Tag Archives: National Cemetery

DEAD OF SHILOH CEMETERY – GHOSTS HIDING IN THE WOODS

Posted on by
Reply
Shiloh National Cemetery - the unknown dead far outnumber the named.
Shiloh National Cemetery – the unknown dead far outnumber the named.

The Shiloh National Cemetery became established in 1866.  Officially closed now to new burials, there are some 3,695 – 3,584 from the Civil War era – buried here with 2,359 being unknown.  Many of the dead were from the Battle of Shiloh.  Men from different regiments lay buried where they fought after the battle. With the establishment of the cemetery, the soldiers were reinterred here, still keeping to their regimental group when possible.  Three Confederates lie among the dead, two known – dying as prisoners of war – and one included within the ranks of the unknown.  Many dead soldiers also came here from nearby battlefields and hospitals – some 565 different locations.  Several veterans from the Spanish-American and the World Wars lie buried here, too, along with one veteran of the Revolutionary War.

Continue reading →

MONUMENTAL DASH – DAY’S RUN TO UNCOVER ALL MONUMENTS IN A NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

Posted on by
Reply
Monument glut deep in the forests on the slopes above Cravens House on Lookout Mountain.
Monument glut deep in the forests on the slopes above Cravens House on Lookout Mountain – complexity inserted into a monumental dash.

The number of monuments and marker you can find in some of the National Battlefield Parks preserving American Civil War battlefields can simply numb you.  Granite monuments form literal forests inside some National Battlefield Parks from the American Civil War.   Each monument does have a story, even those not as fancy, expensive and artistic as others.  If you want to see all of them, say in a day or so – a true monumental dash, you will need to put on your running shoes – boots, in some cases, depending on the weather. 

Continue reading →

VANCOUVER BARRACKS NATIONAL CEMETERY REVEALING HISTORY OF THE FORT AND MORE

Posted on by
1

The post cemetery for Vancouver Barracks became established in 1857.  The Army maintained the cemetery until recently. In 2020, the cemetery became part of the National Cemetery Administration – Department of Veterans Affairs – renamed the Vancouver Barracks National Cemetery.

Graves laid out – view from the south or the top of the “heart”.

Vancover Barracks National Cemetery.

Fort Vancouver was built in 1824 to serve as a central hub of business for the Hudson Bay Company in the Oregon Country. The company had its way in the region until the late 1830’s when American settlers began to arrive.  Attempts by the company to meet this influx with colonists of their own came to naught and the Oregon Treaty of 1846 set the border far to the north at the 49th parallel.  The fort, left deep in American territory though the company continued its operations.  However, those operations became more unprofitable and difficult as more and more settlers came into the picture.

Continue reading →