Fort Bayard National Cemetery, Military cemetery in Fort Bayard, New Mexico, United States

Fort Bayard National Cemetery is a military burial ground in New Mexico holding graves of service members and their families. The site spreads across spacious terrain near the former fort and contains thousands of burial plots spanning multiple periods.

Fort Bayard was established in 1866 to protect miners and settlers along the Apache Trail, and the first burial was made that same year. The post was named for Brigadier General George Dashiell Bayard, mortally wounded at Fredericksburg in 1862. In 1900 the Army transferred the fort to the Surgeon General's Department as a tuberculosis hospital; in 1922 the hospital passed to the Veterans Administration and the cemetery officially became Fort Bayard National Cemetery. It joined the national cemetery system in 1973 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 7, 2002, as part of the Fort Bayard Historic District.

The cemetery reflects the legacy of African American soldiers who served in the region and shaped its settlement history. Their presence here remains an important part of local memory and understanding of western expansion.

The cemetery is open to visitors during daylight hours, with administrative offices available at specific times. It is best to plan your visit during daytime and check ahead for office hours before arriving.

The cemetery's grounds were once part of a military post whose hospital, chosen in 1900 by Surgeon General George Miller Sternberg for its excellent health record, became an Army tuberculosis research center. From 1943 to 1945 the fort also held German prisoners of war.