On this historic day, June 15, 1864, Arlington National Cemetery, a sacred burial ground for our nation’s military, was officially established. The origins of this national cemetery in Virginia date back to the period just before the Civil War. It all started with the seizure of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s hilltop home after he sided with the Confederacy, as documented by History.com.
George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted son of President George Washington, owned a vast plantation in Arlington, Virginia. On this day in history, June 14, 1777, Congress adopted the iconic ‘Stars and Stripes’ flag, known as ‘The New Constellation.’ Arlington House, a memorial to President Washington, was constructed on Custis’ plantation and housed the largest collection of President Washington memorabilia, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Ownership of the estate passed on to Custis’ daughter, who married Robert E. Lee. The couple resided in Arlington House for over three decades, as mentioned by the same source. Lee, a native Virginian, faced a difficult decision during the Civil War – whether to lead the Union Army or fight for his home state’s Confederacy. Ultimately, he chose the latter and resigned from the U.S. Army on April 20, 1861. Knowing that the Union forces were likely to seize Arlington due to its strategic location overlooking Washington, D.C., Lee departed for Richmond, Virginia, instructing his wife, who was Martha Washington’s great-granddaughter, to vacate their home, as History.com describes.
Although Mrs. Lee initially resisted, she eventually accepted the inevitable Union occupation of the family estate. On May 24, 1864, Union troops moved into Arlington and took over the house, as multiple sources highlight. Brig. Gen. Montgomery Meigs, the commander of the forces at Arlington and harboring ill will against the South, urged the federal government to convert 200 acres of Lee’s property into a cemetery to accommodate the Union dead. The first soldier was buried in Arlington in May 1864, and by the end of the Civil War, approximately 16,000 graves surrounded Arlington House, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Within a year, more than 5,000 soldiers, mainly privates, were laid to rest in Arlington. The first person buried there was William Henry Christman, a native of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, who succumbed to measles after serving in the Army for about 60 days, as History.com reports. On June 15, approximately a month after the first burial, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered the newly established cemetery to become Arlington National Cemetery, which spanned about 200 acres at the time.
Gen. Meigs, who passed away on January 2, 1892, along with his wife, father, and son, found their final resting place at Arlington, as documented by the Library of Congress. Until President Harry S. Truman desegregated the military in 1948, Arlington remained a segregated cemetery, much like all national cemeteries during that time, according to Arlington National Cemetery’s official site.
The first official “Decoration Day,” later renamed Memorial Day, was observed at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868. Today, Arlington is known as the premier national military cemetery with 639 acres of land. It serves as the final resting place for approximately 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents, as noted by History.com. This hallowed ground is also where two U.S. presidents, William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, are buried, marking an important legacy.
Additionally, an extraordinary milestone in the history of Arlington National Cemetery is the creation of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Dedicated on November 11, 1921, and interring an unknown soldier from World War I, this tomb holds significant importance, as mentioned on the cemetery’s official site.
It is remarkable to reflect on how Arlington National Cemetery has evolved from a seized Confederate general’s estate to a revered symbol of honor and sacrifice. Today, it stands as a testament to the bravery and selflessness of our nation’s military personnel.
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