Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of the Union veterans' organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to pay tribute to fallen soldiers by adorning their graves with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day would be observed on May 30, a date likely selected because flowers would be blooming across the country.
That same year, Arlington National Cemetery, situated across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., hosted the first large-scale observance.
The ceremonies were held on the veranda of the Arlington mansion, which had previously been the residence of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Several Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, attended the event. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home, accompanied by GAR members, walked through the cemetery, placing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves while offering prayers and singing hymns.
Local Observances Claim to Be First
Springtime ceremonies to honor Civil War soldiers took place in various locations before Decoration Day was officially recognized. One of the earliest recorded observances happened in Columbus, Mississippi, on April 25, 1866. A group of women gathered at a cemetery to place flowers on the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in the Battle of Shiloh. Nearby, the graves of Union soldiers were left undecorated, as they were seen as the enemy. Seeing this, the women chose to place flowers on those graves as well.
Today, several cities in both the North and South claim to be the first to observe Memorial Day in 1866. Macon and Columbus, Georgia, along with Richmond, Virginia, each assert their role in the tradition. The village of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, claims it began the practice two years earlier. In Carbondale, Illinois, a stone marker in a cemetery states that the first Decoration Day ceremony was held there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was also the wartime home of Gen. John A. Logan, who later helped establish the holiday. In total, around 25 locations have been linked to the origins of Memorial Day, with many of them in the South, where large numbers of Civil War soldiers were laid to rest.
Official Birthplace Declared
In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson officially recognized Waterloo, New York, as the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town had held a ceremony on May 5, 1866, to honor its Civil War veterans. Businesses closed for the occasion, and residents lowered flags to half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim argue that other early observances were either informal, not community-wide, or one-time events.
By the late 19th century, Memorial Day was being observed nationwide on May 30. State legislatures passed proclamations to recognize the holiday, and both the Army and Navy set regulations for proper observance at military sites.
Following World War I, the holiday was expanded to honor all American service members who lost their lives in war rather than only those who fought in the Civil War. In 1971, Congress officially designated Memorial Day as a national holiday. Although still sometimes called Decoration Day, it was moved to the last Monday in May, aligning it with other federal holidays to create a long weekend for remembrance.
Some States Have Confederate Observances
Several Southern states have their own designated days to honor Confederate soldiers. Mississippi observes Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, while Alabama marks it on the fourth Monday of April. Georgia recognizes the day on April 26. In the Carolinas, both North and South Carolina observe it on May 10. Louisiana and Tennessee commemorate the day on June 3, with Tennessee referring to it as Confederate Decoration Day. Texas honors Confederate Heroes Day on January 19, and Virginia designates the last Monday in May as Confederate Memorial Day.
In 1868, Gen. John A. Logan ordered his posts to decorate soldiers' graves with the choicest flowers of springtime. He urged the public to protect these resting places with care, ensuring that no neglect or passage of time would make future generations forget the sacrifices made for a free and united nation.
The first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery drew about 5,000 people, a number similar to those who attend the observance today. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave, a tradition that continues in national cemeteries across the country. In recent years, this practice has expanded, with many families now decorating the graves of all their departed loved ones, not just military veterans.
The tradition of honoring those who die in war dates back to ancient times. Over 24 centuries ago, the Athenian leader Pericles paid tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War, saying that their memory lived on not only through monuments and inscriptions but also in the hearts of those who remembered them. This sentiment still applies today to the 1.1 million Americans who have lost their lives in service to the nation.
To ensure the sacrifices of America’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, the U.S. Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act in December 2000, which was then signed into law by the president. This act established the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s purpose is to inspire Americans to give back to their country and recognize the freedoms and opportunities they enjoy. It also works to promote nationwide observances of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.
As part of this effort, all Americans are encouraged to pause for one minute of silence at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to reflect on and honor those who died in military service. The founder of the Moment of Remembrance, Carmella LaSpada, emphasized that this observance serves to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day.
Mary Watson
