On June 15, 1864, Arlington National Cemetery, a military burial ground, was officially established on the former estate of Gen. Robert E. Lee. The origins of the cemetery trace back to just before the Civil War, when George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted son of President George Washington, owned the 1,100-acre plantation and constructed a memorial to President Washington named Arlington House. Ownership of the estate passed to Custis’ daughter and her husband, Lee, who ultimately vacated the property as Lee resigned from the U.S. Army to lead the Confederacy. Union troops seized Arlington in May 1864 and the federal government converted a portion of the property into a cemetery at the behest of Union Brig. Gen. Montgomery Meigs due to ill will against the South and the need for burial space for Union dead.
The first soldier was buried in Arlington in May 1864, with more than 5,000 soldiers interred by the end of the Civil War, many of them privates. Gen. Meigs, who died in 1892, was also buried at Arlington, contributing to its growing significance as a military cemetery. The cemetery became segregated by race and rank, as was the case with all national cemeteries at the time, until President Harry S. Truman desegregated the military in 1948. Arlington hosted the first official Decoration Day, later known as Memorial Day, in 1868, and has since become the premier national military cemetery. The creation of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 1921 further solidified Arlington’s status as a significant historical landmark.
Two U.S. presidents, William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, were buried at Arlington in 1930 and 1963, respectively, adding to the cemetery’s prestige. Today, Arlington National Cemetery spans 639 acres and is the final resting place for around 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents. The cemetery’s rich history and role as a commemorative site for those who have served in the U.S. military continue to be honored and remembered. With its origins tied to the tumultuous period of the Civil War and its evolving significance as a place of remembrance and honor for veterans of all backgrounds, Arlington National Cemetery stands as a symbol of the nation’s respect for those who have made sacrifices in service of their country.
