Civil War Era National Cemeteries Placed on National Register

Washington, D.C. – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo D. West Jr. today announced the completion of an initiative to list 59 of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) 117 national cemeteries in the National Register of Historic Places.

Listing properties in the National Register is an important step in a nationwide effort to preserve historic properties, stated Secretary West.  VA is proud to have our cemeteries designated as national shrines and will continue to ensure that these final resting places are maintained in a way that does honor to the men and women who are buried there.  

Development of national cemeteries began during the Civil War.  On July 17, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed legislation that authorized the purchase of cemetery grounds to be used as national cemeteries for soldiers who shall have died in the service of the country.  
   
Fourteen national cemeteries were established that first year.  By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 dead had been buried in national cemeteries, most located in the southeast near battlefields and campgrounds of the Civil War.  
   
For the past five years, VA has prepared individual nominations for each of VA’s 59 Civil War-era national cemeteries, which are located in 23 different states throughout the Nation.  
   
In addition to their Civil War connection, these 59 cemeteries are significant because they include the remains of veterans associated with every war and branch of service who have served their country throughout its history.
   
To date, all 59 national cemeteries have been listed in the National Register. The last two, San Antonio, Texas, and Natchez, Miss., National Cemeteries, were approved at the end of last year.  With nine additional VA cemeteries previously listed in the National Register, well over half of VA’s cemeteries are nationally recognized for their historical significance (see attached list).
  
San Antonio National Cemetery is the burial place for more than 3,000 veterans and family members including 256 Buffalo Soldiers and 13 Medal of Honor Recipients. Some noted burials include Corporal Harry M. Wurzbach, a member of the U.S. Congress; Gustav Schleicher, a German-born Texas state representative who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; and Lieutenant George E. Kelly, for whom Kelly Air Force Base was named.
   
Natchez National Cemetery was established in 1866.  Initial interments included soldiers buried near the west shore of the Mississippi River at and above Vidalia, as well as from other locations in Mississippi and Louisiana. Reinterment of the Civil War dead was completed in 1871 when 3,086 interments were conducted.  Of these, more than 2,800 were unknown. Notable burials include the remains of a considerable number of Union Navy personnel and Civil War Medal of Honor recipient Wilson Brown.
    
For more information on the history of VA’s national cemeteries and burial benefits, visit VA’s web site at http://www.cem.va.gov or http://www.va.gov.  Information on VA burial benefits is also available from national cemetery offices or by calling VA regional offices toll-free on 1-800-827-1000.