It’s the three-day weekend that officially kicks off the summer season.
A time for hanging at the beach…barbecuing…
…or maybe catching a few laps at the Indianapolis 500.
But Memorial Day is also America’s most solemn holiday — a time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our nation.
Where It Began
The Civil War was the bloodiest chapter in America’s history, with more than 600,000 soldiers killed in action. When it finally ended, mourners in both the North and the South began placing flags and flowers on the graves of these lost loved ones.
The town of Waterloo, New York, is credited with starting Memorial Day on May 5, 1866. They closed their shops and businesses so that everyone could decorate the graves of those fallen soldiers. Former Union General John Logan spearheaded the effort to unite all decoration services into one national holiday, designating May 30 as Decoration Day.
In 1868, more than 5,000 war widows, orphans, and mourners gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to place flowers and ribbons on the 20,000 graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.
Throughout the 19th century, ceremonies were held at all the major Civil War battlefields, including Gettysburg and Antietam. By the end of the 1800s, the holiday had been renamed Memorial Day.
Comrades in Arms
But war wounds ran deep. Most southern states refused to commemorate a holiday they regarded as honoring Union soldiers. Instead, they memorialized their war dead with different Confederate Decoration Days. (Several southern states continue that tradition to this day.)
WWI ushered in the age of modern warfare. America lost more than 130,000 men in the global conflict. This shared experience finally bonded America’s North and South.
When the war ended, Memorial Day became a time to honor all American soldiers who died in battle as far back as the Revolutionary War.
Unknown But Not Forgotten
In 1921, America interred its first Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Since that time, our unknown fallen heroes are honored every Memorial Day with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — a poignant reminder of all those who never made it home.
Sources:
Featured Image: Adobe, License Granted
History.com