Why is arlington national cemetery so important

The cemetery contains several memorials including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument dedicated to U. The plantation is located on a hilltop overlooking the Potomac River and Washington, D.

Custis inherited the 1,acre plantation from his father at the age of 21 in Mary was the wife of Robert E. Lee , then a military officer in the U. The Lee family vacated the property that spring as Union troops advanced into the Virginia hills outside of Washington, D. As the carnage of the Civil War entered its third year, fatalities began to outpace the burial capacity at Washington, D.

To address the problem, the federal government designated Arlington as a national military cemetery in Private William Christman of Pennsylvania was the first military service member buried at Arlington on May 13, Christman was a farmer, newly recruited into the Army. He fell ill with the measles and died several days later of complications before ever going into combat.

In , a Confederate Memorial was added to section 16 where Confederate Army troops are buried. In June , the U. At its height, roughly 1, former enslaved people lived in the village. Some were employed in government jobs on the estate or on nearby farms growing food for the Union Army.

It is considered the most hallowed grave at Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery is open for visitation daily between April 1 and September 30 from am to 7pm, and from October 1 to March 31 from am to pm. For more information, please contact the cemetery office at , or see the Arlington National Cemetery website. While visiting, please be mindful that our national cemeteries are hallowed ground. Additional cemetery policies may be posted on site.

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial National Memorial website. There are about 8, trees at Arlington National Cemetery, in different varieties.

Two state champion trees reside in the cemetery, signifying that they are the largest trees of their species in Virginia. Each year for Memorial Day, a flag is placed by every tombstone, monument, and columbarium row in the cemetery. Volunteers continue this practice during the holiday season with wreaths instead of flags.

The Changing of the Guard ritual —an elaborate, somber ceremony where a sentinel seamlessly takes over guard duty for the previous sentinel—happens every hour from October through March and every half hour from April through September. The gravesite of President John F. Kennedy is also on view at Arlington National Cemetery. At his funeral on Nov. Arlington House , the former residence of Robert E.