Civil War Unknowns Monument

The Civil War Unknowns Monument is a granite cenotaph located at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, standing above a brick-lined vault. The vault holds the remains of approximately 2,111 unidentified soldiers from the American Civil War.

The monument was built in 1866 as the first memorial at Arlington dedicated specifically to unidentified soldiers from the Civil War. It represented a turning point in how the nation honored those who fell without leaving a record of their names.

The monument serves as a gathering place where visitors pause to remember soldiers whose identities were lost to history. It represents respect for all who fell, regardless of who they were or where they came from.

The monument is accessible during daylight hours on the Arlington National Cemetery grounds near Arlington House. Wear comfortable shoes since the cemetery sits on hilly terrain and plan to walk through the grounds to reach it.

The remains come from soldiers gathered across a wide area around Washington, mainly from battlefields like Bull Run. This scattered origin makes the monument a symbol of how warfare touched many different places across the region.