William Henry Christman (October 1, 1844 – May 11, 1864) was the first soldier to be buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Christman was a laborer from

Pocono Lake, Pennsylvania Pocono Lake is a subsection of Pocono Pines in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. Pocono Lake is located slightly west of Pocono Pines by Pennsylvania Route 940. ''Pocono'' is a Native American name purported to mean "a stream between t ...

. He enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

for service 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 th ...

on March 25, 1864, serving in the 67th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. He was hospitalized for measles five weeks later, being admitted to Lincoln General Hospital on May 1, and died on May 11. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery on May 13, 1864, the first Union soldier to be so interred.

References

External links

The William Henry Christman Story
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christman, William Henry 1844 births 1864 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Deaths from measles Union Army soldiers People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War