Arlington National Cemetery Dispute Over The Land's Confiscation

Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900.

1 Dispute over the land's confiscation

The Custis estate ( Arlington Mansion and 200 acres (800,000 m²) of ground immediately surrounding it) was confiscated from Robert E. Lee during the Civil War, and was designated officially as a military cemetery June 15June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. Events 763 BC Assyrians record a solar eclipse that will be used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. 923 Battle of Soissons: King Rob, 1864Events January March January 21 Maori Wars: The Tauranga Campaign starts. February 27 American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia. March 1- Alejandro Mon Menendez takes office as Prime Minist, by Secretary of War Edwin M. StantonEdwin McMasters Stanton ( December 19, 1814 December 24, 1869), born in Steubenville, Ohio, was an American political figure, prominent in the American Civil War and in the Reconstruction era. After graduating from Kenyon College in 1833, he was admitted. In 1882Events February 2 The Knights of Columbus are formed in New Haven, Connecticut February 7 In Mississippi City the last heavyweight boxing championship bareknuckle fight takes place. March 2 Robert Maclean fails to assassinate Queen Victoria at Windsor Mar, after many years in the lower courts, the matter of the ownership of Arlington National Cemetery was brought before the United States Supreme Court. The Court affirmed a Circuit Court decision that the property in question rightfully belonged to the Lee Family. The United States CongressThe United States Congress is the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The structure and responsibilities of Congress are defined in Article One of the United States Constitution. The United States Congress is bicameral, meaning tha then appropriated the sum of $150,000 for the purchase of the property from the Lee Family.

2 Tomb of the Unknowns

The Tomb of the UnknownsThe Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier although it has never been officially named) is a monument in Arlington National Cemetery dedicated to the American soldiers who have died without their remains being identified. at Arlington National Cemetery is also known as the Tomb of the Unknown SoldierIn World War I, huge numbers of soldiers died without their remains being identified. The practice developed for nations to have a symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that represented those unidentified soldiers. They usually contain the remains of a dea, and has never been officially named. The Tomb of the Unknowns stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, DC.

One of the more popular sites at the Cemetery, the Tomb is made from Yule marble quarried in Colorado. It consists of seven pieces, with a total weight of 79 tons. The Tomb was completed and opened to the public April 9, 1932, at a cost of $48,000.

It was at first the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier." Other unknown servicemen were later buried there, and the name became "Tomb of the Unknowns."

The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded by the U.S. Army 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) began guarding the Tomb April 6, 1948.

3 Other notable sites

Other frequently visited sites in the cemetery are the USMC War Memorial, commonly known as the "Iwo Jima Memorial"; the Netherlands Carillon; and the grave of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy is buried with his wife and some of their children. His grave is marked with an "Eternal Flame." His brother Senator Robert F. Kennedy is also buried nearby.

The federal government dedicated a model community for freed slaves, Freedman's Village, near the current Memorial Amphitheater, December 4, 1863. More than 1,100 freed slaves were given land by the government, where they farmed and lived during and after the Civil War. They were turned out in 1890 when the estate was repurchased by the government and dedicated as a military installation.

In Section 27, are buried more than 3,800 former slaves, called "Contrabands" during the Civil War. Their headstones are designated with the word "Civilian" or "Citizen."

The Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial was dedicated on May 20, 1986 in memory of the crew of Shuttle flight STS-51-L, who died during launch. Transcribed on the back of the stone is the text of the John Gillespie Magee, Jr. poem entitled High Flight. Although many remains were identified and returned to the families for private burial, some were not, and were laid to rest under the marker. Two of the crewmembers, Scobee and Smith, are buried in Arlington, as well.

4 Burial procedures

The flags in Arlington National Cemetery are flown at half-staff from a half hour before the first funeral until a half hour after the last funeral each day. Funerals are normally conducted five days a week, excluding weekends.

Funerals, including interments and inurnments, average 20 a day. The Cemetery conducts approximately 5,400 burials each year.

With more than 260,000 people buried there, Arlington National Cemetery has the second-largest number of people buried of any national cemetery in the United States. The largest of the 130 national cemeteries is the Calverton National Cemetery, on Long Island, near Riverhead, New York, which conducts more than 7,000 burials each year.

In addition to in-ground burial, Arlington National Cemetery also has one of the larger columbariums for cremated remains in the country. Four courts are currently in use, each with 5,000 niches.

When construction is complete, there will be nine courts with a total of 50,000 niches; capacity for 100,000 remains. Any honorably discharged veteran is eligible for inurnment in the columbarium.

5 Notable burials

On July 24, 1998, U.S. Capitol Police Officers John Michael Gibson, 42, and Jacob Joseph Chestnut, 58, were killed in the line of duty and granted burials at the Cemetery. Special Agent Gibson is buried in Section 28. Officer Chestnut, a retired Air Force master sergeant, is buried in Section 4.

Notable military figures buried here include

"Hap" Arnold (1886-1950)
Bertram Tracy Clayton Congressman from New York, Killed in Action, 1918
Jane Delano (1862-1919), Director, Army Nursing Corps
William "Bull" Halsey (1882-1959)
Ira Hayes (1923-1955)

Among the career soldiers interred here are wartime soldiers who went on to other distinguished careers such as:

Hugo Black, Justice, U.S. Supreme Court.
Ron Brown, Secretary of Commerce.
Bill Buckley CIA Station Chief murdered in Beirut.
Clark Clifford Secretary of Defense, advisor to four Presidents.
John Foster Dulles Secretary of State, CIA Director.
Dwight Filley Davis Secretary of the Army, established the Davis Cup.
Medgar Evers. Civil Rights worker.
Dashiell Hammett, author.
Joe Louis, World Heavyweight boxing champion.
John Roy Lynch, Slave, Major U.S. Army, Member of Congress.
Lee Marvin, actor.
Audie Murphy, actor, America's most decorated combat soldier of WW II.
Spottswood Poles, perhaps the greatest outfielder of the Negro Leagues.
Frank Reynolds Television news anchorman.
Johnny Micheal Spann CIA officer killed in Afghanistan.
William Howard Taft, President and Chief Justice of the United States.

Notable civilians interned or commemorated at Arlington include:

Julian Bartley, Sr. (54), and his son Jay Bartley (20) , killed together in the US Embassy, Nairobi terrorist attack.
Dana Falkenberg (3) Killed in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Buried in a mass grave with four others.
Michael P. Hammer American Foreign Service officer captured and murdered by guerillas in El Salvador.
Marie Teresa Rios Versace, author of Fifteenth Pelican, basis for The Flying Nun TV show.

6 See also

List of other famous cemeteries

7 External links

United States military memorials and cemeteries Arlington County, Virginia

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