Title: The History of Memorial Day
Original CoS Document (slug): the-history-of-memorial-day
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Created: 2024-05-24 12:45:17
Updated: 2024-06-30 03:00:01
Published: 2024-05-27 03:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T21:30:38.325467358
What we now know as Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day” and was a way to honor those who lost their lives in the Civil War. Early gestures to recognize our fallen warriors were held in various locales:
· Boalsburg, PA, October 1864, a trio of women decorated the graves of fallen soldiers.
· Charlestown, SC, May 1865, Black freedmen and White “northern abolitionist allies“ hosted an enormous and historically significant program at the “Martyrs of the Race Course” cemetery where 257 Union dead were buried.
· Columbus, GA, April 1866, A Ladies Memorial Association wanted to improve the city’s dilapidated cemetery “to set apart a certain day to be observed…and be handed down through time as a religious custom of the country, to wreathe the graves of our martyred dead with flowers.”
The city of Waterloo, NY claims the title of The Birthplace of Memorial Day. On a spring day in 1865, Waterloo, NY druggist Henry C. Welles watched as a lone widow walked to the cemetery to place flowers on the grave of her Civil War soldier husband. Welles was so moved by this solitary gesture that he resolved to do something to see that those who gave their lives in defense of their country would not be forgotten. Working with General John B. Murray, Welles planned the first Memorial Day in Waterloo in 1866; and for 150 consecutive years, Waterloo’s citizens have remembered our fallen warriors with parades, prayers and ceremonies.
Memorial Day received its formal recognition on May 5, 1868 when the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Commander-in-Chief, John A. Logan, issued General Order No. 11 (G.O. 11) or the “Memorial Day Act.” This issuance formally established “Memorial Day” as a Decoration Day for the nation to remember its war dead and decorate their graves with flowers. The GAR order placed the ceremonial observation on May 30 — to ensure availability of “the choicest flowers of springtime” all over the country. Part of Commander Logan’s moving speech is as follows:
We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, “of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion.” What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic. If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.
The first national Decoration Day celebration took place on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Approximately 11,250 White and Black Union soldiers were buried along with about 350 Confederate soldiers. More than half were buried as unknowns. In 1873, New York became the first state to officially recognize the holiday. All of the other Union states recognized Decoration Day by 1890.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date General Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May. The change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
Although many people see Memorial Day as the start of the summer season, it's important to remember we are honoring our fallen on this date. For many, this day is not a happy occasion but a solemn one. Rather than saying “Happy Memorial Day,” say something like “Have a meaningful Memorial Day” or “Enjoy this day of remembrance.” It’s also not appropriate to thank a service member for their service on this day, as it is a day for remembering and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and to preserve our freedom.
Here are some ways to honor Memorial Day:
1. Volunteer at a cemetery or memorial to place flags and wreaths.
2. Wear a poppy, a symbol of the lives lost in service.
3. Display the flag at half-staff (from sunrise to noon).
4. Participate in your community’s parades, or watch the national commemoration that takes place at Arlington National Cemetery.
5. Take a moment of silence and remembrance at 3 pm, local time