Who spoke at first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery?

Who spoke at first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery?

Congressman James Garfield
During that first national commemoration, former Union Gen. and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there.

Did Robert E Lee own the land that is now Arlington cemetery?

In December 1882, the Supreme Court ruled in Lee’s favor. A few months later, in March 1883, the federal government purchased the property from Lee for $150,000 (over $4 million today), and Arlington National Cemetery continued its mission as a burial ground for U.S. service members and their families.

Who donated the land for Arlington?

Arlington National Cemetery is built on plantation land that once belonged to George Washington Parke Custis. Custis was the grandson of Martha Washington and the step-grandson of President George Washington.

What is the amphitheater at Arlington used for?

It has served as the site for numerous Veterans Day and Memorial Day services, as well as for memorial services and funerals for many individuals.

Who does Memorial Day Honor?

Memorial Day has its roots in the Civil War In contrast, Memorial Day specifically honors those who have died in U.S. military service. It was originally created to honor soldiers who fought in the Civil War, but like Veterans Day, was also later expanded to include those who died in all wars.

How are Robert E Lee and George Washington related?

Marriage and family While Lee was stationed at Fort Monroe, he married Mary Anna Randolph Custis (1808–1873), great-granddaughter of Martha Washington by her first husband Daniel Parke Custis, and step-great-granddaughter of George Washington, the first president of the United States.

Who owned Arlington House?

The Lee family lost ownership of the Arlington property during the war, but a U.S. Supreme Court decision in U.S. v. Lee (1882) ruled that the house had been seized without due process and resulted in a congressional act in 1883 authorizing the purchase of the property from George Washington Custis Lee for $150,000.

What is held each year at Arlington National Cemetery?

Arlington National Cemetery is a United States military cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., in whose 639 acres (259 ha) the dead of the nation’s conflicts have been buried, beginning with the Civil War, as well as reinterred dead from earlier wars.

Is there an amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery?

U.S. Department of the Army. Memorial Amphitheater is an outdoor amphitheater, exhibit hall, and nonsectarian chapel located in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States.

Who was involved in building the Arlington amphitheater?

Efforts to construct a new amphitheater were led by Judge Ivory G. Kimball, an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic (a fraternal organization for Union veterans of the Civil War). For years, Kimball and the GAR lobbied Congress to authorize construction of a place for the public to honor American service members.

Who was president when Memorial Amphitheater was built?

Ivory Kimball died on May 15, 1916 and was buried in Section 3 of the cemetery, near the Memorial Amphitheater he campaigned to build. President Woodrow Wilson placed the cornerstone of Memorial Amphitheater on October 13, 1915. By Armistice Day on November 11, 1918, nearly all of the building’s exterior was complete.

Who was president when the Arlington Memorial was built?

The successful push for new memorials helped supporters win the passage of legislation authorizing construction of Memorial Amphitheater. President William Howard Taft, in one of his last acts as president, signed the legislation into law on March 4, 1913. Judge Ivory G. Kimball, a primary backer of the new amphitheater, in 1909.