VFW Magazine May 2012 : Page 40NATIONAL CEMETERIES CIVIL WAR GAVE BIRTH TO A Finding appropriate burial grounds became essential during the war to inter 300,000 Union dead. As a 150th anniversary remembrance, here is how it all started. BY JANIE BLANKENSHIP t the Civil War’s onset, it became quickly apparent that cemeteries were going to be in great demand as casualties mounted. An act of Congress on July 17, 1862, authorized President Abraham Lincoln to purchase grounds for use as national cemeteries to bury Union soldiers. Confederate dead would not be so fortunate, relying on states to perform that function. Before, soldiers were typically buried at the site of death or in a mili-tary post cemetery. But the always-increasing body count in the Civil War was too great to be handled in such an outdated manner. In her book, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust writes about Jeremiah Gage of the 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment as he lay dying at Gettysburg.He wrote a letter to his mom telling her not to feel bad that she would not be able to bring his body home. He said instead he wanted “to be buried like my comrades. But deep, boys deep, so the beasts won’t get me.” Fourteen cemeteries were established in 1862 in Alexandria, Va.; Annapolis, 40 • VFW • MAY 2012 The Soldiers’ Cemetery in Alexandria, Va., 1862, was one of the fi rst Civil War cemeteries. It later became Alexandria National Cemetery. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PHOTO Md.; Sharpsburg, Md.; Springfield, Ill.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Danville, Ky.; Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Scott, Kan.; Keokuk, Iowa; Baltimore; Nancy, Ky.; New Albany, Ind.; Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Arlington National Cemetery opened on May 13, 1864, with the burial of Pvt. William L. Christman of the 67th Pennsylvania Infantry. Interestingly enough, before the Civil War the land where Arlington is locat-ed belonged to Gen. Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary Anne Randolph Custis—a granddaughter of George Washington. However, once Virginia seceded from National Cemetery System Marks 150th AnniversaryJanie BlankenshipRead the full article at http://digitaledition.qwinc.com/article/National+Cemetery+System+Marks+150th+Anniversary/1022429/106420/article.html. Publication List |
