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 Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia Posted by:  JimmyEv
N 38° 52.981 W 077° 03.933
18S E 320837 N 4305822
Standing on any of the 624 acres of Arlington National Cemetery, over 300,000 headstones punctuate the green grass rolling out before you, including two Presidents, 12 Supreme Court Justices and 367 Medal of Honor recipients. A somber sight indeed.
Waymark Code: WM2HR8
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/07/2007
Views: 226
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These hills overlooking Washington, D.C. across the Potomac weren’t always a cemetery. President George Washington was Martha Custis’ second husband. From her previous marriage, she had a son. The son was adopted by George Washington as his own child. The Washingtons’ grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, built the Arlington House in 1802, on a hill overlooking the District. He intended for the mansion and its 1100-acre estate to be a living memorial to his grandfather, George Washington, and filled the mansion with Washington memorabilia.
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Custis’ daughter, George Washington’s great-granddaughter, married Robert E. Lee in 1831. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, President Lincoln offered Robert E. Lee command of the Army of the Potomac. When Virginia joined other Southern states in succession from the Union, Lee turned him down, instead accepting command of the Confederate Army. Thinking it best not to stay in the Federal District, Lee moved his family from Arlington House to Appomattox in Virginia. |
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Federal troops almost immediately occupied the Arlington estate. The federal government seized the estate formally when Mrs. Lee - keep in mind she was the great-granddaughter of George Washington - didn’t pay the property taxes ‘in person.’ The estate was sold at a public auction and purchased by the tax commissioner for government use.
The first government use of the estate was to garrison soldiers and provide a refugee camp to ‘contraband’ - slaves that had escaped from Virginia and Maryland (at the outbreak of the Civil War, Lincoln only emancipated slaves in states that had succeeded. Border states, such as Maryland, were permitted to continue with the ‘peculiar institution.’) This Freedman’s Village, which existed until 1887, was located near the present-day Arlington Amphitheater.
In 1864, the commander of the garrison at Arlington House, Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs, appropriated 200 acres surrounding Arlington House for use as a military cemetery. The first buried were 1800 Union soldiers that had been killed in the Battle of Bull Run. To ensure the Lees never returned to Arlington House, Meigs had the soldiers buried in a huge vault beneath the rose garden.
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Robert E. Lee’s son - that would be George Washington’s great-great grandson if you’re keeping track - George Washington Custis Lee, sued for return of the Arlington Estate after his father’s death in 1870. The Supreme Court awarded Lee title to the estate; Lee promptly sold the property to the U.S. Congress for $150,000. |
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Today, more than 300,000 individuals are buried in the cemetery, including veterans from every American war beginning with Revolutionary War Veterans, who were moved here in the early 1900s. Former residents of Freedman’s Village, as well as African-American military veterans prior to integration of the armed forces, are buried in the segregated Section 27.
Eligibility to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery is strictly controlled. Currently the guidelines only allow the burial of active duty personnel, retired military personnel, veterans who have received specific decorations (such as the Medal of Honor and Purple Heart), prisoners-of-war, veterans who have served on the Supreme Court, and veterans that have held certain federal offices.
Parking is available behind the Visitors’ Center (at the coordinates given). Access is also easy via Metro - the Arlington National Cemetery station is virtually at the cemetery’s gate. At the Visitors’ Center, you’ll find visitors’ maps, exhibits, including photographs of John F. Kennedy’s funeral procession, a bookstore and restrooms. You should be able to find enough information here for your journey through the cemetery.
The throngs of tourists head to two sights - the John F. Kennedy grave site and the Tomb of the Unknowns - following the signs on a pre-determined route between the two. If you really want to explore the cemetery, put away the map, ignore the pre-determined routes, and follow your gps. This will get you away from the crowds and lead you to quiet little discoveries, such as Arlington Memorial Amphitheater ; the USS Maine Memorial ; memorials to the Challenger and Columbia Disasters (N38 52.596 W077 04.452); a memorial to the Marines who died on the failed attempt to rescue the Iranian hostages; one of the graves of the 367 Medal of Honor recipients buried here;
Senator Robert F. Kennedy ; the explorers of the North and South Poles, Admiral Richard Byrd and Admiral Charles Wilkes; actorMajor Audie Murphy ; Major Glen Miller, leader of the Glen Miller Orchestra; heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis; Sir John Greer Dill ; President Howard Taft; or any of 12 Supreme Court Justices.
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The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
April 1 - Sept 30, Daily, 8am-7pm
Oct 1 - March 31, Daily, 8am-5pm
Admission Prices:
Free.
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Full day
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle or Public Transportation
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