Origin And Meaning Of Memorial Day

"The first meaning of Memorial Day was to honor our nation's Civil War dead ..."

...and later to show respect for fallen soldiers and sailors from all of America's wars.

The history of Memorial Day began at the end of the Civil War.

Towns in Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mississippi, and South Carolina held services and ceremonies of respect in commemoration of their lost soldiers.

The American Civil War was the most costly in terms of lives.

During the four-year conflict (1861-1865), over 600,000 young men between the ages of 18 to 45 were lost. They are buried in small hamlets and communities across two dozen states, who fought on both North and South sides of the war.

Three years after the end of the war, Major General John A. Logan, leader of a Union Army association of veterans (Grand Army of the Republic), proclaimed May 30, 1868, as Decoration Day, a day to decorate with flowers the graves of the soldiers.

The first big celebration took place that year at Arlington National Cemetery, where flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers. Over the next twenty years Decoration Day became recognized by all the northern states.

The southern states declined to recognize Decoration Day, and instead honored their war dead on Confederate memorial days.

The name "Memorial Day" did not come into common use until after World War II. It was officially made a Federal holiday in 1971, when the date of the holiday was moved from May 30th to the last Monday in May.

Since 1874, the traditional bugle call at military funeral ceremonies is named TAPS. Click here to listen to TAPS.

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