Civil War History at Arlington National Cemetery Part I, A Guided Walking Tour

No battles were fought in Arlington, but the first soldier was buried on the property in the spring of 1864 and by the end of the war there were thousands of burials. We'll discuss events of the Civil War era including decisions by Abraham Lincoln and others that led to the creation of the cemetery and about some of the soldiers buried there and battles they fought. On this tour we'll walk up towards the Arlington House and look at gravesites in the sections behind the house. We'll talk about and see the gravesites of:

The one-armed cavalry officer who fought with the French in North Africa

The man whose resentment towards the Confederacy helped create the cemetery

The Union officer who may have fired one of the first shots of the war

The soldier who was seriously injured in the war, survived and witnessed one of the most historic events of 1865

This is a Civil War era tour of Arlington National Cemetery and is not a standard introductory tour. The tour is two hours with lots of walking including up hills, so be prepared with water (which can be purchased on site), hat, sunscreen and walking shoes. There is a substantial uphill walk as a part of this tour. The formal tour will not include visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or the Kennedy grave site. We will end the tour near the Arlington House which you can visit on your own after the tour.

This is an in-person event at the cemetery and will not be available on-line.

There is paid parking at the cemetery which is $3 per hour (max $12) or use the Arlington Cemetery stop on the Metro’s Blue Line. We’ll meet at the entrance to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. From the parking lot or Metro stop, go through security at the Welcome Center and walk into the cemetery. At the first main road, turn right and you will see the large stone structure that is the Women's Memorial. We will meet outside the front entrance. I'll be wearing a broad-brimmed light=colored hat with a black band and carrying a tan shoulder bag.

If you are running late, check at the meeting place because I will do an introduction there for at least 15 minutes and then we'll be walking up towards the Arlington House on Sheridan Drive and we will stop near the Old Ampitheater.

I am calling this Part I because I have another Civil War focused tour at the cemetery where we visit the grave of Robert Lincoln and the first Civil War soldier who was buried at Arlington, but we won't be going there on this tour.

My name is Harry, and I am a long-time resident of Northern Virginia and have been leading specialized tours at the cemetery and other locations in the DC area since 2015. There is no upfront cost for the tour, but I will accept gratuities at the end.