Florence 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 Florence, South Carolina. 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 encompasses , and as of 2021, had over 12,000 interments.

History

The cemetery was originally created on land appropriated, and later purchased, by the federal government. The land was first owned by James H. Jarrott and was a quarter of a mile from the Florence Stockade. It became a National Cemetery in 1865, and remains from nearby

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

battlefield cemeteries were transferred and reinterred there. Florence National Cemetery was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1998.

Notable interments

Florena Budwin Florena Budwin (or Florina Budwin) ( – January 25, 1865) was a Union Army soldier from Philadelphia who, disguised as a man, enlisted with her husband, an artillery captain, in the Civil War in order to stay with him. After being captured, she ...

, a woman who donned a

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 ...

uniform and pretended to be a man so she could serve alongside her husband, who was a Captain, in the

. Her husband was killed and she was captured by the

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 ...

forces, and served as a nurse at the Florence prisoner of war camp until her death. * Boatswain's Mate First Class James Elliott Williams,

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 valo ...

recipient for action in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration

Florence National Cemetery
* * * {{Authority control Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Historic American Landscapes Survey in South Carolina Buildings and structures in Florence, South Carolina United States national cemeteries South Carolina in the American Civil War Protected areas of Florence County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Florence County, South Carolina