may 13, 1864 - The First Burial Takes Place in Arlington National Cemetary

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The first burial in Arlington National Cemetery occurred on May 13, 1864. The person buried here was named Private William Christman and was the first of many soldiers to be buried in this land. On June 15, 1864, the U.S. Army officially designated the 200 acres of land as a military cemetery. Before the burial, and because the war was so bloody, the Union was running out of land to bury fallen soldiers. To solve this problem, the Union used Robert E. Lee’s plantation in Arlinton, Virginia. Due to Lee’s abandonment of his property at the beginning of the Civil War, the Union seized Arlington Estate with ease. This choice of land was also very symbolic, as the soldiers who died fighting Lee’s army would be buried on his front lawn. Following this burial, around 400,000 veterans have been buried in this ground, and it is truly a sight to see.

https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/History-of-Arlington-National-Cemetery
Creating America. A History of the United States, 520

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