Finn's Point National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Finn's Point National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery
located in Pennsville, New Jersey in Salem County, New Jersey
. It encompasses 4.6 acres (1.9 ha), and as of February 2009, had 3,033 interments. It is administered by the Beverly National Cemetery
.
prisoners of war who died while in captivity at Fort Delaware
. One hundred and thirty five Union soldiers who died while serving as guards at the prison camp are also buried here. The death toll among prisoners of war and the guards was high, especially in the latter part of 1863 and throughout 1864. By July 1863, there were 12,595 prisoners on the island at nearby Fort Delaware which was only about 75 acres (30.4 ha) in size. Disease was rampant and nearly 2,700 prisoners died from malnutrition or neglect. Confederate prisoner interred at the cemetery totaled 2,436 and all are in general unmarked graves.
Officially made a National Cemetery on October 3, 1875 by request of Virginia
Governor James L. Kemper
, who criticized the poor maintenance of the Confederate grave site.
Finn's Point National Cemetery is south of Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
near Fort Mott State Park
, in Pennsville. The cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
Andrew Cunanan
committed one of his murders at the cemetery on May 9, 1997, killing cemetery caretaker William Reese and stealing his truck.
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 in Pennsville, New Jersey in Salem County, New Jersey
Salem County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 64,285 people, 24,295 households, and 17,370 families residing in the county. The population density was 190 people per square mile . There were 26,158 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile...
. It encompasses 4.6 acres (1.9 ha), and as of February 2009, had 3,033 interments. It is administered by the Beverly National Cemetery
Beverly National Cemetery
Beverly National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Beverly, in Burlington County, New Jersey. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2008, had 49,080 interments.-History:...
.
History
Originally purchased by the federal government to build a battery to protect the port of Philadelphia, the land became a cemetery by 1863 for ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
prisoners of war who died while in captivity at Fort Delaware
Fort Delaware
Fort Delaware is a harbor defense facility, designed by Chief Engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten, and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war, political prisoners, federal convicts, and...
. One hundred and thirty five Union soldiers who died while serving as guards at the prison camp are also buried here. The death toll among prisoners of war and the guards was high, especially in the latter part of 1863 and throughout 1864. By July 1863, there were 12,595 prisoners on the island at nearby Fort Delaware which was only about 75 acres (30.4 ha) in size. Disease was rampant and nearly 2,700 prisoners died from malnutrition or neglect. Confederate prisoner interred at the cemetery totaled 2,436 and all are in general unmarked graves.
Officially made a National Cemetery on October 3, 1875 by request of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Governor James L. Kemper
James L. Kemper
James Lawson Kemper was a lawyer, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and the 37th Governor of Virginia...
, who criticized the poor maintenance of the Confederate grave site.
Finn's Point National Cemetery is south of Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
The Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. A component of the Delaware River estuary in Salem County, New Jersey, it just north the Salem River and south of Pennsville....
near Fort Mott State Park
Fort Mott (New Jersey)
Fort Mott was part of a three-fort defense system designed for the Delaware River during the postbellum modernization period following the American Civil War. The other two forts in the system were Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island and Fort DuPont in Delaware City, Delaware...
, in Pennsville. The cemetery was placed on 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 1978.
Andrew Cunanan
Andrew Cunanan
Andrew Phillip Cunanan was an American serial killer who murdered at least five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace, during a three-month period in 1997, ending with Cunanan's suicide, at age 27...
committed one of his murders at the cemetery on May 9, 1997, killing cemetery caretaker William Reese and stealing his truck.
Notable monuments
- The Confederate Monument, an 85 feet (25.9 m) tall granite obelisk, erected in 1910 by the federal government in memory of the 2,436 Confederate prisoners of war who died at Fort DelawareFort DelawareFort Delaware is a harbor defense facility, designed by Chief Engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten, and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war, political prisoners, federal convicts, and...
. Their names are inscribed on the monument. - The Union Monument, dedicated in 1879 to 135 UnionUnion (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 died while on duty at Fort Delaware. - In the northwest corner, 13 white marble headstones mark the burial place of German prisoners of World War II who died while in custody at nearby Fort Dix, New Jersey.
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 CemeteryUnited 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...