From the property's heights, rifled artillery could range every federal building in the nation's capital. The estate was seized not to punish the Custis-Lee family, but rather for its strategic value. On May 13, , the first military burial was conducted for Private William Christman. Army, who was responsible for the burial of soldiers, ordered Arlington Estate used for a cemetery.
The existing D. Arlington officially became a national cemetery on June 15, , by order of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The original cemetery was acres, and has since grown to acres as of early Arlington became a segregated cemetery, just like all national cemeteries at the time, and remained segregated by race and rank until , when President Harry S.
Truman desegregated the military. The primary burial ground for white Civil War soldiers became Section Meanwhile, Section 27 became the area for African American soldiers and freed people; more than 3, freed African Americans are buried in Section Initially, being buried at a national cemetery was not considered an honor, but it ensured that service members whose families could not afford to bring them home for a funeral were given a proper burial.
This tradition continues today , and is one reason why Arlington transformed from being one of many national cemeteries into the premier national military cemetery. The event was so popular that in , an amphitheater was constructed to hold the official ceremonies. Renamed the James Tanner Amphitheater , it reopened in after restoration. Fearing for her life, Mary buried her most valuable possessions on the property grounds and fled to live with her sister elsewhere in the state.
Her instinct to leave proved prudent as the estate was later seized by Union Army regulars. Due to the large death toll of soldiers who perished in battle in and around Washington DC, the two cemeteries where war dead were traditionally buried became full to capacity.
As a result, Congress passed legislation allowing the federal government to purchase land for the purposes of a national cemetery. It was the shrewd thinking of Quartermaster General Montgomery C.
Meigs that proposed the grounds of Arlington House as the new national cemetery. Not only was the site ideal because its elevation protected it from flooding, but it served to further weaken the Confederate cause while emboldening the North by sending a strong message by denying Robert E.
Lee of its use. The first burial took place at Arlington in There were, however, legal wranglings that later took place with the government of the United States and the natural heirs of the property resulting in a Supreme Court ruling that returned Arlington House back to Custis Lee, Robert E. Over the years, as the United States entered several wars, the cemetery underwent a massive expansion to the hundreds of acres it occupies today.
They subsisted by raising crops and lived there during and after the Civil War. There are 3, former slaves buried there on a plot of land known as Section Despite all the contributions and sacrifices of African-American soldiers up through the Second World War, Arlington National Cemetery remained segregated until Several years after the conclusion of the Civil War in , the U. The week long ordeal cost American lives lost to combat along with another 5, due to disease.
Later in , the monument was unveiled and dedicated. This marked the first time that a national memorial was posted by a society of women. In , a society was formed on their behalf that successfully lobbied to have a memorial for that group of soldiers erected the following year.
In , construction began on the Maine Mast Memorial. The base of the mausoleum was designed to replicate a battleship gun turret. The mast itself pierces the top of this structure and becomes, in effect, the second story of this construct.
It was completed in Volunteers continue this practice during the holiday season with wreaths instead of flags. Infantry Regiment, also known as The Old Guard. Formed in , The Old Guard is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. The Kennedy gravesite is the final resting place not only of the former president, but also his wife Jackie Kennedy, his two brothers Robert and Edward Kennedy, as well as a memorial to his brother Joe Jr.
Arlington House, The Robert E.
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