United States National Cemetery System Explained

The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress on July 17, 1862.[1] By the end of 1862, 12 national cemeteries had been established.[2] Two of the nation's most iconic military cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, and Gettysburg National Cemetery, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, were established in 1864 and 1863, respectively.

National Cemetery Administration

The National Cemetery Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains 148 national cemeteries as well as the Nationwide Grave-site Locator, which can be used to find burial locations of American military Veterans through their searchable website.[3] [4] The Department of the Army maintains two national cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.[5] The National Park Service (NPS) maintains 14 national cemeteries associated with historic sites and battlefields.[6]

The American Battle Monuments Commission, an independent agency of the executive branch, established by Congress in 1923, maintains 26 American military cemeteries and other memorials outside the United States.

History

Twelve national cemeteries were established in 1862. A total of 34 were established during the Civil War from 1861-1865. Additional cemeteries were set up after the United States Civil War by Edmund Burke Whitman.[7] Congress passed additional laws to establish and protect national cemeteries in 1867.[8] The National Cemetery Administration lists a total of 73 Civil War-Era National Cemeteries from 1861-1868.[9]

Final military honors are provided for qualified Veterans by volunteer veteran or National Guard details known as Memorial Honor Details (MHD), upon application by family members through their choice of mortuary handling the deceased.

List of United States national cemeteries

*Please note that the year listed is the official date of establishment listed by the VA. This may differ from the year of the first burial, the oldest remains, the year the land was acquired, etc. Many post cemeteries have been given national cemetery status as late as 2020, which is considerably later than the original cemetery. For example Vancouver Barracks post cemetery was established in 1849 and became a national cemetery in 2020--one of 11 cemeteries transferred from the Army to NCA in 2019–2020 per Exec. Order No. 13781, 2017.[10]

CemeteryCityStateAgencyFounded*
VA1999
VA2020
VA2009
Alexandria National Cemetery (Louisiana) VA1867
Alexandria National Cemetery (Virginia) VA1862
VA1948
NPS1865
NPS1906
VA1862
NPS1865
Army1864
VA2009
VA1865
VA1936
VA1868
VA1879
VA1867
NPS1864
VA1933
VA1863
VA1864
VA1934
VA1948
VA1976
VA1862
KentuckyVA1866
Cape Canaveral National CemeteryScottsmoorFloridaVA2015
VA1863
NPS1864
VA1863
Cheyenne National CemeteryCheyenneWyomingVA2020
VA1866
VA1866
VA1866
VA1866
VA1867
NPS1879
VA1862
VA2000
VA1898
VA1862
VA1867
VA1867
VA1952
Fargo National CemeteryHarwoodNorth DakotaVA2019
VA1867
VA1875
VA1865
VA1987
VA1922
VA1939
VA1982
NPS1867
VA1868
VA1866
Fort Jackson National CemeteryColumbiaSouth CarolinaVA2009
VA1862
VA1950
VA1867
VA1873
VA1878
VA1987
VA1984
VA1934
VA1937
VA1862
Fort Sheridan National CemeteryFort SheridanIllinoisVA2019
VA2001
VA1867
VA1939
Fort Stevens National CemeteryHammondOregonVA2020
NPS1865
VA2006
VA1999
NPS1863
VA1866
VA1938
VA1867
VA2005
VA1866
VA1898
VA1930
VA1963
VA1976
VA2009
VA1863
VA1867
VA1862
VA1943
VA1863
VA1930
VA1867
VA1863
VA1868
VA1936
VA1930
VA1862
Louisiana National CemeteryZacharyLouisianaVA2012
VA1866
VA1930
VA1976
VA1867
VA1862
VA2010
VA1865
VA2020
VA1864
VA1903
VA1866
VA1866
VA2005
VA1989
VA1948
VA1862
VA1867
VA2020
VA2000
VA2016
VA1885
Pikes Peak National CemeteryColorado SpringsColoradoVA2018
NPS1866
VA1866
VA1931
VA1948
VA1977
VA1899
VA1865
VA1866
VA1976
VA1863
VA1932
VA2006
VA1865
VA1867
VA1884
VA1992
VA1875
VA2009
VA1866
NPS1867
VA1924
Snake River Canyon National CemeteryBuhlIdahoVA2020
VA2007
VA1867
VA1881
VA1866
NPS1864
VA1997
VA2015
VA1936
Army1862
Vancouver Barracks National CemeteryVancouverWashingtonVA2020
NPS1866
VA2009
VA2020
VA1987
VA1950
VA1867
VA1866
VA1871
VA1874
VA2014
NPS1866
VA1928

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875. 2020-12-13. memory.loc.gov.
  2. Web site: Administration . National Cemetery . Dates of Establishment: National Cemeteries & NCA Burial Sites (1 of 6) - National Cemetery Administration . 2022-09-25 . www.cem.va.gov . en.
  3. Web site: Nationwide Gravesite Locator. National Cemetery Administration.
  4. Web site: Administration. National Cemetery. National Cemetery Listing – National Cemetery Administration. 2020-12-12. www.cem.va.gov. en.
  5. Web site: Office of Army Cemeteries > Cemeteries. 2020-12-13. armycemeteries.army.mil.
  6. Web site: Address . Mailing . Road . ersonville National Cemetery National Prisoner of War Museum 496 Cemetery . ersonville . Us . GA 31711 Phone: 229 924-0343 Contact . National Parks & National Cemeteries - Andersonville National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) . 2022-09-25 . www.nps.gov . en.
  7. Web site: Edmund Whitman (1812–1873) . 2008-10-31 . University of Michigan .
  8. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=014/llsl014.db&recNum=430 Chap. LXI. 14 Stat. 399
  9. Web site: Administration . National Cemetery . VA.gov Veterans Affairs . 2024-04-03 . www.cem.va.gov . en.
  10. Web site: Administration . National Cemetery . VA.gov Veterans Affairs . 2024-04-01 . www.cem.va.gov . en.

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