Fort Myer in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Hallowed Ground
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
| | George Washington Memorial Parkway, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Arlington National Cemetery began when the Civil War casualties overwhelmed area cemeteries. Three years after the Lees fled their home, Quartermaster Montgomery Meigs ordered the bodies of Union soldiers to be strategically buried around Mrs. Lee's garden.
The tomb to your right contains over 2,000 unidentified Civil War soldiers. After the Civil War, presidents and families visited this space to honor the fallen. Today, Arlington National Cemetery stands as a memorial to service and sacrifice.
Coffins had been piled in long rows like cordwood.
Jim Parks
Captions
This 1869 Harper's Weekly illustration conveys the somber scene. The artistic license of this scene includes the addition of graves and the omission of slave quarters.
Jim Parks helped shape Arlington National Cemetery. His life linked the plantation's past and present: born enslaved and buried at Arlington with full military honors in 1929. Parks was 18 when the war began. Parks earned equal pay to white workers, and the Secretary of War granted special permission for his burial in appreciation for his service.
Erected by National Park
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the National Cemeteries series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 38° 52.84′ N, 77° 4.393′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Fort Myer. It can be reached from Sherman Drive 0.1 miles north of Sheridan Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Myer VA 22211, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Division and Reunification (a few steps from this marker); Civil War Unknowns Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Cherish these forest trees (within shouting distance of this marker); Tree Ring Timeline (within shouting distance of this marker); Long Haul (within shouting distance of this marker); Kingdom of my childhood (within shouting distance of this marker); The Gray Family (within shouting distance of this marker); A Place of Division and Reunification (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Other markers no longer nearby. The Kingdom of My Childhood (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Arlington Woodlands (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Flower Garden (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Guardian of a Nation's Heritage (was within shouting distance of this
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, May 9, 2026
3. Civil War Unknowns Monument
Over the tomb of some 2,111 men as described in the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 266 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on July 4, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.
