| Vicksburg National Cemetery was established by an act of Congress in 1866. It serves
as a final resting place for United States Soldiers that gallantly served the country in a
time of national and international conflict. Vicksburg National Cemetery has the
distinction of having the largest number of Civil War interments of any
national cemetery in the
United States. Of the approximate 17,000 Union veterans, only 5,000 are known. The
soldiers that succumbed to wounds or disease as a result of the Civil War were typically
buried close to where they died. If the name of soldier was known, their grave was marked
with whatever materials were on hand. The most common method was etching the name onto a
board.
After the establishment of the Vicksburg National Cemetery extensive efforts were made
to locate the remains of the Union Soldiers throughout the Southeast and move them to
Vicksburg for reinterment. By the time this occurred many of the wooden markers had faded
or were lost to the elements making identification impossible.
The national cemetery also has veterans from the Mexican and Spanish-American Wars,
World War I and II, and the Korean Conflict. The cemetery is closed and no longer accepts
burials. The last reservation was made in 1963.
The names of the soldiers interred at the Vicksburg National Cemetery have been
compiled from the original national cemetery ledgers. The three volume set contains only
basic information about the veteran which was recorded at the time of interment. Although the
handwritten pencil entries are in remarkable condition, many entries contain
inaccuracies and/or only partial information about the soldier. The listings on
the following pages identify information as it is recorded in the Vicksburg National
Cemetery ledgers.
The website national cemetery records are indexed by the first letter(s) of the
LAST NAME. Example: If you wish to search for "William Smith" select
the "SM" listing.
Maps of the National Cemetery
Confederate Cemetery
|
