crow Agency Montana NPS1879
Cypress Hills National Cemetery Brooklyn New York VA1862
Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery Dallas Texas VA2000
Danville National Cemetery (Illinois) Danville Illinois VA1898
Danville National Cemetery (Kentucky) Danville Kentucky VA1862
Danville National Cemetery (Virginia) Danville Virginia VA1867
Dayton National Cemetery Dayton Ohio VA1867
Eagle Point National Cemetery Eagle Point Oregon VA1952
Fargo National Cemetery Harwood North Dakota VA2019
Fayetteville National Cemetery Fayetteville Arkansas VA1867
Finn's Point National Cemetery Salem New Jersey VA1875
Florence National Cemetery Florence South Carolina VA1865
Florida National Cemetery Bushnell Florida VA1987
Fort Bayard National Cemetery Bayard New Mexico VA1922
Fort Bliss National Cemetery Fort Bliss Texas VA1939
Fort Custer National Cemetery Augusta Michigan VA1982
Fort Donelson National Cemetery Dover Tennessee NPS1867
Fort Gibson National Cemetery Fort Gibson Oklahoma VA1868
Fort Harrison National Cemetery Richmond Virginia VA1866
Fort Jackson National Cemetery Columbia South Carolina VA2009
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery Fort Leavenworth Kansas VA1862
Fort Logan National Cemetery Denver Colorado VA1950
Fort Lyon National Cemetery Las Animas Colorado VA1867
Fort McPherson National Cemetery Maxwell Nebraska VA1873
Fort Meade National Cemetery Sturgis South Dakota VA1878
Fort Mitchell National Cemetery Fort Mitchell Alabama VA1987
Fort Richardson National Cemetery Fort Richardson Alaska VA1984
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery San Diego California VA1934
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery San Antonio Texas VA1937
Fort Scott National Cemetery Fort Scott Kansas VA1862
Fort Sheridan National Cemetery Fort Sheridan Illinois VA2019
Fort Sill National Cemetery Elgin Oklahoma VA2001
Fort Smith National Cemetery Fort Smith Arkansas VA1867
Fort Snelling National Cemetery Minneapolis Minnesota VA1939
Fort Stevens National Cemetery Hammond Oregon VA2020
Fredericksburg National Cemetery Fredericksburg Virginia NPS1865
Georgia National Cemetery Canton Georgia VA2006
Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery Schuylerville New York VA1999
Gettysburg National Cemetery Gettysburg Pennsylvania NPS1863
Glendale National Cemetery Richmond Virginia VA1866
Golden Gate National Cemetery San Bruno California VA1938
Grafton National Cemetery Grafton West Virginia VA1867
Great Lakes National Cemetery Holly Michigan VA2005
Hampton National Cemetery Hampton Virginia VA1866
Hampton VAMC National Cemetery Hampton Virginia VA1898
Hot Springs National Cemetery Hot Springs South Dakota VA1930
Houston National Cemetery Houston Texas VA1963
Indiantown Gap National Cemetery Annville Pennsylvania VA1976
Jacksonville National Cemetery Jacksonville Florida VA2009
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery St. Louis Missouri VA1863
Jefferson City National Cemetery Jefferson City Missouri VA1867
Keokuk National Cemetery Keokuk Iowa VA1862
Kerrville National Cemetery Kerrville Texas VA1943
Knoxville National Cemetery Knoxville Tennessee VA1863
Leavenworth National Cemetery Leavenworth Kansas VA1930
Lebanon National Cemetery Lebanon Kentucky VA1867
Lexington National Cemetery Lexington Kentucky VA1863
Little Rock National Cemetery Little Rock Arkansas VA1868
Long Island National Cemetery Farmingdale New York VA1936
Los Angeles National Cemetery Los Angeles California VA1930
Loudon Park National Cemetery Baltimore Maryland VA1862
Louisiana National Cemetery Zachary Louisiana VA2012
Marietta National Cemetery Marietta Georgia VA1866
Marion National Cemetery Marion Indiana VA1930
Massachusetts National Cemetery Bourne Massachusetts VA1976
Memphis National Cemetery Memphis Tennessee VA1867
Mill Springs National Cemetery Nancy Kentucky VA1862
Miramar National Cemetery San Diego California VA2010
Mobile National Cemetery Mobile Alabama VA1865
Morovis National Cemetery Morovis Puerto Rico VA2020
Mound City National Cemetery Mound City Illinois VA1864
Mountain Home National Cemetery Mountain Home Tennessee VA1903
Nashville National Cemetery Madison Tennessee VA1866
Natchez National Cemetery Natchez Mississippi VA1866
National Cemetery of the Alleghenies Cecil Township Pennsylvania VA2005
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona Phoenix Arizona VA1989
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Honolulu Hawaii VA1948
New Albany National Cemetery New Albany Indiana VA1862
New Bern National Cemetery New Bern North Carolina VA1867
Northwoods National Cemetery Harshaw Wisconsin VA2020
Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery Rittman Ohio VA2000
Omaha National Cemetery Omaha Nebraska VA2016
Philadelphia National Cemetery Philadelphia Pennsylvania VA1885
Pikes Peak National Cemetery Colorado Springs Colorado VA2018
Poplar Grove National Cemetery Petersburg Virginia NPS1866
Port Hudson National Cemetery Zachary Louisiana VA1866
Prescott National Cemetery Prescott Arizona VA1931
Puerto Rico National Cemetery Bayamón Puerto Rico VA1948
Quantico National Cemetery Triangle Virginia VA1977
Quincy National Cemetery Quincy Illinois VA1899
Raleigh National Cemetery Raleigh North Carolina VA1865
Richmond National Cemetery Richmond Virginia VA1866
Riverside National Cemetery Riverside California VA1976
Rock Island National Cemetery Rock Island Illinois VA1863
Roseburg National Cemetery Roseburg Oregon VA1932
Sacramento Valley National Cemetery Dixon California VA2006
Salisbury National Cemetery Salisbury North Carolina VA1865
San Antonio National Cemetery San Antonio Texas VA1867
San Francisco National Cemetery San Francisco California VA1884
San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery Gustine California VA1992
Santa Fe National Cemetery Santa Fe New Mexico VA1875
Sarasota National Cemetery Sarasota Florida VA2009
Seven Pines National Cemetery Sandston Virginia VA1866
Shiloh National Cemetery Shiloh Tennessee NPS1867
Sitka National Cemetery Sitka Alaska VA1924
Snake River Canyon National Cemetery Buhl Idaho VA2020
South Florida National Cemetery Lake Worth Florida VA2007
Springfield National Cemetery Springfield Missouri VA1867
Saint Augustine National Cemetery St. Augustine Florida VA1881
Staunton National Cemetery Staunton Virginia VA1866
Stones River National Cemetery Murfreesboro Tennessee NPS1864
Tahoma National Cemetery Kent Washington VA1997
Tallahassee National Cemetery Tallahassee Florida VA2015
Togus National Cemetery Chelsea Maine VA1936
US Soldiers' & Airmen's Home National Cemetery Washington D.C. Army1862
Vancouver Barracks National Cemetery Vancouver Washington VA2020
Vicksburg National Cemetery Vicksburg Mississippi NPS1866
Washington Crossing National Cemetery Newtown Pennsylvania VA2009
Western New York National Cemetery Pembroke New York VA2020
West Virginia National Cemetery Grafton West Virginia VA1987
Willamette National Cemetery Portland Oregon VA1950
Wilmington National Cemetery Wilmington North Carolina VA1867
Winchester National Cemetery Winchester Virginia VA1866
Wood National Cemetery Milwaukee Wisconsin VA1871
Woodlawn National Cemetery Elmira New York VA1874
Yellowstone National Cemetery Laurel Montana VA2014
Yorktown National Cemetery Yorktown Virginia NPS1866
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery Louisville Kentucky VA1928

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875". memory.loc.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  2. ↑ Administration, National Cemetery. "Dates of Establishment: National Cemeteries & NCA Burial Sites (1 of 6) - National Cemetery Administration". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  3. ↑ "Nationwide Gravesite Locator". National Cemetery Administration.
  4. ↑ Administration, National Cemetery. "National Cemetery Listing – National Cemetery Administration". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  5. ↑ "Office of Army Cemeteries > Cemeteries". armycemeteries.army.mil. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  6. ↑ Address, Mailing; Road, ersonville National Cemetery National Prisoner of War Museum 496 Cemetery; ersonville; Us, GA 31711 Phone: 229 924-0343 Contact. "National Parks & National Cemeteries - Andersonville National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "Edmund Whitman (1812–1873)". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ Administration, National Cemetery. "VA.gov | Veterans Affairs". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  10. ↑ Administration, National Cemetery. "VA.gov | Veterans Affairs". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-01.

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