Dates That Matter

May 13, 1864

The first burial is held at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.

Arlington National Cemetery is the best known national cemetery in the United States. The cemetery is on the grounds of Arlington House, the former home of General Robert E. Lee. Robert E. Lee was married to Mary Anna Randolph Custis, the great-granddaughter of Martha Custis Washington, the wife of George Washington, and the house was originally built for Martha's grandson who intended it as a memorial to our first president. Robert E. Lee lost the property to the Union government during the Civil War, and its first use was as a model community for freed slaves. Then, General Montgomery Meigs, who had used the property to garrison Union troops during the Civil War, ordered that Union soldiers be buried on the property as a reminder to General Robert E. Lee of the losses suffered by the Union. Lee never tried to regain the property, and it became a final resting place for US veterans. Today, over 300,000 are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, including assassinated President John F. Kennedy, the Challenger space shuttle astronauts, nearly 3,000 former slaves, as well as memorials to soldiers whose bodies have never been identified.

For more information...

Arlington National Cemetery
The official site of the National Cemetery. The "historical information" section has an extensive listing of persons buried there separated into categories, as well as information about Arlington House.

Arlington House
The National Park Service site for Arlington House, including an on line tour and historical information.