The Origins of Memorial Day

In 1866, memorial associations were formed in Columbus, Georgia, 
and  Columbus, Mississippi, for the purpose of caring for the 
graves of both  Union and Confederate war dead.

Northern cities also paid respect through special observances. 
The village  of Waterloo, New York, honored its war dead on May 
5, 1866, by closing its  businesses for the day, flying the flag 
at half-mast, and decorating the  graves of fallen soldiers. In 
1967, President Lyndon Johnson issued a  proclamation officially 
recognizing Waterloo as "the birthplace of Memorial  Day."

On April 29, 1866, the citizens of Carbondale, Illinois, 
conducted an  all-day observance, including a parade, a 
barbecue, speeches and the  decorating of the graves of some 20 
Union soldiers. The principal speaker  on this occasion was 
General John A. Logan.

Undoubtedly drawing from his experiences in Carbondale, Gen. 
Logan, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the 
Republic, issued, on May 5, 1868,  the general order providing 
for the nationwide observance of Decoration Day  on May 30. This 
date was chosen in order that, all over the country, there  
might be flowers in bloom that could be used in decorating the 
graves.

May 30 remained the official date of the occasion until 1971, 
when Public  Law 90-363 went into effect. It called for uniform 
annual observances of  certain legal public holidays, including 
Memorial Day. It has since been  observed nationally on the last 
Monday in May.

Deaths in service

American Revolution                    4,000
War of 1812 2,000 Mexican War         13,000
Civil War (Confederate, approximate) 134,000
          (Union)                    364,000
Spanish-American War                  11,000
World War I                          116,000
World War II                         406,000
Korean Conflict                       55,000
Vietnam (in Southeast Asia)           58,000
Persian Gulf                             400

Provided by:

U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Veteran's Affairs
335 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Transcribed and edited by:
Larry W. Jewell
jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu