On this day in history, June 15, 1864, Arlington National Cemetery, our nation's honored military cemetery, was officially established.
The national cemetery began with the confiscation of General Robert E. Lee's hilltop home after he defected to the Confederacy during the Civil War, History.com notes.
The cemetery's origins in Virginia date back to just before the Civil War.
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George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted son of President George Washington, owned a 1,100-acre plantation and built a monument to President Washington called Arlington House on it.
It housed the world's largest collection of memorabilia related to the president, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says.
A trumpeter from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band plays “Taps” during military funeral honors for a U.S. Navy Gunner's Mate 3rd Class at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington , Virginia, on February 23, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
“Ownership of his estate passed to Custis' daughter, who had married Robert E. Lee, and they lived in Arlington House for more than 30 years,” the same source states.
Lee, a Virginia native, reportedly spent the night at his then-home, Arlington Estate, while deliberating whether to lead the Union Army or fight for the Confederacy in his home state.
He resigned from the American army on April 20, 1861, the same source stated.
“With the elevated position on a hilltop overlooking Washington, D.C., Lee knew that Union forces would likely seize the property.”
“He left for Richmond, Virginia, the next day, and told his wife, the great-granddaughter of First Lady Martha Washington, to leave their home,” History.com said.
“With the elevated position on a hilltop overlooking Washington, D.C., Lee knew that Union forces would likely seize the property, which at the time was in a largely rural area.”
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Although Mrs. Lee resisted at first, she accepted the inevitable Union takeover of the family property.
On May 24, 1864, Union troops moved into Arlington and occupied the house, multiple sources note.
Memorial Day flags are displayed in front of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The first soldier was buried at Arlington in May 1864. (iStock)
Due to the ill will against the South that Union Brig. General Montgomery Meigs, and the need for space to bury the Union dead, this commander of forces at Arlington urged the federal government to convert 200 acres of Lee's property into a cemetery, reports the Department of Veterans Affairs from USA
The first soldier was buried at Arlington in May 1864.
At the end of the Civil War, 16,000 graves filled the spaces near Arlington House, the same source reports.
In one year, more than 5,000 soldiers, mostly privates, were buried there.
William Henry Christman on May 13, 1864, according to History.com, was the first person to be buried at Arlington. The Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, native died of measles and had only served in the Army about 60 days, the same source said.
“About a month later, on June 15, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered the new cemetery to become Arlington National Cemetery, which at the time was approximately 200 acres. Within a year, more than 5,000 soldiers , mostly private soldiers, were buried there,” says History.com.
General Meigs, who died on January 2, 1892, was buried in Arlington, along with his wife, father and son, the Library of Congress says.
A bird flies as a U.S. Army bugler plays the griffins during a full honors funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in November 2014. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Arlington became a segregated cemetery, like all national cemeteries of the time. It remained segregated by race and rank until 1948, when President Harry S. Truman desegregated the military, says the official Arlington National Cemetery site.
The first official “Decoration Day,” later renamed Memorial Day, was celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868.
Two American presidents are buried at Arlington.
This tradition continues today, and is one of the reasons Arlington went from being one of many national cemeteries to becoming the primary national military cemetery, says the official Arlington National Cemetery site.
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Another important milestone in the history of the cemetery is the creation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated on November 11, 1921, with the burial of the Unknown from World War I, the same site recounts.
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Two American presidents are buried at Arlington.
President William Howard Taft was buried at Arlington in 1930, and President John F. Kennedy became his second on November 25, 1963, according to multiple sources.
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Today, the cemetery comprises 639 acres. About 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents are buried, History.com noted.
