Salisbury National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Salisbury National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery
located in the city of Salisbury
, in Rowan County, North Carolina
. It encompasses 63.5 acres (25.7 ha), and as of the end of 2005, had 20,970 interments.
as a place to inter Union
prisoners of war who died while held in Salisbury. The conditions at the prison were poor, and many of those incarcerated there succumbed to disease or starvation. Many of the dead were buried in eighteen 240 feet (73.2 m) trench graves without coffins, so it is unknown exactly how many prisoners were buried there, but the accepted figure is 11,700. After the American Civil War
, it officially became a National Cemetery and had remains from other cemeteries around the area transferred to it.
Salisbury National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1999.
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 Salisbury
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in Rowan County in North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. The population was 33,663 in the 2010 Census . It is the county seat of Rowan County...
, in Rowan County, North Carolina
Rowan County, North Carolina
-Demographics and economics:As of the census of 2010, there were 138,428 people, 53,140 households, and 37,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 270.7 people per square mile . There were 60,211 housing units at an average density of 117.7 per square mile...
. It encompasses 63.5 acres (25.7 ha), and as of the end of 2005, had 20,970 interments.
History
Salisbury National Cemetery was established by the ConfederacyConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
as a place to inter Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
prisoners of war who died while held in Salisbury. The conditions at the prison were poor, and many of those incarcerated there succumbed to disease or starvation. Many of the dead were buried in eighteen 240 feet (73.2 m) trench graves without coffins, so it is unknown exactly how many prisoners were buried there, but the accepted figure is 11,700. After 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...
, it officially became a National Cemetery and had remains from other cemeteries around the area transferred to it.
Salisbury National 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...
in 1999.
Notable monuments
- A 25 feet (7.6 m) granite monument topped by a statue of a soldier, erected in 1908 by the state of MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. - The Federal Monument to the Unknown Dead, a 50 feet (15.2 m) granite obelisk erected in 1876.
- The Pennsylvania Monument, a 40 feet (12.2 m) monument on a granite base, erected in 1909.
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 CemeteryUnited 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...