Haunted Graveyards of the Ozarks by David E. Harkins

Author:David E. Harkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2013-09-08T16:00:00+00:00

SPRINGFIELD NATIONAL CEMETERY

SPRINGFIELD

Springfield National Cemetery was established in 1867 on prairie land south of Springfield, Missouri. Today, the cemetery’s eighteen acres are bounded by residential neighborhoods and commercial areas. Initially created as a final resting place for Union soldiers who died at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek near Springfield, the cemetery now contains the remains of veterans from other wars, including the Revolutionary War, Spanish-American War and World War II. The Springfield National Cemetery also includes a six-acre portion established by the Confederate Cemetery Association in 1871. An act of Congress in 1911 authorized the secretary of war to accept the Confederate cemetery as part of the Springfield National Cemetery.

Springfield lies on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozark Mountains, which gives the city its nickname, “Gateway of the Ozarks.” First settled in 1829 by John Polk Campbell, the area quickly became an established settlement with stores, mills and a post office and was incorporated as a town in 1838.

Although Missouri voted to stay in the Union, Confederate sympathies ran strong throughout the state. On August 10, 1861, the first major Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi River occurred ten miles south of Springfield. More than five thousand Union troops and twelve thousand Confederate forces clashed at Wilson’s Creek. The battle ended in a Confederate victory, but disorganization and bad planning prevented Southern forces from capitalizing on their success. The battle is significant, marking the first death of a Union general in combat; Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon died during a Union charge, felled by a Confederate bullet.

After the Civil War, the City of Springfield purchased eighty acres of prairie for a cemetery and granted the U.S. government the privilege of selecting a plot for a national cemetery. Five acres were selected on the highest ground and purchased for $37.50 an acre. The Springfield National Cemetery was officially established in 1867, and many of the men who died in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek were buried there. Additionally, the remains of Union troops buried in several Missouri counties were removed and reinterred in the new cemetery.

In 1871, a Confederate cemetery was established adjacent to the national cemetery, containing roughly 6.0 acres total with an area of 2.7 acres enclosed by a wall. In March 1911, Congress authorized the secretary of war to accept the Confederate cemetery as part of the Springfield National Cemetery. A deed restriction prevented the burial of anyone other than Confederate military veterans within the boundaries of the old Confederate cemetery.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.