St. Augustine 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 St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida. Located on the grounds of the active military installation known as St. Francis Barracks, the state headquarters of the

Florida National Guard The Florida National Guard is the National Guard force of the state of Florida. It comprises the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard. The United States Constitution charges the National Guard with dual federal and st ...

, it encompasses , and as of the end of 2005 had 2,788 interments. 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 is currently closed to new interments. It was listed on 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 2016.

History

The first interment took place in the area of the cemetery in 1828 it was then used as the post cemetery for the St. Francis Barracks. The first burials were soldiers stationed at St. Francis Barracks and veterans of 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 ...

, including many that were transferred from burial grounds in what was then

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

controlled territory. During 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 ...

, St. Augustine was initially claimed by the Confederacy, but was quickly occupied by

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 ...

forces and remained in Union hands for the remainder of the war. After the war, the cemetery was expanded and improved, and in 1881 it became a National Cemetery. The cemetery also contains the graves of five British Commonwealth servicemen of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, a soldier of the Royal Corps of Signals and four aviation officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
CWGC Cemetery report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record. St. Augustine National Cemetery was included in a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

historic district that encompasses the oldest part of the city in 1970.

Notable monuments

* The Dade Monument, three coquina pyramids erected in 1842 to mark the end of the second of the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

. Beneath them are the remains of 1,468 soldiers who died during the wars.

Notable interments

* Major Francis L. Dade (1792–1835), namesake of Dade County, Missouri,

Miami-Dade County, Florida Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

, and

Dade County, Georgia Dade County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. It occupies the northwest corner of Georgia, and the county's own northwest corner is the westernmost point in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population is 16,251. The county seat an ...

, veteran of the

.Cemetery profile at nps.gov
/ref> * Brigadier General

Martin Davis Hardin Martin Davis Hardin (June 26, 1837 – December 12, 1923) was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was appointed a brigadier general on July 6, 1864, to rank from July 2, 1864, the date of U.S. Senate co ...

(1837–1923), Civil War Union general

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration

St. Augustine National Cemetery
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Augustine National Cemetery Cemeteries in Florida

National Cemetery The following is a partial list of prominent National Cemeteries: Africa Algeria * El Alia Cemetery, Algiers Burundi * Mausolée des Martyrs de la Démocratie, Bujumbura Ghana * Asomdwee Park, Accra * Burma Camp Military Cemetery, Accra L ...

United States national cemeteries Buildings and structures in St. Johns County, Florida

Historic American Landscapes Survey in Florida Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida National Register of Historic Places in St. Johns County, Florida 1828 establishments in Florida Territory Monuments and memorials in Florida Cemeteries established in the 1820s

History

Notable monuments

Notable interments

See also

References

External links