Soldiers' National Cemetery

Soldiers' National Cemetery
Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892) · Public domain · source
Name	Soldiers' National Cemetery
Established	1863
Country	United States
Location	Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°49′07″N 77°14′03″W
Type	military cemetery
Owner	National Cemetery Administration
Size	17 acres
Interments	Union soldiers from the Battle of Gettysburg

Soldiers' National Cemetery is a historic military burial ground established during the American Civil War after the Battle of Gettysburg to inter Union dead from the three-day engagement fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Adams County, Pennsylvania, and surrounding townships. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the famous Gettysburg Address at the cemetery dedication, a short oration that became central to Union memory and Reconstruction era rhetoric. The site is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield and is managed as part of national commemorative efforts connected with the National Park Service and veterans' organizations such as the Grand Army of the Republic.

History

The cemetery originated after the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, when local leaders including David Wills, Governor Andrew Curtin, and members of the Pennsylvania Governor's Conference organized reinterment of Union dead from regimental graves and field burials across the Gettysburg Campaign area. Early trustees reached out to federal officials including Edwin M. Stanton and military officers associated with the Army of the Potomac to secure funding and authorization. The dedication ceremony on November 19, 1863, featured oratory by Edward Everett and the brief remarks by Abraham Lincoln that were later printed in newspapers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times, influencing national debates about Union preservation and citizenship. Subsequent interments after 1863 included remains exhumed from satellite sites tied to actions like the Battle of Bristoe Station and the Battle of Fredericksburg, as families and governments cooperated with institutions including the Quartermaster General of the United States Army.

Design and Layout

The cemetery's plan reflects the design principles of Rural Cemetery Movement proponents and the work of landscape figures connected to national projects like Arlington National Cemetery. The original layout, supervised by trustees including David Wills and designers influenced by plans for Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia), featured radial avenues, a central flagstaff, and plots organized by state such as Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Illinois. Headstones conform to patterns promoted by the United States Department of War and echo contemporary monuments found at sites like Antietam National Cemetery and Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Pathways frame vistas toward battlefield landmarks including Cemetery Hill, Little Round Top, and Culp's Hill, integrating the burial ground into the larger commemorative topography established by the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Notable Interments

Interments include unknown soldiers and identified veterans from regiments such as the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and the 69th New York Infantry. Notable named burials comprise officers and enlisted men whose service records intersect with figures like George G. Meade, Winfield Scott Hancock, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and commanders of the II Corps (Union Army). The cemetery also contains mass graves and special sections for soldiers from states including New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, and Indiana, and commemorates casualties associated with specific brigades that fought on Pickett's Charge and the Defense of Little Round Top.

Monuments and Memorials

The grounds feature monuments, tablets, and state memorials erected by civic organizations, veterans' groups, and state legislatures such as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New York. Memorial works include sculptural pieces by artists similar in era to Daniel Chester French and commemorative plaques emblematic of dedications by the Sons of Veterans and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Ceremonial elements used during observances by organizations like the United States Congress and the Veterans of Foreign Wars are set against monuments marking regimental positions and casualty lists tied to engagements like the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge.

Administration and Preservation

Administration of the cemetery has involved agencies including the National Cemetery Administration and the National Park Service, with legal oversight influenced by statutes enacted by the United States Congress and policy guidance from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Preservation efforts have coordinated restoration work comparable to projects at Shiloh National Military Park and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, employing conservation specialists from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and academic partners including Gettysburg College and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Fundraising, commemorative programming, and interpretive planning often engage nonprofit partners like the Gettysburg Foundation and volunteer groups such as the Blue and Gray Education Society.

Cultural Impact and Commemoration

The cemetery's dedication and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address have been central to American memory studies, influencing writers and scholars including Carl Sandburg, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Garrett Peck, and historians working on Civil War historiography. The site figures in film and popular culture portrayals tied to productions referencing Abraham Lincoln (film), dramatic reenactments by groups like the Civil War Trust (now part of the American Battlefield Trust), and literary treatments that connect to works on national identity and commemoration. Annual ceremonies on anniversaries of the Battle of Gettysburg attract delegations from veterans' organizations, civic leaders, and international visitors who study the cemetery alongside battlefield tours, museum exhibits at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center, and archival collections housed at repositories such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.

Category:Cemeteries in Pennsylvania Category:American Civil War monuments and memorials