Wood National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
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 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. It encompasses 50.1 acres (202,747.7 m²), and as of the end of 2005, it had 37,661 interments. It is closed to new interments.
History
A part of the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Association Medical Center, the cemetery was established in 1871 as Soldier Home Cemetery to inter the remains of soldiers who died while under care in the medical center. In 1937, it was renamed Wood Cemetery in honor of General George Wood, a long-time member of the Board of Managers for the center. It became a National Cemetery in 1973 and is currently operated by the United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs
The 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...
.
Notable monuments
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors monument, a 60' high granite monument erected in 1903.
Notable interments
- Ordinary Seaman James K. Duncan, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient for service aboard USS Fort Hindman during the Civil War. - Private Milton Matthews, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Third Battle of PetersburgBattle of Petersburg IIIThe Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was a decisive Union assault on the Confederate trenches, ending the ten-month Siege of Petersburg and leading to the fall of Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia.-Fort Mahone:The Union IX Corps...
during the Civil War. - Boatswain’s Mate Michael McCormick, Medal of Honor recipient for service aboard USS SignalUSS SignalUSS Signal is a name used more than once by the United States Navy, and may refer to:, an American Civil War gunboat in commission from 1862 to 1864, eventually burned and its crew captured., a World War II tanker in commission from 1944 to 1946...
in the Red River CampaignRed River CampaignThe Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
during the Civil War. - Corporal Winthrop D. Putnam, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Battle of VicksburgBattle of VicksburgThe Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
during the Civil War. - Private Lewis A. Rounds, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court HouseBattle of Spotsylvania Court HouseThe Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
during the Civil War.
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...