Baton Rouge National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in

East Baton Rouge Parish East Baton Rouge Parish (; ) is the most populous List of parishes in Louisiana, parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its population was 456,781 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat, parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, in the city of

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. It encompasses , and as of 2020, had over 5,000 interments. The cemetery was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on July 9, 1997.

History

Massachusetts Monument by John Wilson Baton Rouge National Cemetery

Burials in the cemetery grounds took place as early as 1830, but the site was predominantly used during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

to bury soldiers who died in Baton Rouge and the surrounding battlefields, including Plaquemine and Camden. It became an official National Cemetery in 1867, and rewards were given to anyone who reported the grave of a Union soldier, so that his remains could be reinterred in the cemetery. First superintendent was Henry W. Taylor, a discharged 1st Sergeant of Company B, 45th Infantry Regiment. wit
four photos and two maps
With . In 1878 two men, Michael and Bernard Jodd, were hired to build a brick wall around the cemetery, which was previously enclosed by a picket fence, but before it was completed, both men contracted yellow fever and died in September 1878. They were interred in the cemetery and the wall was completed by local laborers. The wall was surfaced with stucco in 1936. The entrance on North 19th Street is protected by a double iron gate built in 1933.

Massachusetts Monument

The cemetery contains a commemorative monument, erected in 1909 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and built by J. N. White and Sons. The monument celebrates the memory of officers of 31st and 41st Infantry and of the men from Massachusetts who lost their lives in the Department of the Gulf during the

Notable interments

* General Philemon Thomas (1763–1847). His remains were reinterred in the national cemetery in 1886. He was a veteran of both the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, and he commanded the forces that captured the fort of Baton Rouge in 1810. He also served as a Congressional Representative from the state of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

in the 22nd and 23rd

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

es. * Lieutenant General Troy Houston Middleton (1889–1976),

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran and president of

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. * Aden & Emma King, superintendent of the cemetery from 1920 to 1924. Aden died during his service and his wife Emma was appointed to the position upon his death. * Levi S. Porter, superintendent of the cemetery from 1932 to 1934.

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration

Baton Rouge National Cemetery

* * * * * {{East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Historic American Landscapes Survey in Louisiana Protected areas of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana United States national cemeteries Louisiana in the American Civil War Tourist attractions in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Geography of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Buildings and structures in Baton Rouge, Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1867 establishments in Louisiana

History

Massachusetts Monument

Notable interments

See also

References

External links