Danville National Cemetery (Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Danville National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery
located in the city of Danville
, near Pittsylvania County, Virginia
. It encompasses 3.5 acres (14,164 m²), and as of the end of 2005, it had 2,282 interments. It is administered by Salisbury National Cemetery
.
prisoners of war that were held in the city of Danville in tobacco warehouses converted into Confederate
prisoner of war camps. Most of the bodies of these American soldiers were initially buried in poorly marked, mass graves, but were later exhumed and buried with individual markers. Soldiers from Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin are some of the states represented. The cemetery is open to visitors throughout the year.
Danville National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1995.
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 city of Danville
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
, near Pittsylvania County, Virginia
Pittsylvania County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,745 people, 24,684 households, and 18,216 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile . There were 28,011 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
. It encompasses 3.5 acres (14,164 m²), and as of the end of 2005, it had 2,282 interments. It is administered by Salisbury National Cemetery
Salisbury National Cemetery
Salisbury National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Salisbury, in Rowan County, North Carolina. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 20,970 interments.- History :...
.
History
Danville National Cemetery was established just after the American Civil War in December 1866 on a plot of 2.6 acres (10,521.8 m²). Almost all of the original interments were 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...
prisoners of war that were held in the city of Danville in tobacco warehouses converted into Confederate
Confederate 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...
prisoner of war camps. Most of the bodies of these American soldiers were initially buried in poorly marked, mass graves, but were later exhumed and buried with individual markers. Soldiers from Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin are some of the states represented. The cemetery is open to visitors throughout the year.
Danville 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 1995.
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...