The federal government officially established Arlington National Cemetery on June 15, 1864. Though now our most honored military burial ground, that’s not how it began.
National Cemeteries
The Civil War claimed so many lives, the U.S. had to create the country’s first national cemeteries. These cemeteries were usually situated near large battle sites, hospitals, and other large troop concentration points. They were initially seen as potter’s fields, since they served as a last resting place for those who were unidentified or whose families could not afford to bring them home for burial. Arlington National Cemetery gradually changed that view.
Segregated burials—by race and rank—only started in 1864 when Arlington became an official national cemetery. This practice continued until 1948 when President Harry S. Truman desegregated the miliary, and in turn, the national cemeteries.
Did You Know…
- It was by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s order that Arlington officially became a national cemetery.
- Within a year of becoming a national cemetery, more than 5,000 soldiers had been interred at Arlington. That shot up to 16,000 by the end of the Civil War.
- Both Soldiers’ Home and the Alexandria National Cemetery—D.C.’s existing national cemeteries at the time—closed to burials on the day burials began at Arlington.
Who’s Buried There
Arlington is the only national cemetery that has remains of servicemen who fought in every U.S. war. While it began as a burial ground for Civil War soldiers, its scope eventually expanded.
Did You Know…
- Both Union and Confederate soldiers are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
- At the first Decoration Day in 1868, then General (and future president) James Garfield spoke at Arlington National Cemetery. (Click here to read the Decoration Day DYK.)
- It wasn’t until the late 1870s that high-ranking veterans began requesting burial in the Officers’ Sections.
- In 1892, soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 were exhumed from other cemeteries and reburied at Arlington.
- In 1899, Spanish-American War service members who died overseas were moved to Arlington at the government’s expense.
- More than 2,000 U.S. World War I service members were repatriated to Arlington after the war.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
More than 2,000 nameless soldiers are buried in Arlington’s Tomb of the Civil War Unknowns.
But the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated on November 11, 1921, contains the remains of only one unknown World War I soldier. Later, one unknown soldier each from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War were also interred. However, more than a decade after his burial, DNA from the Vietnam Veteran identified him, and he was exhumed. His crypt at the Tomb of the Unknowns will remain empty.
To honor the men and women who served in the U.S. military, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded every minute of every day. The Tomb Guards, known as Sentinels, are usually volunteers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment—the “Old Guard”—the Army’s oldest active-duty infantry unit.
Did You Know…
- The U.S. Army has perpetually guarded the Tomb of the Unknowns since July 2, 1937.
- Only the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment’s most elite qualify to apply for the coveted position of Sentinel.
- After being identified, Vietnam Veteran U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie’s remains were exhumed and reinterred, at his family’s request, in his home state of Missouri.
- With the advancements in DNA testing, it’s unlikely that any future soldier killed will ever go unknown.
Not Military Only
Arlington is not just for soldiers. Other people, like military nurses, doctors, war correspondents, and chaplains are interred there. As are famous people, like boxer Joe Louis (Army) and Academy Award winner Lee Marvin (Marine).
You don’t even have to be an American. Because of a Geneva Convention mandate, two Italian and one German World War II POWs who died in captivity are buried there.
Did You Know…
- Almost 4,000 former slaves are buried at Arlington. The first African American buried there was President Lincoln’s employee, William H. Johnson.
- The City of Washington’s architect, Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who left France to join the American Revolution, was exhumed and reinterred at Arlington.
- Though his body was never found, WWII Army Air Force Bandleader, Glenn Miller, has a memorial headstone at Arlington.
- As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, U.S. presidents are eligible to be buried at Arlington. So far, only two U.S. Presidents have chosen to do so—President William Howard Taft (1930) and President John F. Kennedy (1963).
Cemetery Growth
Requests for Arlington burials grew exponentially after President Kennedy’s televised funeral.
By the 1980s, expansion and new regulations were enacted to prevent the cemetery from running out of space.
The cemetery’s original 200 acres has increased to 639 acres, and its size can make finding graves and memorials difficult. Arlington National Cemetery launched a free mobile and web app in 2013. ANC Explorer allows visitors to locate graves, get directions to them, view burial records, and see the front and back of both headstones and memorials.
Did You Know…
- Today, more than 420,000 veterans and their eligible dependents make Arlington National Cemetery their final resting spot.
- Arlington is one of only two national cemeteries controlled by the Army. (Soldiers’ Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. is the other.)
- Arlington conducts some 6,900 burials per year and receives requests for many more. Wait time for a funeral averages four to seven months.
- More than three million people visit Arlington National Cemetery each year.
The Future
Arlington National Cemetery honors those who served the U.S. in the past. With careful planning, it will continue to do so as an active cemetery well into the future.