Arlington National Cemetery saw a great number of people visit to pay their
respects to service members killed in wartime on Memorial Day. But how much do you
know about the history of the cemetery? In 148 years, Arlington has
seen its share of scandals, including how it came to be where it is.
Arlington isn’t actually located in Washington, DC, but
just outside it, in Virginia. That’s because the land was seized from
Robert E. Lee’s plantation in 1864. There were other options for the
location of a National Cemetery, but the government specifically wanted
to bury Union soldiers on Lee’s land as an insult to the Confederate
general. Brig. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs wanted to make sure the place
was uninhabitable if the Lees ever tried to return. He ordered the
graves placed as close to the mansion as possible.
After the war, the Lees owed about $1,400 in today’s money in taxes
on the estate. Mrs. Lee sent someone to pay the tax, but the government
refused to accept it. Instead they took half the land in a public
auction and ordered the establishment of a National Cemetery.
But then Lee’s grandson sued to get the property back.
Arlington National Cemetery saw a great number of people visit to pay their
respects to service members killed in wartime on Memorial Day. But how much do you
know about the history of the cemetery? In 148 years, Arlington has
seen its share of scandals, including how it came to be where it is.
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