Another place not on the original itinerary we visited was Arlington National Cemetery. After talking with Bishop Hawkins about his trips to DC we decided that Arlington was a must see and so decided to begin the day there.
A centerpoint of the cemetery is the large home belonging to Rebel General Robert E. Lee. As local cemeteries filled up during the first years of the war, Union Quartermaster General Mongomery C. Meigs directed that the large number of Union dead in the Battle of the Wilderness be buried in what was in effect, Lee's front lawn!
Some years after the war the Lee family was compensated for the land and it became the premier military cemetery in the United States.
The forever flame at the graveside of John F, Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy and two of their children,
In a trip where we visited several battlefield cemetaries, Arlington stood out not only for its size, but for the sheer number of memorials. Unlike the other cemetaries, Arlington continues to be an active cemetary with burials daily.
The Tomb of the Unknowns is a special treat all by itself as members of the Army's Old Guard faithfully and precisely guard the Tomb day and night, in any kind of weather.
A particularly poignant sight was this horse being led back from a burial ceremony, the boots in the stirrups, backwards.
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