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United States National Cemetery System

(Redirected from National Cemetery Act)

The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 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 and Gettysburg National Cemetery were established in 1864 and 1863, respectively.

A plaque at Chattanooga National Cemetery that explains the history of the National Cemetery System
Gettysburg National Cemetery, Pennsylvania
Golden Gate National Cemetery, California
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia
Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Memorial Day 2010
Fort Logan National Cemetery
Gravesites at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006
Fort Logan National Cemetery
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.
National Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee
Creation of national cemeteries

National Cemetery Administration

The National Cemetery Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains 148 national cemeteries as well as the Nationwide Gravesite 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, 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 1861-1865. 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 1861-1868.[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 consideribly 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 CemeteryElwoodIllinoisVA1999
Acadia National CemeteryJonesboroMaineVA2020
Alabama National CemeteryMontevalloAlabamaVA2009
Alexandria National Cemetery (Louisiana)PinevilleLouisianaVA1867
Alexandria National Cemetery (Virginia)AlexandriaVirginiaVA1862
Alton National CemeteryAltonIllinoisVA1948
Andersonville National CemeteryAndersonvilleGeorgiaNPS1865
Andrew Johnson National CemeteryGreenevilleTennesseeNPS1906
Annapolis National CemeteryAnnapolisMarylandVA1862
Antietam National CemeterySharpsburgMarylandNPS1865
Arlington National CemeteryArlingtonVirginiaArmy1864
Bakersfield National CemeteryBakersfieldCaliforniaVA2009
Ball's Bluff National CemeteryLeesburgVirginiaVA1865
Baltimore National CemeteryBaltimoreMarylandVA1936
Barrancas National CemeteryPensacolaFloridaVA1868
Bath National CemeteryBathNew YorkVA1879
Baton Rouge National CemeteryBaton RougeLouisianaVA1867
Battleground National CemeteryWashingtonD.C.NPS1864
Bay Pines National CemeteryBay PinesFloridaVA1933
Beaufort National CemeteryBeaufortSouth CarolinaVA1863
Beverly National CemeteryBeverlyNew JerseyVA1864
Biloxi National CemeteryBiloxiMississippiVA1934
Black Hills National CemeterySturgisSouth DakotaVA1948
Calverton National CemeteryCalvertonNew YorkVA1976
Camp Butler National CemeterySpringfieldIllinoisVA1862
Camp Nelson National CemeteryNicholasvilleKentuckyVA1866
Cape Canaveral National CemeteryScottsmoorFloridaVA2015
Cave Hill National CemeteryLouisvilleKentuckyVA1863
Chalmette National CemeteryChalmetteLouisianaNPS1864
Chattanooga National CemeteryChattanoogaTennesseeVA1863
Cheyenne National CemeteryCheyenneWyomingVA2020
City Point National CemeteryHopewellVirginiaVA1866
Cold Harbor National CemeteryMechanicsvilleVirginiaVA1866
Corinth National CemeteryCorinthMississippiVA1866
Crown Hill National CemeteryIndianapolisIndianaVA1866
Culpeper National CemeteryCulpeperVirginiaVA1867
Custer National CemeteryCrow AgencyMontanaNPS1879
Cypress Hills National CemeteryBrooklynNew YorkVA1862
Dallas-Fort Worth National CemeteryDallasTexasVA2000
Danville National Cemetery (Illinois)DanvilleIllinoisVA1898
Danville National Cemetery (Kentucky)DanvilleKentuckyVA1862
Danville National Cemetery (Virginia)DanvilleVirginiaVA1867
Dayton National CemeteryDaytonOhioVA1867
Eagle Point National CemeteryEagle PointOregonVA1952
Fargo National CemeteryHarwoodNorth DakotaVA2019
Fayetteville National CemeteryFayettevilleArkansasVA1867
Finn's Point National CemeterySalemNew JerseyVA1875
Florence National CemeteryFlorenceSouth CarolinaVA1865
Florida National CemeteryBushnellFloridaVA1987
Fort Bayard National CemeteryBayardNew MexicoVA1922
Fort Bliss National CemeteryFort BlissTexasVA1939
Fort Custer National CemeteryAugustaMichiganVA1982
Fort Donelson National CemeteryDoverTennesseeNPS1867
Fort Gibson National CemeteryFort GibsonOklahomaVA1868
Fort Harrison National CemeteryRichmondVirginiaVA1866
Fort Jackson National CemeteryColumbiaSouth CarolinaVA2009
Fort Leavenworth National CemeteryFort LeavenworthKansasVA1862
Fort Logan National CemeteryDenverColoradoVA1950
Fort Lyon National CemeteryLas AnimasColoradoVA1867
Fort McPherson National CemeteryMaxwellNebraskaVA1873
Fort Meade National CemeterySturgisSouth DakotaVA1878
Fort Mitchell National CemeteryFort MitchellAlabamaVA1987
Fort Richardson National CemeteryFort RichardsonAlaskaVA1984
Fort Rosecrans National CemeterySan DiegoCaliforniaVA1934
Fort Sam Houston National CemeterySan AntonioTexasVA1937
Fort Scott National CemeteryFort ScottKansasVA1862
Fort Sheridan National CemeteryFort SheridanIllinoisVA2019
Fort Sill National CemeteryElginOklahomaVA2001
Fort Smith National CemeteryFort SmithArkansasVA1867
Fort Snelling National CemeteryMinneapolisMinnesotaVA1939
Fort Stevens National CemeteryHammondOregonVA2020
Fredericksburg National CemeteryFredericksburgVirginiaNPS1865
Georgia National CemeteryCantonGeorgiaVA2006
Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National CemeterySchuylervilleNew YorkVA1999
Gettysburg National CemeteryGettysburgPennsylvaniaNPS1863
Glendale National CemeteryRichmondVirginiaVA1866
Golden Gate National CemeterySan BrunoCaliforniaVA1938
Grafton National CemeteryGraftonWest VirginiaVA1867
Great Lakes National CemeteryHollyMichiganVA2005
Hampton National CemeteryHamptonVirginiaVA1866
Hampton VAMC National CemeteryHamptonVirginiaVA1898
Hot Springs National CemeteryHot SpringsSouth DakotaVA1930
Houston National CemeteryHoustonTexasVA1963
Indiantown Gap National CemeteryAnnvillePennsylvaniaVA1976
Jacksonville National CemeteryJacksonvilleFloridaVA2009
Jefferson Barracks National CemeterySt. LouisMissouriVA1863
Jefferson City National CemeteryJefferson CityMissouriVA1867
Keokuk National CemeteryKeokukIowaVA1862
Kerrville National CemeteryKerrvilleTexasVA1943
Knoxville National CemeteryKnoxvilleTennesseeVA1863
Leavenworth National CemeteryLeavenworthKansasVA1930
Lebanon National CemeteryLebanonKentuckyVA1867
Lexington National CemeteryLexingtonKentuckyVA1863
Little Rock National CemeteryLittle RockArkansasVA1868
Long Island National CemeteryFarmingdaleNew YorkVA1936
Los Angeles National CemeteryLos AngelesCaliforniaVA1930
Loudon Park National CemeteryBaltimoreMarylandVA1862
Louisiana National CemeteryZacharyLouisianaVA2012
Marietta National CemeteryMariettaGeorgiaVA1866
Marion National CemeteryMarionIndianaVA1930
Massachusetts National CemeteryBourneMassachusettsVA1976
Memphis National CemeteryMemphisTennesseeVA1867
Mill Springs National CemeteryNancyKentuckyVA1862
Miramar National CemeterySan DiegoCaliforniaVA2010
Mobile National CemeteryMobileAlabamaVA1865
Morovis National CemeteryMorovisPuerto RicoVA2020
Mound City National CemeteryMound CityIllinoisVA1864
Mountain Home National CemeteryMountain HomeTennesseeVA1903
Nashville National CemeteryMadisonTennesseeVA1866
Natchez National CemeteryNatchezMississippiVA1866
National Cemetery of the AllegheniesCecil TownshipPennsylvaniaVA2005
National Memorial Cemetery of ArizonaPhoenixArizonaVA1989
National Memorial Cemetery of the PacificHonoluluHawaiiVA1948
New Albany National CemeteryNew AlbanyIndianaVA1862
New Bern National CemeteryNew BernNorth CarolinaVA1867
Northwoods National CemeteryHarshawWisconsinVA2020
Ohio Western Reserve National CemeteryRittmanOhioVA2000
Omaha National CemeteryOmahaNebraskaVA2016
Philadelphia National CemeteryPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaVA1885
Pikes Peak National CemeteryColorado SpringsColoradoVA2018
Poplar Grove National CemeteryPetersburgVirginiaNPS1866
Port Hudson National CemeteryZacharyLouisianaVA1866
Prescott National CemeteryPrescottArizonaVA1931
Puerto Rico National CemeteryBayamónPuerto RicoVA1948
Quantico National CemeteryTriangleVirginiaVA1977
Quincy National CemeteryQuincyIllinoisVA1899
Raleigh National CemeteryRaleighNorth CarolinaVA1865
Richmond National CemeteryRichmondVirginiaVA1866
Riverside National CemeteryRiversideCaliforniaVA1976
Rock Island National CemeteryRock IslandIllinoisVA1863
Roseburg National CemeteryRoseburgOregonVA1932
Sacramento Valley National CemeteryDixonCaliforniaVA2006
Salisbury National CemeterySalisburyNorth CarolinaVA1865
San Antonio National CemeterySan AntonioTexasVA1867
San Francisco National CemeterySan FranciscoCaliforniaVA1884
San Joaquin Valley National CemeteryGustineCaliforniaVA1992
Santa Fe National CemeterySanta FeNew MexicoVA1875
Sarasota National CemeterySarasotaFloridaVA2009
Seven Pines National CemeterySandstonVirginiaVA1866
Shiloh National CemeteryShilohTennesseeNPS1867
Sitka National CemeterySitkaAlaskaVA1924
Snake River Canyon National CemeteryBuhlIdahoVA2020
South Florida National CemeteryLake WorthFloridaVA2007
Springfield National CemeterySpringfieldMissouriVA1867
Saint Augustine National CemeterySt. AugustineFloridaVA1881
Staunton National CemeteryStauntonVirginiaVA1866
Stones River National CemeteryMurfreesboroTennesseeNPS1864
Tahoma National CemeteryKentWashingtonVA1997
Tallahassee National CemeteryTallahasseeFloridaVA2015
Togus National CemeteryChelseaMaineVA1936
US Soldiers' & Airmen's Home National CemeteryWashingtonD.C.Army1862
Vancouver Barracks National CemeteryVancouverWashingtonVA2020
Vicksburg National CemeteryVicksburgMississippiNPS1866
Washington Crossing National CemeteryNewtownPennsylvaniaVA2009
Western New York National CemeteryPembrokeNew YorkVA2020
West Virginia National CemeteryGraftonWest VirginiaVA1987
Willamette National CemeteryPortlandOregonVA1950
Wilmington National CemeteryWilmingtonNorth CarolinaVA1867
Winchester National CemeteryWinchesterVirginiaVA1866
Wood National CemeteryMilwaukeeWisconsinVA1871
Woodlawn National CemeteryElmiraNew YorkVA1874
Yellowstone National CemeteryLaurelMontanaVA2014
Yorktown National CemeteryYorktownVirginiaNPS1866
Zachary Taylor National CemeteryLouisvilleKentuckyVA1928

See also

Notes and references

Further reading

  • Bontrager, Shannon. Death at the Edges of Empire: Fallen Soldiers, Cultural Memory, and the Making of an American Nation, 1863–1921 (University of Nebraska Press, 2020); memories of American war dead. online summary by author
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