By: HISTORY.com Editors

1868

Civil War dead honored on Decoration Day

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: February 09, 2010Last Updated: January 31, 2025

By proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first major Memorial Day observance is held to honor those who died “in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” Known to some as “Decoration Day,” mourners honored the Civil War dead by decorating their graves with flowers. On the first Decoration Day, May 30, 1868, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried in the cemetery.

Memorial Day

Take a look at the holiday honoring America's fallen heroes.

The 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances that had taken place in various locations in the three years since the end of the Civil War. In fact, several cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Mississippi; Macon, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; and Carbondale, Illinois. In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon B. Johnson, declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 19th century, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day, and after World War I, observers began to honor the dead of all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. It is customary for the president or vice president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. More than 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually. Some Southern states set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.

One of the Earliest Memorial Day Ceremonies Was Held by Freed African Americans

At the close of the Civil War, people recently freed from slavery in Charleston honored fallen Union soldiers.

At the close of the Civil War, people recently freed from slavery in Charleston honored fallen Union soldiers.

Timeline

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Citation Information

Article title: Civil War dead honored on Decoration Day
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-30/civil-war-dead-honored-on-decoration-day

Date Accessed: September 15, 2025
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: January 31, 2025
Original Published Date: February 09, 2010

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