Arlington Cemetery- Tribute to the Heroes Who Fought & Died for our Freedom

Below is a photo gallery of Arlington.  Please click on each individual photo to enlarge them

A somberness lay over the cemetery where so many fallen heroes lie in eternal sleep.  The air was heavy with respect and sadness as the gravestones spread out in every direction for what seemed an endless array. 

As you can see in this photo to the left, someone has visited their loved one and placed a small bouquet of purple flowers at its base.  Occasionally family members and friends leave stones atop the headstones. 

There are still gaps representing unused burial plots.  However, there are few left.  Arlington is quickly running out of space.

A Brief History of Arlington

There is quite an interesting history surrounding Arlington.  It was once the home of Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army.  The House and Senate decided that they wanted to send a message to Lee and the Confederate states after the war.  They chose his estate for the site of the cemetery in which the Union soldiers were to be buried. They wanted him to always be reminded of the death and destruction that was caused by this war, (which they felt was the sole responsibility of the Confederate states).  It was a slap in the face to Lee as well as a loud message for the people who supported slavery.  The United States wanted him to feel a loss that would haunt him just as the families of the Union army, (as well as those on the Confederate side), had to endure with the loss of their loved ones.  That was the reason for the creation of Arlington Cemetery.

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