Dayton 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

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

Montgomery County, Ohio Montgomery County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 537,309, making it the fifth-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat is Dayton. The county was named in honor ...

. It encompasses and as of July 18, 2019, had 55,359 interments. In January, 2014, it was one of only fourteen cemeteries to be designated as a national shrine. A new 2,000 niche columbarium was dedicated on July 24, 2014. It is one of a few National Cemeteries with their own Honor Squad. Since its formation, unless refused by family and during a few weeks the National Cemetery Administration disallowed military honors in their cemeteries, no veteran has been buried without a Rifle Salute in addition to "Taps" and the folding and presentation of the Flag. It is also the only National Cemetery with the remains of a funeral tunnel which once allowed deceased veterans to be removed from the Home Hospital to the cemetery. Plans are in process to restore the entrance into the tunnel to its original form.

History

The cemetery was established in 1867 as a place to inter veterans who died while under the care of the Central Branch of the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers and Seamen, located in Dayton. It was the third such home authorized by Abraham Lincoln, March 3, 1865, just before his death. The first interment, of Civil War veteran Cornelius Solly, was on September 11, 1867. The National Asylum became part of the newly formed

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 and ...

in 1930 and evolved into today's Dayton VA Medical Center. The cemetery was administered as part of the medical center until 1973, when it was transferred to the

National Cemetery Administration The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemetery, 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. ...

. Dayton National Cemetery is one of eight National Cemeteries with the remains of veterans from every major conflict the United States has been involved in dating back to the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. 650 Colored Troops are interred at Dayton National Cemetery, one of the largest collection of Colored Troops' graves which links the cemetery even further with Lincoln since he authorized the creation of Colored Troops units.

Noteworthy monuments

* The Dayton Soldiers' Monument was constructed between 1873 and 1877. It is a marble column on a granite base. Dedicated by President

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

. * A memorial to 33 soldiers of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

buried in this cemetery. A bronze plaque on a boulder. * A memorial to all Masonic Veterans was erected in 2018. Dedicated by Eric R. Schau, Grand Master and the Grand Lodge of Ohio.

Notable interments

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipients ** Henry W. Downs (1844–1911), for action in 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 ...

** Oscar Wadsworth Field (1873–1912), for action in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

George Geiger George Geiger (1843–1904) was a sergeant in the United States Army and the recipient to the highest military decoration for valor in combat — the Medal of Honor — for having distinguished himself at the Battle of the Little Big Horn on June ...

(1843–1904), for action at the

Battle of Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lako ...

during the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

** John H. James (1835–1914), for action in the Civil War **

Charles A. Taggart Charles A. Taggart (January 17, 1843 – April 10, 1938) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Biography Born on January 17, 1843, in Blandford, Massachusetts, T ...

(1843–1938), for action in the Civil War * Others **

Big Joe Duskin Joseph L. "Big Joe" Duskin (February 10, 1921 – May 6, 2007) was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist. He is best known for his debut album, ''Cincinnati Stomp'' (1978), and the tracks "Well, Well Baby" and "I Met a Girl Named Martha". ...

(1921–2007), American blues and boogie-woogie pianist **

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

(1937–2001), jazz saxophonist **

Tommy Henrich Thomas David Henrich (February 20, 1913 – December 1, 2009), nicknamed "The Clutch" and "Old Reliable", was an American professional baseball player of German descent. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a right fielder and ...

(1913–2009), Major League Baseball player ** James Hobbs (1819-1880),

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the Texas Rangers, author of '' Wild Life in the Far West'' (1872) ** Stubby Magner (1888–1956), Major League Baseball player ** Christian Null (1770–1832), Revolutionary War Soldier **

Marsena R. Patrick Marsena Rudolph Patrick (March 15, 1811 – July 27, 1888) was a college president and an officer in the United States Army, serving as a general in the Union Army, Union volunteer forces during the American Civil War. He was the provost marshal fo ...

(1811–1888), U.S. Army general **

Johnnie Wilder Jr. Johnnie James Wilder Jr. (July 3, 1949 – May 17, 2006) was the co-founder and co-lead singing, vocalist of the Rhythm and blues, R&B/funk group Heatwave (band), Heatwave, who were popular during the late 1970s with hits such as "Boogie Nights (so ...

(1949–2006), R&B/funk vocalist ** Paul P. Yoder (1897–1965), Ohio Lieutenant Governor (1937–1939) Other interments * One British Commonwealth war grave, of a

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

Corporal (died 1947)

References

External links

''A Nation Repays Its Debt:The National Soldiers' Home and Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio,'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
* * * {{Find a Grave cemetery
CWGC: Dayton National Cemetery
Cemeteries in Montgomery County, Ohio Protected areas of Montgomery County, Ohio United States national cemeteries Tourist attractions in Dayton, Ohio Geography of Dayton, Ohio Historic American Landscapes Survey in Ohio Cemeteries in Dayton, Ohio Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the United States