Arlington Cemetery

George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of Martha Washington and eventually the adopted son of George Washington, purchased the land in 1802 and built Arlington House, the grounds’ regal home. Custis passed along the estate to his daughter, Mary Anna, but in his will forbade her to ever sell.Mary Anna Custis married a military man. Robert E. Lee. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, Lee resigned his U.S. army commission and became commander of the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Two weeks after secession, Virginia troops occupied the Arlington estate, and Union General Winfield Scott feared such a prime location for the Confederate forces. He ordered Brigadier General Irvin McDowell to clear Arlington Estate and the city of Alexandria of all troops not loyal to the United States. The Union troops moved in unopposed;  the Union had Arlington Estate and never would return it.The government formally acquired Arlington at an 1864 tax sale for $26,800 and turned it into a national cemetery. Ten years later, Mary Anna Lee’s son, Custis Lee, sued, claiming ownership of Arlington Estate. In 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lee’s favor, returning Arlington National to the family. Custis Lee sold it back to the U.S. for $150,000.Over the years, additional grave sites have been added around the grounds and through expansion. The most famous attraction at Arlington National is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is part of the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. The amphitheater has hosted state funerals and holiday ceremonies.Behind the amphitheater is the Tomb, on a hill overlooking D.C. The Tomb was opened to the public in 1932. The crypts there contain the remains of an unknown solider from each of the two world wars, plus the Korean War. An unknown soldier from Vietnam was interred there in 1984, but those remains later were identified as belonging to Air Force 1st Lieutenant Michael J. Blassie. His remains were moved to St. Louis, and the decision was made to keep the...