Danville National Cemetery is a

United States National Cemetery The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress o ...

located in the city of Danville, in Boyle County, Kentucky. Administered by the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

, it has 394 interments and is currently closed to new interments.

Description

The Danville National Cemetery is located within the

Bellevue Cemetery Bellevue Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Lawrence and Methuen, Massachusetts. Established in 1847 and owned by the city of Lawrence, it is the first and principal cemetery of the city and a notable example of a rural cemetery. In conjunctio ...

in Danville. The national cemetery site is located in the north-west corner and containing . It consists of 18 cemetery lots laid off in the form of a rectangle. Near the center of the north side is a bronze plaque inscribed with "Danville National Cemetery" and the seal of the Veterans Administration (now the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

). A square limestone post, with the letters "U.S." inscribed on the upper face, is situated at each corner of the national cemetery. A flagpole, 70 feet high, constructed in 1971, is located just south of the bronze plaque identifying the national cemetery. There are no buildings, walls, or fences within the national cemetery. Graves are marked with upright marble headstones.

History

When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

started, the federal government appropriated 18 cemetery lots from what was then Danville City Cemetery. The small lot was designated a National Cemetery in 1862. It is divided into six sections, five of which are for the interment of soldiers, and the other for civilians. The original interments were

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers who died while under care in military hospitals in Danville. A

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

lot in the city cemetery with 66 interments is next to Danville National Cemetery. During the early months of 1863, Confederate detachments infiltrated among the Union garrisons trying to protect Kentucky. On March 24, 1863, the city of Danville was captured by Confederate General

John Pegram John Pegram (November 16, 1773April 8, 1831) was a Virginia planter, soldier and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, both houses of the Virginia General Assembly and a major general during the War of 1812. Ear ...

and his cavalry brigade, despite stout resistance from Colonel

Frank Lane Wolford Frank Lane Wolford (September 2, 1817 – August 2, 1895) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. Wolford was born near Columbia, Kentucky. He attended the common schools, studied law and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice ...

, commander of the First Kentucky Union Cavalry. Danville was also the site of several hospitals which cared for the Civil War wounded.

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration
* * * * {{Find a Grave cemetery, 73029, Bellevue Cemetery Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Kentucky in the American Civil War National Register of Historic Places in Danville, Kentucky United States national cemeteries Protected areas of Boyle County, Kentucky Historic American Landscapes Survey in Kentucky 1862 establishments in Kentucky American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places