Washington D.C. is on one side of the Potomac River and on the other side is the Arlington National Cemetery.
Located
History
The adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis acquired the land in 1802, where the Cemetery is now located at.
Later on, Mary Anna, the daughter acquired the land and was married to Robert E Lee. Yes, the general of the Southern Army during the United States Civil War Robert E Lee. Once Virginia seceded from the Union, General Lee resigned his commission in 1861 and took command of the armed forces of Virginia.
During the war, the soldiers who passed on during the battles were buried in the United States Solders’ Cemetery or the Alexandria Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia they were getting full. So Congress passed a bill authorizing the Federal Government to purchase land to bury the dead.
They found that the Lee Property, was a great spot, as it was on high ground free from floods. Since it was the former home of the Confederate States of America was a great political consideration. It cost about $26,800 in a tax sale in 1864. The first military burial was for Willam Henry Christman on May 13, 1864.
The Lee family sued the U.S. Government on the grounds that the estate was taken without due process. So the government gave it back. In turn, Custis Lee then turned around and sold it back to the US Government for $150,000. Robert Todd Lincon the Secretary of War was at the signing ceremony.
Buried here
- President Kennedy is buried here.
- 396 Medal of Honor recipients
- President Taft
- Senator Robert F. Kennedy
- Senator Ted Kennedy
- General of the armies John J. Pershing.
- 2 astronauts who were killed in 1967
Memorials
Space shuttle challenger
Space shuttle Columbia
Pan Am Flight 103, bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland
Cross of Sacrifice with all the U.S. citizens who fought with Canadian forces during World War I.
Los Memorial.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
This sits at the top of a hill overlooking Washington D.C. It cost $48,000 to build in 1932. The unknown servicemen who are entombed here are:
- Unknown Soldier of World War I
- Unknown Soldier of World War II
- Wnkonw Soldire of the Korean War
- Unknow Solder of the Vietnam War
- In 1998 under President Clinton the remains were identified as 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie.
- The Vietnam unknown will remain empty.
The Tomb of the unknown soldier is guarded, and it is a sight to see. They have a routine that they have to stick to. It is quite a sight to see.
