Civil War Unknowns Monument
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
This monument used to sit in the famous rose garden near the Arlington House and is dedicated to those unknown soldiers that lost their lives in the Civil War. The was created in 1866, and they chose to bury the bodies at this location to prevent the Lee family from returning to their Arlington House.
Images
where it sits at Arlington Cemetery
This is a picture of the Monument with a close up on the Words written on it honoring the fallen troups
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Civil War Unknowns Monument was created in 1866 and is one of the oldest Monuments at the Arlington Cemetery. It was created to remember all those who lost their lives fighting the Civil War. It was created near the Arlington House (Robert E. Lee House) in what was once the famous rose garden. (1)
There are 2,111 bodies buried in a masonry vault underneath the monument. These bodies were unidentifiable and sometimes only part of the body was recovered. The bodies were found on the battlefields of Bull Run and on route to Rappahanock scattered in trenches and across the fields. Those who could not be identified were gathered and moved into this mass grave. The bodies were gathered at the specific site in front of Arlington House in order to prevent the Lee family from ever being able to move back into the house. (1)
The Monument was the first monument at Arlington to be dedicated to soldiers. The monument states:
"Beneath this stone, Repose the bones of two thousand one hundred and eleven, Unknown soldiers, Gathered after the war, From the fields of Bull Run, And the route to the Rappahanock, Their remains could not be identified. but their names and deaths, Are, Recorded in the archives for their country, and its graceful citizens, Honor them as of their noble army of martyrs. May they rest in peace. September A.D. 1866." (1)
There are 2,111 bodies buried in a masonry vault underneath the monument. These bodies were unidentifiable and sometimes only part of the body was recovered. The bodies were found on the battlefields of Bull Run and on route to Rappahanock scattered in trenches and across the fields. Those who could not be identified were gathered and moved into this mass grave. The bodies were gathered at the specific site in front of Arlington House in order to prevent the Lee family from ever being able to move back into the house. (1)
The Monument was the first monument at Arlington to be dedicated to soldiers. The monument states:
"Beneath this stone, Repose the bones of two thousand one hundred and eleven, Unknown soldiers, Gathered after the war, From the fields of Bull Run, And the route to the Rappahanock, Their remains could not be identified. but their names and deaths, Are, Recorded in the archives for their country, and its graceful citizens, Honor them as of their noble army of martyrs. May they rest in peace. September A.D. 1866." (1)
Cite This Entry
Bulger, Patrick. "Civil War Unknowns Monument." Clio: Your Guide to History. September 26, 2016. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/8903
Sources
(1) "Civil War Unknowns Monument," accessed on November 11, 2014, http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore-the-Cemetery/Monuments-and-Memorials/Civil-War-Unknowns