Uncovering Arlington National Cemetery’s History: From Civil War to Present Day

Covering 639 acres with over 400,000 interred veterans, soldiers, and notable figures, Arlington National Cemetery holds more history than a one day visit can fully capture. As America’s most revered military cemetery, this hallowed ground commemorates the sacrifices and lives of U.S. service members, presidents, and national heroes. Explore Arlington’s many historic sections, monuments, and memorials, but know that every visit only begins to unveil the depth of its legacy

Source: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Visit/Map-of-ANC

Source: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Visit/Map-of-ANC

Arlington National Cemetery Symbols and Their Meanings

  • Arches and gates = passage into the next life

  • Anchor = hope; Navy

  • Angels = God’s messengers and guardians

  • Broken Column = a life cut short

  • Bugles = resurrection

  • Drapery over anything = sorrow

  • Eagle = courage, strength and immortality

  • Flame = eternity

  • Ivy and vines = friendship, fidelity and immortality

  • Laurel wreath = victory and distinction

  • Obelisk = immortality

  • Olive branch = peace (departed in the peace of God)

  • Poppy = death as well as peace

  • Pyramid = eternity

  • Scroll = symbol of life and time

  • Shield = protection, faith, defense of the spirit

  • Soul effigy = immortality of the soul

  • Sword = a military career (broken sword = a life cut short; crossed swords = a life lost in battle)

  • Trumpets = heralds of the resurrection

Hidden Gems of Arlington National Cemetery: Sights Not Typically Seen by Visitors

Arlington National Cemetery is renowned not only for its iconic landmarks but also for its hidden gems that offer a unique glimpse into America's military history. One notable site is the gravesite of General Colin Powell, a distinguished military leader and former Secretary of State, which serves as a powerful reminder of his contributions to U.S. military and diplomatic efforts. Section 60, known as the "healing grounds," honors many young service members lost in recent conflicts, allowing visitors to reflect on their bravery and sacrifice. Additionally, the Rough Rider Memorial in Section 22 pays tribute to the volunteer cavalry regiment of the Spanish-American War, further showcasing the rich tapestry of military service. Visitors can witness the solemnity of the Old Guard Escort Platoon as they follow the horse-drawn caisson carrying a soldier to their final resting place, symbolizing the respect and honor afforded to those who have served. Arlington National Cemetery also features Arlington House, the historic home of Robert E. Lee, along with memorials dedicated to the Space Shuttle Challenger and the battleship USS Maine. By exploring these lesser-known sights, guests can gain a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made by those interred at Arlington National Cemetery and the profound history that shapes our nation.

The Old Guard horse drawn caisson carrying a soldier to his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery

The Old Guard Escort Platoon following the caisson at Arlington National Cemetery

The Old Guard Escort Platoon followed by the Army Band

Casket Bearers placing the remains

Firing Party

Types of Funeral Services at Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery Cemetery conducts up to thirty funerals each day of the work week.

There are two types of funeral honors at Arlington National Cemetery - full honors and standard honors. A standard honors funeral is for any enlisted service member meeting the requirements for inurnment or interment. Standard honors include a casket team (body bearers / pall bearers), a firing party, and a bugler. Full honors funerals are for commissioned officers, warrant officers and highest ranking senior non-commissioned officers (pay grade E-9). Full honors includes an escort platoon (size varies according to the rank of the deceased) and a military band. Normally, the deceased service member’s branch of service is responsible for carrying out the military honors at the funeral. Those eligible for full military honors may also use the caisson if it is available.

The Third Infantry Regiment United States Army, more commonly known as the Old Guard, is solely responsible for the horse drawn caisson. The two caissons used at Arlington National Cemetery are from the WWI time period. Originally, the caisson was used to bring artillery onto the battlefield. Once the artillery was off-loaded, the caisson was loaded with bodies of fallen service members. The caisson is pulled by six horses, with three riders. The Old Guard soldiers only ride the horses on the left side because the horses on right side were originally used to take supplies onto the battlefield.

Officers with a rank of colonel and above in the Army and the Marine Corps may have a caparisoned (riderless) horse. The riderless horse follows behind the caisson and is guided by an Old Guard soldier. The horse wears an empty saddle with the boots in the stirrups facing backwards to signify the last ride of the officer.

Rough Rider Memorial (Spanish American War)

Section 22

General Colin Powell

Section 60

Tomb effigy of First Lieutenant John Rodgers Meigs

Section 1

General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. (USAF) - first African-American 4-star general

Section 2

President William Howard Taft - 27th President of the United States, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Section 30

Robert Todd Lincoln - Secretary of War and son of Abraham Lincoln

Section 31

Personal thoughts from Eric’s time as Officer in Charge of U.S. Air Force Ceremonies (2000-2001):

love Arlington National Cemetery; I cherish the reverence.

I love the dignified simplicity of the rows of white marble headstones. I love how, in the end of life, we strip away all pretense and revert to an honest raw acceptance of our lives. We are all equal. We are all equal of rank and status as servants to our great nation. We are no longer selfish individuals; we are a collective nation of one.

I love everything this cemetery represents to the military and to our nation.

Created from land owned by Robert E. Lee (through marriage) and with lineage stretching back to George Washington’s extended family, this cemetery was created out of military necessity, anger, and revenge during the Civil War, but then transformed into the truly sacred. Working at Arlington is a privilege. At this point in my military life, I regard it as the pinnacle of my military career. It’s a sincere honor to represent the United States Air Force to all the families I have the pleasure of interacting with.

I get the most satisfaction from working repatriation funerals. Repatriations happen when remains of a missing-in-action airman are found overseas in areas of previous conflict. To put it into perspective, imagine bringing home the identified remains of an airman shot down over Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia and lost for over thirty years, and what that means to the surviving mother as she approaches her own journey to the great beyond. Repatriations allow me to serve my fellow fallen airmen. I also try my best to serve the families in a manner fitting to honor their own sacrifice and in acknowledgment of their legacy of enduring pain and uncertainty.

Giving significant credit to the Air Force as a whole, we do this right. I can honestly say that everyone involved in this process, from the prisoner-of-war/missing-in-action recovery teams all the way to the honor guard casket bearers are genuinely dedicated to honoring the servicemember and his family. For my team, we have an additional responsibility of meeting with the family, briefing the family, transporting them to Arlington, and serving as their escort throughout the entire funeral service. If ever a funeral can be a happy event, repatriations come the closest. Most times the family is so incredibly grateful for everything we do for them and the manner in which the honor guard escort, chaplains, Air Force Band, casket bearers, Old Guard Caisson, flyover team, morticians, Arlington Ladies, and everyone else on the Arlington National Cemetery team helps them. The family recognizes we care about them, and we take this responsibility seriously. If anyone deserves this authentic display of honor and reverence, they do.

Honoring a retired General in my role as OIC, USAF Ceremonies, Arlington National Cemetery (2001)

Notable Gravesites Not Often Visited (Part 1)

Five-Star Generals and Admirals:

“On December 14, 1944, Congress passed Public Law 482, authorizing the temporary establishment of a five-star rank: General of the Army and, for the U.S. Navy, Fleet Admiral. This aligned the United States' military ranks with those of its World War II allies, thus eliminating the problem of U.S. officers commanding Allied officers of technically higher rank. In December 1944, the Army promoted four general officers to General of the Army: Generals George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Henry H. "Hap" Arnold. The Navy, meanwhile, promoted three admirals to Fleet Admiral — Admirals William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King and Chester Nimitz — and a fourth, Admiral William F. Halsey, in December 1945. After the establishment of the Air Force as a separate service branch in 1947, General Arnold also became General of the Air Force. In September 1950, Omar N. Bradley became the fifth Army general to be promoted to five-star rank. 

The five-star rank still exists, although no U.S. officers have held it since the death of General Bradley in 1981. The president may promote a general or admiral to five-star rank at any time, with Senate approval. However, U.S. military policy has been to award five-star rank only when the rank of an American commander must be equal to or higher than that of officers from other nations under his or her control (as was the case in World War II). 

Five of the nine five-star officers are buried at Arlington National Cemetery: Generals Marshall, Arnold and Bradley, and Admirals Leahy and Halsey. 

Name/Date of Rank/Gravesite Location:

Admiral William D. Leahy        Dec. 15, 1944      Section 2, Grave 932
General George C. Marshall    Dec. 16, 1944 Section 7, Grave 8198
General Henry H. Arnold Dec. 21, 1944  Section 34, Grave 44-A       
Admiral William F. Halsey Dec. 11, 1945  Section 2, Grave 1184
General Omar N. Bradley Sept. 20, 1950  Section 30, Grave 428-1-2 

   

Additionally…

Only two U.S. officers have held a rank higher than General of the Army or Fleet Admiral: John J. Pershing and George Washington, who hold the rank of General of the Armies. Pershing was promoted to General of the Armies in 1919, and Washington received a posthumous promotion in 1976, as part of the United States' bicentennial celebration. The Army has never officially adopted six stars to correspond with this rank, however.

General Pershing is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 34, Grave S-19.” 

Source: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Notable-Graves/Prominent-Military-Figures/Five-Star-Officers  

Did you know?

President (General) Dwight D. Eisenhower is buried in Abilene, Kansas (Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum)

General Douglas MacArthur is buried in Norfolk, Virginia (MacArthur Memorial)

Admiral Ernest J. King is buried in the Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland

Admiral Chester Nimitz is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California (he elected to be buried with his men who perished under his command in the Pacific)

President (General) George Washington is buried at his home, Mount Vernon - 17 miles south of Arlington National Cemetery.

Notable Gravesites Not Often Visited (Part 2)

Enslaved African Americans:

“Arlington National Cemetery was established during the American Civil War on land that had previously been a plantation operated with the labor of enslaved African Americans. Today, Arlington House—the original estate—is run by the National Park Service. Even before the Army established a military cemetery on the Arlington property, part of the land housed a Freedman’s Village, one of many created during the Civil War.

These villages were temporary settlements established by the federal government for formerly enslaved people—essentially refugee camps for men, women and children. The Freedman’s Village on the Arlington property evolved into a unique and thriving community with schools, hospitals, churches and social services. While intended to be temporary, the community remained on the land from 1863 until 1900, and it had a lasting legacy.”

Source: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/History-of-Arlington-National-Cemetery/Freedmans-Village

Section 27:

“Approximately 1,500 United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) are interred in Section 27. U.S.C.T. were regiments in the U.S. Army composed mainly of African American soldiers (and white officers) who fought in the Civil War and, during the following decades, in the so-called “Indian Wars” in the American West. The United States Colored Troops was the official designation of African American regiments during the Civil War.

More than 3,800 African American “freedpeople” are interred in Section 27. During the era of the Civil War, freedpeople included both formerly enslaved people who escaped from the South and free African Americans from the North. Thousands of freedpeople lived in the national capital region, in settlements managed by the Freedmen’s Bureau (an agency established by the War Department in 1865 to assist formerly enslaved people).

From May 13 through June 1864, more than 1,000 service members were buried in what was then known as the “Lower Cemetery”— today’s Section 27, at the northern end of the cemetery near Ord & Weitzel Drive. During this period, before Arlington became a national cemetery, Lower Cemetery burials were racially integrated. White and Black service members, as well as civilian employees of the U.S. government, were buried side by side. In addition, interments in the Lower Cemetery initially included hundreds of Confederate soldiers who died in Washington, D.C. area hospitals.”

Source: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/History-of-Arlington-National-Cemetery/Section-27