The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 military cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War , in an act passed by the U.S. Congress on July 17, 1862. By the end of 1862, 12 national cemeteries had been established. Two of the nation's most iconic military cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, and Gettysburg National Cemetery , under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service , were established in 1864 and 1863, respectively.
6-472: Barrancas National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located at Naval Air Station Pensacola , in the city of Pensacola, Florida . It encompasses 94.9 acres (38.4 ha), and as of 2021 had over 50,000 interments. The area has been used as a burial ground since the construction of Fort Barrancas . In 1838 it was established as a United States Navy cemetery. During the Civil War , Pensacola
12-466: A total of 73 Civil War-Era National Cemeteries from 1861 to 1868. Final military honors are provided for qualified Veterans by volunteer veteran or National Guard details known as Memorial Honor Details (MHD), upon application by family members through their choice of mortuary handling the deceased. *Please note that the year listed is the official date of establishment listed by the VA. This may differ from
18-1005: The Naval Air Station during World War II. United States National Cemetery The National Cemetery Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains 148 national cemeteries as well as the Nationwide Grave-site Locator , which can be used to find burial locations of American military Veterans through their searchable website. The Department of the Army maintains two national cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery . The National Park Service (NPS) maintains 14 national cemeteries associated with historic sites and battlefields. The American Battle Monuments Commission , an independent agency of
24-694: The executive branch, established by Congress in 1923, maintains 26 American military cemeteries and other memorials outside the United States. Twelve national cemeteries were established in 1862. A total of 34 were established during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Additional cemeteries were set up after the United States Civil War by Edmund Burke Whitman . Congress passed additional laws to establish and protect national cemeteries in 1867. The National Cemetery Administration lists
30-482: Was hotly contested, as it was considered to be the best port for access to the Gulf of Mexico . Numerous soldiers on both sides were interred in the cemetery after falling in combat, or dying in nearby hospitals. After the war, in 1868, Barrancas was officially made a National Cemetery and many other nearby makeshift burial grounds were disinterred and relocated to Barrancas. In each year, 1944, 1950, 1986, and 1990, more area
36-607: Was transferred from NAS Pensacola to expand the facilities for the cemetery. Barrancas National Cemetery has a monument honoring those soldiers who died from yellow fever . It was erected in 1884 by the Marine Guard of the Pensacola Navy Yard. The cemetery also holds 17 casualties of the Second Seminole War and 10 British aviators (6 Royal Navy , 4 Royal Air Force ) killed during training at
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