Poplar Grove National Cemetery

 

Poplar Grove National Cemetery

NPS

A Nation's Need

In July 1862, Congress passed a law that allowed the president to buy land for cemeteries "for the soldiers who shall die in the service of their country." This law marked the start of the National Cemetery system.

The War Department established Poplar Grove National Cemetery on May 7, 1866. Intended as a final resting place for US soldiers who died during the Civil War, the cemetery today holds more than 6,000 veterans from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean Conflict. The cemetery closed to new burials in 1957.

History

The land that now forms Poplar Grove National Cemetery sits on a natural divide between the plateau uplands and the tidewater region. Native American tribes hunted in this area long before European settlement. In the 1830s, the site was part of a large plantation known as the Clifford Tract. A 450-acre section of land changed owners until the Flowers family purchased it in 1856.

 

Church built by the 50th NY Engineers

Library of Congress

Civil War

In 1864, U.S. forces extended their lines west of Petersburg. The Flowers family allowed the 50th New York Engineers to establish a camp on part of their farm. The engineers built a camp that included office quarters, company barracks, and a hospital, all connected by wooden plank walkways. They also constructed a large Gothic-style church at the edge of the parade ground. After the war, formerly enslaved people used the church as a meeting place. In late 1868, the church was dismantled.

The Cemetery

In 1866, Lt. Col. James Moore selected the former 50th New York Engineers camp as the site for Poplar Grove National Cemetery. Over the next three years, a burial corps of 96 men undertook the difficult task of recovering soldiers’ remains. They searched the battlefields around Petersburg and locations up to 150 miles away. They also re-interred 269 soldiers from the prisoner-of-war camp in Lynchburg, Virginia. A soldier’s remains were buried in the order they arrived. As a result, US Colored Troops, Native Americans, immigrants, and a few Confederate soldiers were buried throughout the cemetery alongside white soldiers. Even soldiers from the same unit may not rest next to one another. By 1869, over 6,180 soldiers were buried at Poplar Grove, though only one-third of the names are known.

 

In 1933, the War Department transferred the cemetery to the National Park Service. Poplar Grove is one of fourteen national cemeteries administered by the NPS. It is closed for burials, but visitors are invited to walk the grounds, which are open daily.

If you are looking for a specific soldier, check out Burials at Poplar Grove National Cemetery. For questions about the soldiers buried at Poplar Grove, please contact us via e-mail.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors system containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. If you are looking for information on Confederate soldiers who may be buried in the Petersburg area, may also call the Blandford Church Reception Center at [phone] for additional information.

 

Luminaries stand in front of headstones November 12, 2022.

NPS

Annual Events

Soldiers buried at the cemetery are honored at several events through out the year.

• Memorial Day - Flags are placed in front of grave markers. .

• Veteran’s Day - Luminaries are placed in front of grave markers. (Saturday closest to November 11)

• December - Wreaths are placed on the grave markers as part of the Wreaths Across America program.