List of memorials and monuments at Arlington National Cemetery


Memorials and monuments at Arlington National Cemetery include 28 major and 142 minor monuments and memorials. Arlington National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. It is managed by the United States Army, rather than the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
The first major memorial in the cemetery was completed in 1866. Entry gates in the cemetery were later dedicated to Union Army generals. The Spanish–American War and World War I led to the construction of several more major memorials. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was constructed in 1921, although the large sarcophagus above the burial vault was not dedicated until 1932. Almost a third of the cemetery's major memorials have been constructed since 1983.
Owing to space constraints, Arlington National Cemetery does not permit the construction of large memorials or monuments without an act of Congress. The cemetery does, however, encourage the donation of trees and permits small memorial plaques to be placed before these plantings. As of 2011, there were 142 such memorial plaques in the cemetery.

Memorials and monuments

Creating Arlington National Cemetery

In 1778, John Parke Custis purchased a tract of sylvan land on the Potomac River north of the town of Alexandria, Virginia. This land became the Arlington Estate. In time, his granddaughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, inherited the estate. She married Robert E. Lee, an impoverished lieutenant in the United States Army, in June 1831. With the outbreak of the American Civil War on April 12, 1861, Robert E. Lee resigned from the United States Army and took command of Virginia's armed forces on April 23. Mary Custis Lee fled the house on May 17, and Union troops occupied Arlington Estate and Arlington House on May 24.
On July 16, 1862, the United States Congress passed legislation authorizing the purchase of land for national cemeteries for military dead. In May 1864, large numbers of Union forces died in the Battle of the Wilderness, requiring a large new cemetery to be built near the District of Columbia. A study quickly determined that the Arlington Estate was the most suitable property for this purpose. Although the first military burial at Arlington occurred on May 13, 1864, formal authorization for burials did not occur until June 15, 1864.

First memorials and monuments

The first memorials at Arlington National Cemetery were built during and immediately after the Civil War. These first memorials were small, as the federal government expended little money on the cemetery.
The first memorial constructed was the Civil War Unknowns Monument. United States Army Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs ordered the construction of the monument in 1865. The bodies of 2,111 Union and Confederate dead were collected and placed in a vault beneath the monument, which was sealed in September 1866.
In 1867, Congress enacted legislation requiring that all military cemeteries be fenced. Meigs ordered the construction of a red Seneca sandstone wall around the cemetery. The construction of the wall necessitated the construction of gates as well. Construction began on a memorial to Major General George B. McClellan in 1870, but delays in obtaining high-quality red Seneca sandstone delayed its completion until 1879.
The Spanish–American War of 1898 led to the creation of several new memorials: The Spanish–American War Memorial in 1902, the Spanish–American War Nurses Memorial in 1905, and the Rough Riders Memorial in 1907. Two more major memorials were added prior to World War I: The Confederate Monument in 1914, and the USS Maine Memorial in 1915.
Another nine memorials, most of them commemorating World War I, were added in the 1920s and 1930s. This included the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was dedicated on November 11, 1921. The cenotaph above the tomb is a later addition, and was dedicated on November 11, 1932. At the end of World War II, the cemetery had a total of 16 major memorials. Another 12 major memorials were added after 1949, with eight of these constructed after 1983.

Former memorials and monuments

Several memorials and monuments in Arlington National Cemetery no longer exist. One of the earliest memorials to be built in the cemetery was the Sheridan Gate, named for General Philip Sheridan. The gate was constructed in 1879 of four Ionic columns salvaged from the demolition of the War Department Building. Initially, there was no name inscribed on the gate's pediment, although the last names of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Edwin M. Stanton, and Winfield Scott were chiseled into the front of each column. After the death of Sheridan, his last name was added to the pediment and the gate became known as the Sheridan Gate. Another early memorial was the Ord-Weitzel Gate, named for Major General Edward Ord and Major General Godfrey Weitzel. Also completed in 1879, it was constructed from two salvaged War Department Building columns. Like the Sheridan Gate, this gate was initially not dedicated to anyone. But by 1902, with the passing of both Ord and Weitzel, their names were inscribed into left and right columns of the gate, respectively. Arlington National Cemetery's easternmost boundary had, since 1864, been the Arlington Ridge Road. In 1971, the cemetery expanded eastward to its present boundary. At that time, the Sheridan and Ord-Weitzel gates were dismantled and the columns, marble pediments, and iron gates put into outdoor storage. Unfortunately, both gates were severely damaged during their dismantling. They were further damaged by inappropriate outdoor storage, and have been heavily vandalized.
In 1884, a Temple of Fame was erected in the center of the flower garden on the south side of Arlington House. The U.S. Patent Office building had suffered a fire in 1877, and it was torn down and rebuilt in 1879. In 1884, stone columns, pediments, and entablatures from this demolition were used to construct the Temple of Fame. The Temple was a round, Greek Revival, temple-like structure with Doric columns supporting a central dome. Inscribed on the pediment supporting the dome were the last names of great Americans such as George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, and David Farragut. A year after it was built, the last names of several Union Civil War generals were carved into the columns. Since there wasn't enough marble to rebuild the dome, a tin dome was installed instead. The Temple of Fame was demolished in 1967.

New memorials and monuments

In 1960, the United States Congress enacted "The Act of 2 September 1960". As codified in Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 553, a concurrent or joint resolution of Congress is needed before any new memorial or monument may be placed at Arlington. This requirement does not apply to group burials, for which an aboveground marker may be erected without congressional approval.
The rules were relaxed somewhat in 2012. On August 6, 2012, Congress enacted the "Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012". Title VI, Section 604 of this legislation permits the Secretary of the Army to establish regulations for the erection at Arlington National Cemetery of memorials or monuments to an individual or military event if 25 years have passed. Such monuments may be placed only in areas designated by the Secretary of the Army, and must be paid for entirely by private donations. All alternative locations to Arlington National Cemetery must be ruled out, and the United States Commission of Fine Arts must be consulted on the memorial's appropriateness. The 25-year requirement may be waived if the event or service is ongoing, or if a "manifest injustice" would occur. In such cases, Congress may override the waiver by joint resolution within 60 days.
In 2012, legislation began moving through Congress to approve a "Place of Remembrance" at Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial will be an ossuary designed to contain fragments of remains which are unidentifiable through DNA analysis. The legislation required that these remains be cremated before placement in the memorial. Cemetery officials said that Arlington National Cemetery has no means of receiving and burying these remains, and placing them in the Tomb of the Unknowns would be inappropriate. The legislation leaves the design and placement of the memorial up to cemetery officials. On September 18, 2012, the House of Representatives approved the memorial, sending the legislation to the Senate. This legislation was not acted on by the Senate, and died at the end of the 112th United States Congress.
In May 2014, Arlington National Cemetery officials renamed the Old Amphitheater, rededicating it as the James R. Tanner Memorial Amphitheater. Tanner, a Union Army veteran, lost both legs during the American Civil War. He became a stenographer and clerk with the War Department, and took down most of the eyewitness testimony during the early hours of the investigation into the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Tanner is buried a few yards from the amphitheater.

List of major memorials and monuments

Below is a list of the major memorials and monuments in the cemetery.
SiteDate createdSectionCoordinatesNotes
3rd Infantry Division Memorial199046
Argonne Cross192318
Arlington Memorial Amphitheater192035/48
Battle of the Bulge Memorial200621
Canadian Cross of Sacrifice192746
Chaplains' Monument19262
Civil War Unknowns Monument186626
Confederate Memorial191416
Iran Rescue Mission Memorial198346
James Tanner Amphitheater1874 / 201426
John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame196345
Korean War Contemplative Bench198748
McClellan Gate187933
Nurses Memorial193821
Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial19951
Robert F. Kennedy Gravesite196845
Rough Riders Memorial190722
Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial198746
Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial200446
Spanish–American War Memorial190222
Spanish–American War Nurses Memorial190521
Tomb of the Unknowns192148
United States Coast Guard Memorial19284
Unknown Dead of 1812 Memorial19761
USS Maine Mast Memorial191524
USS Serpens Memorial194934
Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial200564
William Howard Taft Monument193230
Woodhull Memorial Flagpole192435

List of minor memorials and monuments

The U.S. Army has statutory authority to manage Arlington National Cemetery under the National Cemetery Act, as amended. Under regulations issued in Title 32, Section 553.22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the Army established a mechanism for proposing and building minor memorials at Arlington National Cemetery without requiring an act of Congress. Appendix A to Section 553 lays out the specific form these minor memorials may take. In summary, most minor memorials must be a small plaque no more than in area, and no more than thick. Wording must be dignified, and the Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery has sole and unlimited authority to accept or reject the plaque's design and wording.
A short time prior to 2014, Arlington National Cemetery discontinued the practice of allowing memorial trees, accompanied by plaques, to be placed in the cemetery.
Below is a list of the minor memorials and monuments in the cemetery.
MemorialSectionTree
100th Infantry Division Association034Maple, Red
104th Timberwolf Division, World War II032Cherry, Yoshino
11th Airborne Division009Maple, Red
125th Air Transport Group003Maple, Red
13th Airborne Division033Zelkova, Japanese
144th Army Postal Unit032Cherry, Kwanzan Japanese Flowering
16th Infantry Regiment Association003Crape Myrtle, Common
173rd Airborne Brigade 033Maple, Red
174th Field Artillery Battalion034Maple, Red
17th Airborne Division033Zelkova, Japanese
199th Light Infantry Brigade031Oak, Shumard
1st Armored "Old Ironsides" Division046Pine, Eastern White
1st Cavalry Division033Maple, Red
1st Marine Division Association025Cedar, Blue Atlas
23rd Infantry Regiment031Dogwood, Kousa
2nd US Infantry Division037Holly, American
319th Bomb Group Association034Maple, Red
325th Glider Regiment007Maple, Sugar
385th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, World War II046Cherry, Kwanzan Japanese Flowering
3rd United States Infantry 035Dogwood, Kousa
416th Bombardment Group 048Cherry, Kwanzan Japanese Flowering
423rd Army Field Artillery Battalion003Maple, Sugar
446th Bomb Group034Maple, Sugar
454th Bombardment Group022Oak, Pin
455th Bombardment Group002Oak, Pin
461st Bomb Group Association034Goldenrain Tree
484th Bombardment Group033Gingko
487th Bombardment Group009Holly, American
4th Infantry Division021Dogwood, Kousa
503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team033Magnolia, Southern
505th Parachute Regimental Combat Team033Zelkova, Japanese
508th Parachute Infantry Regiment035Spruce, Colorado Blue
511th Parachute Infantry Regiment048Cherry, Yoshino
551st Parachute Infantry Battalion033Oak, Northern Red
56th Field Artillery Battalion, 8th Infantry Division033Maple, Red
5th Regimental Combat Team005Tuliptree
63rd Infantry Division007Oak, Pin
65th Infantry Division021Maple, Sugar
82nd Airborne Division048Pine, Austrian
82nd Airborne – Golden Brigade007Maple, Red
83rd Infantry Division Association037Dogwood, Flowering
8th Air Force Association034Maple, Red
93rd Bombardment Group002Holly, American
94th Infantry Division046Sweetgum, American
96th Infantry Division Association034Maple, Red
9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry Association 022Dogwood, Kousa
African American Korean War Veterans021Oak, Sawtooth
Air Force Arlington Ladies 030Oak, Swamp White
Airborne 002Maple, Red
America the Beautiful Grove031Zelkova, Japanese
Americal Division034Maple, Red
American Ex-Prisoners of War033Dogwood, Kousa
American War Mothers035Cedar, Blue Atlas
American-Armenian Volunteers at Argonne018Magnolia, Southern
Amphibious Scouts and Raiders of World War II031Maple, Red
Army Arlington Ladies013Holly, American
Bataan and Corregidor, American Defenders of048Dogwood, Kousa
Battle of the Bulge, Veterans of046Cherry, Japanese Flowering
Battlefield Commissions, National Order of037Maple, Red
Beirut Victims of Terrorism059Cedar of Lebanon
Berlin Airlift Veterans006Maple, Sugar
Buffalo Soldiers 023Maple, Red
Catholic War Veterans012Oak, Pin
China-Burma-India Veterans002Oak, Pin
Civil Air Patrol033Maple, Red
Danish Fight for Freedom Grove024Oak, English
Daughters of American Colonists001Oak, White
Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America035Cherry, Kwanzan Japanese Flowering
Daughters of the American Revolution 031Maple, Red
Daughters of the American Revolution 030Maple, Sugar
El Salvador012Oak, White
Elbe River, American-Soviet Link-Up07ABirch, Heritage River
Ex-POWs of the Korean War002Maple, Red
Flying Tigers002Oak, White
Frogmen, U.D.T. 031Maple, Red
Gilbert Azaleas035Azalea
Glider Pilots, World War II033Maple, Red
Gold Star Mothers002Cedar, Blue Atlas
Indigenous People 008Cottonwood, Eastern
Jumping Mustangs, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry048Cherry, Kwanzan Japanese Flowering
Khe Sanh Veterans002Ginkgo
Korean War Dead048Mountainash, Korean
Korean War Vets048Pine, Korean
Landing Craft Support Ships 046Oak, Willow
Laotian Counterparts002Cedar, Atlas
Lexington Minute Men001Hemlock, Eastern
Marshall Plan Anniversary007Oak, Swamp White
Medal of Honor Grove 048Elm, Chinese
Merrill's Marauders 013Elm, Hybrid
Military Chaplains002Ginkgo
Military Order of the World Wars012Zelkova, Japanese
Military Police055Magnolia, Southern
Miller, Glenn 013Holly, American
Montford Point Marines023Pine, Eastern White
Mother of the Unknown Soldier 035Birch, Heritage River
Nagata Japanese Cherry Trees054Cherry, Japanese Flowering
National Arborist Association054Oak, White
Naval Order of the United States001Holly, Japanese
Navy Arlington Ladies034Beech, Weeping European
Navy Bombing Squadron VB 104012Oak, Shumard
Operation Restore Hope060Sweetgum, American
Operation Tiger013Pine, Eastern White
Pacific Island Americans026Serviceberry, Downy
Paderewski 024Linden, Little-leaf
Peace Maker, The – December 1999003Cedar, Blue Atlas
Pearl Harbor035Linden, Littleleaf
Persian Gulf War060Oak, Willow
POW-MIA035Serviceberry, Autumn Brilliance
Purple Heart, Military Order of the035Cherry, Kwanzan Japanese Flowering
Quartermaster Corps Association034Maple, Japanese
Rakkasans 07AOak, Willow
Ranger Advisors013Magnolia, Southern
Retired Officers Association, The048Oak, Pin
Reuben H. Tucker Chapter, 82nd Airborne031Oak, Northern Red
Russian Orthodox Church013Magnolia, Southern
Schweinfurt035Oak, Northern Red
Special Operations046Oak, Northern Red
State Department African Embassy Bombing Victims051Tuliptree
Swiss Internees012Oak, Willow
Take Pride in America Grove054Dogwood, Kousa
Task Force Smith021Cherry, Yoshino
Triple Nickels 023Hemlock, Eastern
Tuskegee Airmen046Maple, Sugar
U.S. Army Reserves013Maple, October Glory Red
U.S. Colored Troops and Freed Slaves027Maple, Red
U.S. LST Association 003Oak, Willow
U.S. Navy Cruiser Association033Maple, Red
Unit K-West and B-East 002Cedar, Atlas
USS Boston Shipmates048Oak, Northern Red
USS Canberra Association034Maple, Japanese
USS Frank E. Evans Association006Magnolia, Saucer
USS Houston and HMAS Perth012Zelkova, Japanese
USS Iowa Victims060Redbud, Eastern
USS Salem Association012Oak, Northern Red
USS Underhill033Tupelo, Black
Victims of Terrorism055Magnolia, Southern
Vietnam028Maple, Red
Vietnam Veterans 048Spruce, Colorado Blue
Vietnamese Airborne Regiment Association047Maple, Red
War Correspondents046Oak, Willow
World War I034Spruce, Hoopsii Blue
World War II036Maple, Sugar

Nearby memorials and monuments

Several memorials and monuments are immediately adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. These are often mistakenly assumed to be part of the cemetery, but are not. These include:
A number of public improvements and memorials were planned for construction in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for the 1932 bicentennial of the birth of George Washington, the first President of the United States and American Revolutionary War hero. Among these were Arlington Memorial Bridge and the Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway. To link the Virginia landing of the bridge with Arlington National Cemetery, a wide avenue known as Memorial Avenue was constructed and a new entrance to the cemetery constructed.
Memorial Avenue is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The roadway was formally transferred from the U.S. Army to the Department of the Interior in October 1940. The memorials and monuments which line Memorial Avenue are often believed to be part of Arlington National Cemetery, but are not. The memorials and monuments on Memorial Avenue include :