Arlington In-Between:
Plantation Estate to National Cemetery

oday, Arlington National Cemetery is understood by many to be hallowed ground, a place of national remembrance for the sacrifices of thousands of service men and women who worked to defend our nation and protect American freedoms and democracy. Many visitors also remember Arlington as the plantation estate of Robert E. Lee, the leading Confederate General during the Civil War. Notably, however, most have no concept of the transitional phases which the estate went through during the Civil War from 1861-1865, as the land was transformed from a plantation estate into an Army encampment, community for emancipated slaves and cemetery.

But these intermediate phases are very important to grasping the history of the site and its meaning today. Knowledge of these phases can contribute to an understanding of the power and meaning of Arlington as a monument to freedom. Indeed, the power of Arlington is not solely found in the many memorials and gravestones in the cemetery, but also in the story of the land and its uses over time by different groups of people—slaves, soldiers, freedmen and freedwomen, etc. The story of transitional Arlington not only connects the historic period with the present, but reinforces the land's value as a memorial ground to American freedoms.

Follow the link below to learn more about the changes at Arlington during the Civil War. Click on the "Interactive Map" link to view a map of the estate (uses Flash).

Next: Construction & Destruction: Union Occupation, 1861-1865

Interactive Map: Arlington In-Between