Chattanooga National Cemetery

Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee. It encompasses 120.9 acre, and as of the end of 2005, had 43,534 interments.

History
The cemetery was established in 1863, by an order from Major General George Henry Thomas after the Civil War Battles of Chattanooga, as a place to inter Union soldiers who fell in combat. 75 acre of land was initially appropriated from two local land owners, but later purchased. It became Chattanooga National Cemetery in 1867. By 1870 more than 12,000 interments had been made, most of whom were unknown. Many nearby battlefield burials were also reinterred in Chattanooga, including nearly 1,500 burials from the Battle of Chickamauga.

During World War I several German prisoners of war who died while in captivity were buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery. After the war, the German government paid to have other POWs disinterred from Hot Springs National Cemetery and moved to Chattanooga.

Chattanooga National Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Originally the site was expected to close for new burials in 2015. However, due to a recent expansion project that will add the capacity for more than 5000 interments, the cemetery is now expected to be available for burials until 2045. Other changes include digging graves and adding concrete crypts instead of digging them as requested. This will create a more stable grave and allow for faster interment. The lids are removed on demand and then covered with a few inches of soil.

Notable monuments

 * A 40' high memorial archway, constructed in 1868.
 * The Andrew's Raiders Monument, erected in 1890. It is a bronze replica of the locomotive known as The General, the subject of the Great Locomotive Chase.
 * German World War I prisoner of war monument, erected by the German government in 1935.

Notable interments

 * James J. Andrews, Civil War Union civilian.
 * William Hunter Campbell, Civil War Union Army officer.
 * Master Sergeant Ray E. Duke, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Korean War
 * Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to become of a Medal of Honor recipient.
 * Cal Ermer, Major League Baseball player and Marine Corps veteran.
 * Sergeant Marion A. Ross, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for action in Andrew's Raid.
 * Sergeant John M. Scott, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for action in Andrews' Raid.
 * Sergeant Samuel Slavens, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for action in Andrews' Raid.
 * Private Samuel Robertson, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for action in Andrews' Raid.
 * William P. Sanders, Civil War Union Army officer.
 * John Moorehead Scott, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.
 * Philip Gephart Shadrack, Union Army and Andrews' Raid officer.
 * Timothy Robbins Stanley, Brigadier General during the Civil War.
 * Sammy Strang, Major League Baseball player and United States Military Academy coach.
 * George Davenport Wilson, Andrews' Raid and Civil War Union Army officer.
 * William F. Zion, Boxer Rebellion Medal of Honor recipient.
 * 186 foreign prisoners of war from World War I and World War II.
 * One Canadian soldier of World War I.