Mobile National Cemetery

Introduction

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Mobile National Cemetery was established in 1865 and originally located within a portion of Magnolia Cemetery which surrounds this historic site. Following a request from the United States Army for additional space following a battle in Mobile Bay, the Union-occupied city of Mobile donated three acres for the use as a military cemetery. Notable burials within the cemetery include Chappo Geronimo, the son of Indian Chief Geronimo, who had been held in captivity in the northern part of Mobile County by Confederate troops. After the Civil War, this site became one of many national cemeteries and serves as the final resting place for soldiers from the Civil War to the Korean War and Vietnam. Mobile National Cemetery is closed to new internments and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 27th, 1984.

Images

Image of Mobile National Cemetery as it appeared in 2008.

Image of Mobile National Cemetery as it appeared in 2006

Backstory and Context

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Mobile National Cemetery consists of three acres that were donated by the city on May 11, 1866, making this the first National Cemetery in Alabama. Prior to this time, Union soldiers were buried in Magnolia Cemetery which encompasses the site reserved for a national cemetery.

Union forces occupied Mobile Bay since August 5, 1864 and maintained a naval blockade through the rest of the war. After taking control of the area, the United States Army needed burial space for and began interments at the city-owned Magnolia Cemetery. After this initial wave of burials, the army needed yet more space, and the city agreed to donate the three acres of land that would become Mobile National Cemetery on May 11, 1866. The national cemetery serves as the final resting place for 841 Civil War soldiers. The cemetery is also the burial site of the son of the Indian Chief Geronimo, Chappy Geronimo, who had been held in captivity in the northern part of Mobile County.

In February of 1871, inspectors reported that only 124 out of the 841 Civil War graves could be identified. At that time, the Army ranked Mobile a first-class cemetery which is a reflection of a cemetery's size and activity. By 1876, it was reclassified as a second-class cemetery. The cemetery is closed to new burials owing to a lack of available space. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 27th, 1984.

Sources

Sieller, Anne L.. Magnolia Cemetery including Mobile National Cemetery, National Register of Historic Places. June 13th 1986. Accessed November 12th 2020. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=60ed2dd4-16be-4e69-8273-5c4ed611008c.

National Cemetery Administration. Mobile Cemetery Administration, US Department of Veterans Affairs. April 29th 2019. Accessed November 12th 2020. https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/mobile.asp.

National Parks Service. Mobile National Cemetery Mobile, Alabama, National Parks Service. Accessed November 12th 2020. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/Alabama/Mobile_National_Cemetery.html.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Image sourced from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mobile_National_Cemetery.JPG

Image sourced from: https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.al1321.photos/?sp=8