Memorial Day - When Did It Start

When I was thinking about Memorial Day and what it means to the nation, I went to a source that is directly involved with veterans, The Department of Veterans Affairs. There is a wealth of information on their web pages including a library of historical information. The following story is gleaned for their collection from the VA's Office of Public Affairs.

THE ORIGINS of MEMORIAL DAY

Three years after the Civil War ended, the head of the organization of Union veterans - the Grand Army of the Republic - established Decoration Day on May 5, 1868. Set aside to place flowers on the graves of war dead. It was changed to May 30 by a Gen. Logan because he believed more flowers would be in bloom then.

The first observance was at Arlington Cemetery that year with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant presided over the ceremonies. Flowers were then strewn on both Union and Confederate graves.

Springtime tributes to Civil War dead had been held in various places after the conflict.  April of 1866 women visited a cemetery in Columbus, Mississippi to put flowers on Confederate graves. Union graves were neglected because they were the enemy. The women were upset by the site so they place flowers on their graves too.

A number of cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Boalsburg, Pa., Carbondale, Ill, Macon and Columbus, Ga. as well as Richmond, Va. In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y. the "birthplace of Memorial Day.  This community wide event took place on May 5, 1866.

By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held across the nation. It wasn't until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who died in all the wars. Memorial was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress in 1971.

Many southern states have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi has Confederate Memorial Day, Texas calls theirs Confederate Heroes Day and Louisiana and Tennessee celebrates Confederate Decoration Day.

In December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law "The National Moment of Remembrance Act." The act encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who died in service to the nation.

If you are interested in military traditions and American history you can go to www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate_americas_freedoms.asp. This is the U.S. Department of Veterans  (VA) web site.