St. Augustine National Cemetery
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St. Augustine National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida. It encompasses 1.4 acres, and as of the end of 2005 had 2,788 interments. It is currently closed to new interments.
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[edit] History
The first interment took place in the area of the cemetery in 1828. The first burials were veterans of the Indian Wars, including many that were transferred from burial grounds in what was then Seminole controlled territory.
During the American Civil War, St. Augustine was initially claimed by the Confederacy, but was quickly occupied by Union forces and remained in Union hands for the remainder of the war. After the war, the cemetery was expanded and improved, and in 1881 it became a National Cemetery.
St. Augustine National Cemetery was included in a National Historic Landmark historic district that encompasses the oldest part of the city in 1970.
[edit] Notable monuments
- The Dade Monument, three coquina pyramids erected in 1842 to mark the end of the second of the Seminole Wars. Beneath them are the remains of 1,468 soldiers who died during the wars.
[edit] Notable interments
- Major Francis L. Dade, namesake of Dade County, Missouri, Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Dade County, Georgia, veteran of the Indian Wars.
