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 Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical
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Location. 38° 52.84′ N, 77° 4.393′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Fort Myer. Marker 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.
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); Guardian of a Nation's Heritage (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). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 109 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
