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The Arlington National Cemetery Home

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The Arlington National Cemetery was established around the time of the Civil War. The United States needed a place to bury all of the dead soldiers, so they laid them down on the land of Robert E. Lee and his wife. Over the years, 300,000 soldiers have been buried there. They have also changed the qualifications to being buried in the cemetery. There are even a few famous war heroes who are buried there, not to mention the presidents who have been laid to rest. No matter how important a person is, calling Arlington National Cemetery home is an honor. In this paper, I will discuss how Arlington National Cemetery was established, what the requirements are to be buried there, and the statistics of the cemetery. Orton William was a cousin to …show more content…

The Union troops started marching in columns through Virginia towards their destination of Arlington. The army took Arlington without a scratch and the next morning it was flooded with Union members. The Union army soldiers stole souvenirs from the mansion which were left behind from the Lees. Arlington soon became a busy village full of army tents and even telegram posts connecting to the War office. Arlington started losing some of its famous beauty as the soldiers cleared many of the oak trees to clear a shooting path. With the fallen timber, they built permanent cabins and posted remounting stations near the river for the cavalry. Arlington was strengthened by the best to withstand against any attacking force. (Poole) Many of the slaves who became free during the war, headed to the capital city of Washington D.C.. The city became congested with slaves so they became sick and many of them started dying. A few of the officers came up with the idea to settle the former slaves on the property of Arlington. They viewed this as fitting, since Arlington was the former house of rebel leaders supporting slavery. The established village became known as Freedmen’s Village. Surprisingly, Freedmen’s Village had everything from schools and churches to houses and farmland; the farmers would grow crops which would feed the Union soldiers. (Poole) The same year the property was taken over, the U.S. Government authorized

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