Chattanooga National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery
located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee
. It encompasses 120.9 acre (0.489265374 km²), and as of the end of 2005, had 43,534 interments.
after the Civil War
Battles of Chattanooga
, as a place to inter Union
soldiers who fell in combat. 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of land was initially appropriated from two local land owners, but later purchased. It became a Chattanooga National Cemetery in 1867. By 1870 more than 12,000 interments had been made, most of whom were unknown. Many nearby battlefield burials were also reinterred in Chattanooga, including nearly 1,500 burials from the Battle of Chickamauga
.
During World War I
several German
prisoners of war who died while in captivity were buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery. After the war, the German government paid to have other POWs disinterred from Hot Springs National Cemetery
and moved to Chattanooga.
Chattanooga National Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1996.
Due to space limitations new burials are expected to be closed by 2015.http://www.chattanoogafun.com/mediarequests/mediaonline/story.asp?pid=176
United States National Cemetery
"United States National Cemetery" is a designation for 146 nationally important cemeteries in the United States. A National Cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, veterans and their spouses but not exclusively so...
located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee
Hamilton County, Tennessee
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
. It encompasses 120.9 acre (0.489265374 km²), and as of the end of 2005, had 43,534 interments.
History
The cemetery was established in 1863, by an order from Major General George Henry ThomasGeorge Henry Thomas
George Henry Thomas was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War, one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater....
after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Battles of Chattanooga
Battle of Chattanooga
There were three Battles of Chattanooga fought in or near Chattanooga, Tennessee, during the American Civil War:* First Battle of Chattanooga, minor artillery bombardment by Union Brigadier General James S. Negley against Confederate Maj. Gen...
, as a place to inter Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldiers who fell in combat. 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of land was initially appropriated from two local land owners, but later purchased. It became a Chattanooga National Cemetery in 1867. By 1870 more than 12,000 interments had been made, most of whom were unknown. Many nearby battlefield burials were also reinterred in Chattanooga, including nearly 1,500 burials from the Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
several German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
prisoners of war who died while in captivity were buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery. After the war, the German government paid to have other POWs disinterred from Hot Springs National Cemetery
Hot Springs National Cemetery
Hot Springs National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Hot Springs in Fall River County, South Dakota. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 1,484 interments...
and moved to Chattanooga.
Chattanooga National Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1996.
Due to space limitations new burials are expected to be closed by 2015.http://www.chattanoogafun.com/mediarequests/mediaonline/story.asp?pid=176
Notable monuments
- A 40' high memorial archway, constructed in 1868.
- The Andrew's Raiders Monument, erected in 1890. It is a bronzeBronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
replica of the locomotiveLocomotiveA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
known as The GeneralThe General (locomotive)The General is a type 4-4-0 steam locomotive that was the subject of the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civil War. The locomotive is preserved at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-...
, the subject of the Great Locomotive ChaseGreat Locomotive ChaseThe Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews' Raid was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army, led by civilian scout James J...
. - German World War I prisoner of war monument, erected by the German government in 1935.
Notable interments
- James J. AndrewsJames J. AndrewsJames J. Andrews was a Kentucky civilian who worked for the Union Army during the early years of the American Civil War. He led a daring raid behind enemy lines on the Western and Atlantic Railroad, known famously known as the Great Locomotive Chase...
, Civil War Union Army officer. - William Hunter Campbell, Civil War Union Army officer.
- Master Sergeant Ray E. Duke, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
- Desmond DossDesmond DossDesmond Thomas Doss was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor and one of only three so honored . He was a Corporal in the U.S...
, the first conscientious objectorConscientious objectorA conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
to become of a Medal of Honor recipient. - Cal ErmerCal ErmerCalvin Coolidge Ermer was an American second baseman, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and Marine Corps veteran. - Sergeant Marion A. Ross, Civil War Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient for action in Andrew's Raid. - Sergeant John M. Scott, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for action in Andrews' Raid.
- Sergeant Samuel Slavens, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for action in Andrews' Raid.
- Private Samuel Robertson, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for action in Andrews' Raid.
- William P. SandersWilliam P. SandersWilliam Price Sanders was an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War, who died at the Siege of Knoxville.-Birth and early years:...
, Civil War Union Army officer. - John Moorehead Scott, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.
- Philip Gephart Shadrack, Union Army and Andrews' Raid officer.
- Timothy Robbins StanleyTimothy Robbins StanleyTimothy Robbins Stanley A native of Hartford, Connecticut, he served during the Civil War as colonel of the 18th Ohio Infantry. He was brevetted brigadier general, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865 for "gallant and meritorious services during the war."-External links:* 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry...
, Brigadier GeneralBrigadier GeneralBrigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
during the Civil War. - Sammy StrangSammy StrangSamuel Strang Nicklin born in Chattanooga, Tennessee was a Utility Player for the Louisville Colonels , Chicago Orphans , New York Giants , Chicago White Sox and Brooklyn Superbas .He helped the Giants win the 1905 World Series.Strang led the National League in On-base percentage in...
, Major League Baseball player and United States Military AcademyUnited States Military AcademyThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
coach. - George Davenport Wilson, Andrews' Raid and Civil War Union Army officer.
- William F. Zion, Boxer Rebellion Medal of Honor recipient.
- 186 foreign prisoners of war from World War I and World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
See also
- United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
- United States National Cemetery