Seven Pines National Cemetery, in Sandston, Virginia, was established in June 1866 for the reinterment of Union casualties from the Battle of Fair Oaks Station, also known as the Battle of Seven Pines.  Located approximately eight miles east of Richmond, the cemetery retains its superintendent’s lodge from 1874 that U.S. Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs designed, and is the final resting place for approximately 1,800 dead, more than 1,300 of whom were Civil War soldiers. 

In late spring of 1862, Union forces, led by Major General George B. McClellan, closed in on the Confederate capital of Richmond.  On May 31, McClellan and his men reached a point called Seven Pines, located at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Williamsburg Road, eight miles east of the city.  Confederate General Joseph J. Johnston, charged with defending Richmond, struck preemptively, beginning a brutal fight.  Due to confusion and miscommunication, nine of the 23 Confederate brigades in the area never participated in the battle.  Although the result was ultimately inconclusive, each side suffered heavy casualties—nearly 6,200 for the South and over 5,000 for the North.  After the battle, Confederate President Jefferson Davis put General Robert E. Lee in charge of the South’s forces.

In June 1866, the Seven Pines National Cemetery opened to reinter Union soldiers who had died at the Battle of Fair Oaks Station, Savage’s Station, and other locations within the surrounding area.  Of the more than 1,300 Union soldiers buried here, only 150 were identified; the rest remain unknown.

The cemetery, which covers 1.9 acres, is enclosed by a four-foot tall brick wall.  The main entrance, located in the center of the southern wall, is only accessible to pedestrians.  A second pedestrian entrance and the only vehicular entrance are located at the southeast corner of the cemetery, near the superintendent’s lodge.  At the center of the grounds are the flagpole and an artillery monument—an upright cannon with a cannonball set in the mouth of the barrel. Affixed to the cannon is an 1874 shield plaque with the cemetery's name, date of establishment, and the number of known and unknown interments.