Photo By Elizabeth Fraser | Historians from Army National Military Cemeteries (ANMC) in parternship with the...... read more read more
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How does Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) connect to the American Revolution, which began 88 years before ANC became a national cemetery in 1864? This question was answered during a special “America 250” public walking tour on April 10, which helped kick off Army National Military Cemeteries’ (ANMC) commemoration of the nation’s 250th birthday — marked by the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Historians from ANMC partnered with the National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA) on the tour, as part of NMUSA’s “History Hike” series. ANMC Historian Allison S. Finkelstein explained “how, grave by grave, Arlington came to be associated with the memory of the American Revolution.”
Finkelstein and ANMC Curator Rod Gainer guided approximately 50 attendees to six gravesites and two memorials that commemorate the American Revolution. The tour began at the grave of engineer and city planner Pierre L’Enfant, perhaps the cemetery’s most well-known Revolutionary War veteran. Born in 1754, L’Enfant left France in September 1776 to join the American Revolution. After being wounded and captured during the Siege of Savannah, he spent six months as a prisoner of war before being paroled. In 1790, President George Washington commissioned him to design a plan for Washington, D.C. L’Enfant died in 1825 and was buried on a friend’s property until 1909, when his remains were reinterred at Arlington on a hillside overlooking the city he designed.
The tour then visited the gravesites of other service members who fought in the Revolution, all of whom had previously been buried in other locations and were reinterred at ANC between the 1890s and 1940s—reflecting Arlington’s rising prominence as the nation’s premier military cemetery. Among 11 Revolutionary War veterans buried at ANC (most in Section 1), the tour featured John Follin, a sailor in the Continental Navy who spent three years as a British prisoner of war; Joseph Carleton, who served as an officer in the Continental Army and managed the U.S. War Department following the nation’s independence; William Russell, and John Green who both led Virginia regiments during the war; and James McCubbin Lingan, a Continental Army officer who died after the war while defending the freedoms of speech and press for which he had fought.
Memorials at the cemetery, including memorial trees, also pay homage to Revolutionary War heroes. In 2000, the Lexington Minute Men, a reenactment organization dedicated to preserving the history of the war’s first battle, donated the Lexington Minuteman Memorial Tree, also located in Section 1. As a plaque beneath the tree explains, this living memorial honors the eight American “minutemen” who lost their lives while facing British troops in Lexington, Massachusetts, on the morning of April 19, 1775 — the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
ANC's Memorial Amphitheater also honors the Revolutionary War. The names of 10 major battles are inscribed onto its outer wall; inside, names inscribed on two marble panels honor notable generals and admirals, including five Revolutionary War leaders. The apse (inner dome) features a quote from President George Washington: “When we take up the soldier, we do not lay aside the citizen.” It was part of Washington’s statement to focus the country on celebrating its hard-earned liberty.
Tour participants appreciated learning about the cemetery’s connection to the American Revolution. “I expected [the tour] to be more about George Washington and Arlington House,” retired Army Lt. Col. Ron Johnson said. “Now I’m really intrigued with the story of John Green, and I’m going to look into him.” Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph DeFrancisco found the visit to Section 1 “enlightening,” noting he had not previously visited that section of the cemetery.
The tour delivered exactly what was promised: a rich connection between the American Revolution and Arlington National Cemetery, which keeps the Revolution’s legacies alive today, 250 years later.
Learn more about the legacy of the American Revolution at Arlington National Cemetery:
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2026 16:18 |
| Story ID: | 564573 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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