Forest Hill Soldiers' Lot
Civil War Dead
An estimated 700,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died in the Civil War (1861-1865). As the death toll rose, the U.S. government struggled with the urgent but unplanned need to bury fallen Union troops. This propelled the creation of a national cemetery system.
On September 11, 1861, the War Department directed officers to keep "accurate and permanent records of deceased soldiers." Federal authority to create military burial grounds came in an Omnibus Act of July 17, 1862. Cemetery sites were chosen where troops were concentrated: camps, hospitals, battlefields, railroad hubs. By 1872, 74 national cemeteries and several soldiers' lots contained 305,492 remains. About 45 percent were unknown.
The U.S. government established soldiers' lots at private cemeteries in northern states. National cemeteries, in contrast, were built throughout the South where most Civil War action occurred. While the army reported dozens of lots containing Union dead in the 1870s, the National Cemetery Administration maintains only fifteen. The number of graves ranges from less than ten to nearly 400 in these lots.
Harvey U.S. General Hospital
In
this page online
She toured hospitals in the South and saw the appalling conditions soldiers endured. In 1863, she persuaded President Abraham Lincoln to establish a general hospital in Madison. Harvey U.S. General Hospital opened in a three-story octagonal house built for former Gov. Leonard Farwell. A branch hospital at nearby Camp Randall was also set up. In December 1864, the complex reported that it was treating 587 patients. After the war, the general hospital became the Wisconsin Soldiers' Orphans' Home.
Soldiers' Lot
The City of Madison purchased land in 1857 to establish Forest Hill Cemetery. Section 34 of this 140-acre cemetery, set aside for Union dead in 1862, was initially known as "Soldiers' Rest."
The soldiers' lot contains two Civil War memorials. The Wisconsin Soldiers' Orphans' Home Monument was erected in 1873. The marble obelisk is inscribed with the names of eight orphans who died at the home. Flanking it are the children's graves marked with headstones bearing their initials.
In 1891, the Woman's Relief Corps No. 37 erected a large boulder inscribed "To the Unknown Dead." The corps - an auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans organization - was founded in 1883 to perpetuate the memory of the men who saved the Union.
Erected by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the National Cemeteries, and the The Grand Army of the Republic series
Location. 43° 3.943′ N, 89° 25.771′ W. Marker is in Madison, Wisconsin, in Dane County. It is in Regent. It can be reached from Speedway Road. The marker is in front of the Soldiers' Lot which is 2 "blocks" from the main entrance to the left of the mausoleum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Forest Hill Cemetery 1 Speedway Rd, Madison WI 53705, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Forest Hill Cemetery & Effigy Mound Group (about 400 feet away); Forest Hill Cemetery (about 500 feet away); Site of Former Greenbush Cemetery Burials (approx. 0.2 miles away); In Memory of Our Beloved Sons (approx. 0.3 miles away); Aldo Leopold House
Another marker is no longer nearby. Confederate Rest (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 3, 2020, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 570 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 3, 2020, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. 7, 8, 9. submitted on January 17, 2020, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. 10. submitted on January 18, 2020, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
