Staunton National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Staunton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery
located in the Shenandoah Valley
, in Staunton, Virginia
It encompasses a just over a single acre, and as of the end of 2005 had 994 interments. It is closed to new interments, and is maintained by the Culpeper National Cemetery
.
at the Battle of Cross Keys
, Battle of Port Republic
, and the Battle of Piedmont
. More than 500 of these soldiers were reinterred as unknowns.
Staunton National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1996.
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 the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
, in Staunton, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
It encompasses a just over a single acre, and as of the end of 2005 had 994 interments. It is closed to new interments, and is maintained by the Culpeper National Cemetery
Culpeper National Cemetery
Culpeper National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the town of Culpeper, in Culpeper County, Virginia. It encompasses of land, and as of the end of 2005, had 9,880 interments.- History :...
.
History
Designated a National Cemetery in September 1868, the original interments consisted of the remains of Union soldiers removed from Staunton's Thornrose Cemetery, several local battlefields, and nearby towns and counties. Many were soldiers who died during the American Civil WarAmerican 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...
at the Battle of Cross Keys
Battle of Cross Keys
The Battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War...
, Battle of Port Republic
Battle of Port Republic
-References:* Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8078-3200-4....
, and the Battle of Piedmont
Battle of Piedmont
The Battle of Piedmont was fought June 5, 1864, in the village of Piedmont, Augusta County, Virginia. Union Maj. Gen. David Hunter engaged Confederates under Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones north of Piedmont. After severe fighting, Jones was killed and the Confederates were routed...
. More than 500 of these soldiers were reinterred as unknowns.
Staunton National Cemetery was listed 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 1996.
Notable interments
- Captain Nicolae DuncaNicolae DuncaNicolae Dunca was born in 1837, in Transylvania, Romania, and came to the United States in December 1861. He enlisted in the Union Army in March 1862 and, due to his past military experience, was appointed captain of the 12th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers from New York. He was later assigned...
, an officer on the staff of Gen. John C. Fremont and a Romanian by birth, who was killed while carrying a dispatch during the Battle of Cross Keys.
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...