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'''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|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.

'''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|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.

[[File:Arlington1.jpg|thumb|400px]]

[[File:Arlington1.jpg|thumb|400px]]

== History ==

== 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]].<ref name="history">[http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/historical_information/arlington_house.html Historical information: Arlington House]</ref>

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>

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"/>

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"/>

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"/>  

Freedman's Village, reportedly 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"/> The village, run by the Freedman's Bureau for most of its existence, lasted more than thirty years, providing homes, a school, medical care, a training center and religious services for the former Arlington slaves as well as other freed slaves. The school began with approximately 150 students and had over 900 pupils at the peak, including both children and adults. The training center taught blacksmithing, carpentry, shoe making, tailoring and wheelwrighting. There was a 50-bed hospital named Abbott Hospital in the village, as well as a place that took care of the elderly and infirmed. The villagers were given notice on December 7, 1887 that they had 90 days to move out of the village.<ref>[http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/freedman.htm Freedman's Village]</ref>

 

The Lees never attempted to regain their property after the Civil War; however, their son George Washington Custis Lee filed suit in 1870 in circuit court, claiming the land had been taken illegally and per his grandfather's will, he was the rightful owner. In December 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the estate had been confiscated without due process and returned ownership to Custis Lee. Congress purchased it for $150,000 on March 3, 1883, and it became a military reservation.<ref name="history"/>

==Other Facts==

==Other Facts==