St. Augustine National Cemetery

History

History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.

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St. Augustine National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida. Located on the grounds of the active military installation known as St. Francis Barracks, the state headquarters of the Florida National Guard, it encompasses 1.4 acres (0.57 ha), and as of the end of 2005 had 2,788 interments. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it is currently closed to new interments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

The first interment took place in the area of the cemetery in 1828; it was then used as the post cemetery for the St. Francis Barracks. The first burials were soldiers stationed at St. Francis Barracks and veterans of the Indian Wars, including many that were transferred from burial grounds in what was then Seminole-controlled territory.

During the American Civil War, St. Augustine was initially claimed by the Confederacy, but was quickly occupied by Union forces and remained in Union hands for the remainder of the war. After the war, the cemetery was expanded and improved, and in 1881 it became a National Cemetery.

The cemetery also contains the graves of five British Commonwealth servicemen of World War II, a soldier of the Royal Corps of Signals, and four aviation officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.

St. Augustine National Cemetery was included in a National Historic Landmark historic district that encompasses the oldest part of the city in 1970.

Added by: sdonley on 03/20/2025 DB#:696
Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine_Nation...

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Brigadier General Martin Davis Hardin

Civil War Union Brigadier General. He was a graduate of US Military Academy, class of 1859. At the start of the Civil War, he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Pennsylvania Reserves and was promoted Colonel in command of the 12th Pennsylvania Regiment in July 1862. He led the 12th Pennsylvania in actions from the Peninsula to Falmouth and was wounded at Antietam. At the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1863, he commanded his regiment and an artillery battery at Little Round Top. For his service at Gettysburg, he was promoted Brigadier General in October 1863, in command of Fort De Russy. His last service action was as a commander of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division of the V Corps at the Battle of Cold Harbor, Louisiana, in June 1864.

Added by: sdonley on 03/20/2025 DB#:697
Source(s):
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5888419/martin...

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