Happy Memorial Day!

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5,1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers, however, Major General John A. Logan declared it should be May 30.  It is believed the date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.  The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of General Robert E. Lee.  General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant and other Washington officials presided.  After the speeches, children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.

Prior to 1868, local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead had been held in other places.  One of the first occurred in Columbus, MS on April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh.  Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy.  Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.

Today, many cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.  Both Macon and Columbus, GA, claim the title, as well as Richmond, VA.  The village of Boalsburg, PA, claims it began there two years earlier.  A stone in a Carbondale, IL, cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866.  Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.

In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the "birthplace" of Memorial Day.  By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation.  State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day.  The Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.  It was not until after World War I, however, that Decoration Day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars.

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day.  It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays. 

Don't just shop - Remember those who gave their lives for us.
Happy Memorial Day!