National Cemeteries

National Cemeteries. . Prior to the Civil War, the remains of almost all deceased soldiers were buried in whatever land was available near the battlefields. The remains of those from wealthy families were often returned to their homes for burial., The very large casualties from the Civil War (620,000) resulted in a need to establish land set aside for military burials. In 1862, Congress passed legislation to create military burial sites to honor fallen Civil War Union Soldiers. In the early 1900s, the national cemeteries were open to all qualified military personnel as a final resting place in honor of their service., There are more than 150 national cemeteries throughout the United States. A national cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, honorably discharged veterans, and their spouses, but not exclusively so. The best known national cemetery is Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. where over 400,00 person are buried. A few national cemeteries especially Arlington, contain the leaders and other important national figures. Some national cemeteries also contain sections for Confederate soldiers. In addition to national cemeteries, there are also state veteran cemeteries., In Alabama, the nearest national cemetery is the Alabama National Cemetery located in Montevallo. It is a new cemetery that was constructed in 2009. The Chattanooga National Cemetery was established in 1863 as a burial place fo the fallen soldiers from the Battle of Chickamauga. In 202, it has more than 50,000 internments.