Difference between revisions of "Arlington National Cemetery"
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[[File:Arlington1.jpg|thumb|400px]] | [[File:Arlington1.jpg|thumb|400px]] | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
| − | The use of | + | The estate was originally owned by George Washington Parke "Wash" Custis, the step-grandson of [[President]] [[George Washington]], and his wife, Mary Lee Fitzhugh, whose only child, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married [[Robert E. Lee]] on June 30, 1831. Under the terms of Custis's will, Mary Anna was granted use and control of the estate during her lifetime, with the title going to Robert and Mary Lee's eldest son, George Washington Custis Lee, upon her death. Lee never owned the estate outright, but managed it after his father-in-law's death in 1857 until the beginning of the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="history">[http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/historical_information/arlington_house.html Historical information: Arlington House]</ref> |
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| + | Lee, who had joined the [[Confederacy]] as a major general in April 1861, worried about his wife remaining in the house, which overlooked Washington, D.C., and wrote to her in May 1861 recommending that she leave the estate. | ||
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| + | <blockquote> | ||
| + | "War is inevitable, and there is not ''[sic]'' telling when it will burst around you... You have to move and make arrangements to go to some point of safety which you must select. The Mount Vernon plate and pictures ought to be secured. Keep quiet while you remain, and in your preparations... May God keep and preserve you and have mercy on all our people."<ref name="history"/> | ||
| + | </blockquote> | ||
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| + | After Virginia's succession, Union Brigidier General Irvin McDowell and his troops surrounded Arlington. When Mary Anna Lee was unable to pay the property taxes in person, the federal government confiscated the estate and put it up for auction on January 11, 1864. It was purchased by a tax commissioner for "government use, for war, military, charitable and educational purposes."<ref name="history"/> | ||
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| + | Union soldier William Henry Christman was the first serviceman to be interred on May 13, 1864. The 200 acre cemetery was officially designated on June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War [[Edwin M. Stanton]]. By the end of the war there were more than 16,000 soldiers buried. The land was chosen by Montgomery C. Meigs, the quartermaster general of the United States Army, who wanted to ensure that Lee was unable to return to his home after the war.<ref name="history"/> | ||
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| + | Freedman's Village, located near the current Memorial Amphitheater, was established on December 4, 1863. Over 1,100 freed slaves lived and farmed there during and after the war.<ref name="history"/> | ||
==Other Facts== | ==Other Facts== | ||
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*[[Cambridge American Military Cemetery]] | *[[Cambridge American Military Cemetery]] | ||
*[[Gallery of American Heroes]] | *[[Gallery of American Heroes]] | ||
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| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
==Resources== | ==Resources== | ||
| − | http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/index.htm | + | [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/index.htm Arlington National Cemetery] |
Rick Atkinson, "The Nation's Cemetery," ''National Geographic'' (June 2007): 127-137. | Rick Atkinson, "The Nation's Cemetery," ''National Geographic'' (June 2007): 127-137. | ||
Revision as of 19:50, August 7, 2011
Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 250,000 American military servicemen. It is located in the county of Arlington, Virginia, not far from the Pentagon and across the Potomac River from Washington DC. It is also the location of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which houses three anonymous service members from World War I, World War II and the Korean War. It is a major tourist site near Washington, DC.
History
The estate was originally owned by George Washington Parke "Wash" Custis, the step-grandson of President George Washington, and his wife, Mary Lee Fitzhugh, whose only child, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married Robert E. Lee on June 30, 1831. Under the terms of Custis's will, Mary Anna was granted use and control of the estate during her lifetime, with the title going to Robert and Mary Lee's eldest son, George Washington Custis Lee, upon her death. Lee never owned the estate outright, but managed it after his father-in-law's death in 1857 until the beginning of the American Civil War.[1]
Lee, who had joined the Confederacy as a major general in April 1861, worried about his wife remaining in the house, which overlooked Washington, D.C., and wrote to her in May 1861 recommending that she leave the estate.
"War is inevitable, and there is not [sic] telling when it will burst around you... You have to move and make arrangements to go to some point of safety which you must select. The Mount Vernon plate and pictures ought to be secured. Keep quiet while you remain, and in your preparations... May God keep and preserve you and have mercy on all our people."[1]
After Virginia's succession, Union Brigidier General Irvin McDowell and his troops surrounded Arlington. When Mary Anna Lee was unable to pay the property taxes in person, the federal government confiscated the estate and put it up for auction on January 11, 1864. It was purchased by a tax commissioner for "government use, for war, military, charitable and educational purposes."[1]
Union soldier William Henry Christman was the first serviceman to be interred on May 13, 1864. The 200 acre cemetery was officially designated on June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. By the end of the war there were more than 16,000 soldiers buried. The land was chosen by Montgomery C. Meigs, the quartermaster general of the United States Army, who wanted to ensure that Lee was unable to return to his home after the war.[1]
Freedman's Village, located near the current Memorial Amphitheater, was established on December 4, 1863. Over 1,100 freed slaves lived and farmed there during and after the war.[1]
Other Facts
There are more than 3,800 former slaves buried in the cemetery. Their headstones have the word "Civilian" or "Citizen" on them.
Two former Presidents are buried in the cemetery: William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.
Four former United States Supreme Court Justices are buried in the cemetery: William Howard Taft, Earl Warren, Warren Burger, and William Rehnquist.
Boxer Joe Louis is also buried there.
See also
References
Resources
Rick Atkinson, "The Nation's Cemetery," National Geographic (June 2007): 127-137.