Leavenworth National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Leavenworth National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery
located in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas
. It occupies 128.8 acre (0.521235568 km²) of land. As of the end of 2005 it had 30,875 interments. It is sometimes locally referred to as "Old Soldiers' Home
".
reservation. By 1886 several buildings were completed, and the first interment was made. During the construction of one of the nearby medical buildings, the remains of twelve Native Americans were found. They were re-interred in the cemetery.
This burying ground became part of the national cemetery system in 1930. It is the location of six Medal of Honor
recipients, five of them honored for service during the American Civil War
, and interments of other notable people.
In 1999 the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as a component of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Medical Center Historic District.
United States National Cemetery
"United States National Cemetery" is a designation for 146 nationally important cemeteries in the United States. A National Cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, veterans and their spouses but not exclusively so...
located in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. It occupies 128.8 acre (0.521235568 km²) of land. As of the end of 2005 it had 30,875 interments. It is sometimes locally referred to as "Old Soldiers' Home
Old soldiers' home
An old soldiers' home is a military veteran's retirement home, nursing home, or hospital, or sometimes even an institution for the care of the widows and orphans of a nation's soldiers, sailors, and marines, etc.-United States:...
".
History
Prior to construction of the medical buildings near the site, the land was part of a Delaware IndianLenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
reservation. By 1886 several buildings were completed, and the first interment was made. During the construction of one of the nearby medical buildings, the remains of twelve Native Americans were found. They were re-interred in the cemetery.
This burying ground became part of the national cemetery system in 1930. It is the location of six Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipients, five of them honored for service during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and interments of other notable people.
In 1999 the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as a component of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Medical Center Historic District.
Notable interments
- Private William W. Burritt, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Civil War.
- Corporal Daniel A. Dorsey, Medal of Honor recipient for action during the Great Locomotive ChaseGreat Locomotive ChaseThe Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews' Raid was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army, led by civilian scout James J...
at the time of the Civil War. - Sergeant John S. Durham, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of PerryvilleBattle of PerryvilleThe Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
during the Civil War. - Sergeant William Garrett, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of NashvilleBattle of NashvilleThe Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
during the Civil War. - Private John Gray, Musician, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of Port RepublicBattle of Port Republic-References:* Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8078-3200-4....
during the Civil War. - First Sergeant John H. Shingle, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of the RosebudBattle of the RosebudThe Battle of the Rosebud occurred June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and a force of Lakota Native Americans during the Black Hills War...
during the Indian WarsIndian WarsAmerican Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
.
- Arthur Guy Empey, World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran, author, film producer, and actor. - Clifford Johnson, Jr., World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran, Major League Baseball player. - General William LarimerWilliam Larimer, Jr.William Larimer, Jr. was a Kansas state senator, American settler, and land developer who is best known as the founder of Denver, Colorado in 1858. Larimer often went by "General Larimer", having acquired the title in the Pennsylvania Militia....
, founder of the city of Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. - Brigadier General Charles H. Barth
- Major General Charles I. Martin
- Brigadier General Uri Balcom Pearsall
- Carl PanzramCarl PanzramCarl Panzram was an American serial killer, arsonist and burglar. He is known for his confession to prison guard and only friend, Henry Lesser. In graphic detail, Panzram confessed to 22 murders, and to having sodomized over 1,000 males...
, serial killer.
Notable monuments
- A limestone obelisk, erected in 1919 and dedicated to "Soldiers Who Died For Their Country".
- A monument dedicated to the U.S. 4th Marine DivisionU.S. 4th Marine DivisionThe 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It is the ground combat element of the Marine Forces Reserve and is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana and has units throughout the United States.-Mission:...
in 2002.
See also
- United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
- United States National Cemetery