Washington, D.C. (May 23, 2024): Arlington National cemetery is the sacred ground where America buries its war dead, and it has a colorful history unknown to most Americans. In this photo by Elizabeth Fraser, some fifteen hundred servicemembers place wreaths on 260,000 graves to honor those that paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. Maintained by the U.S. Army, Arlington is one of two national cemeteries. Established in 1864, Arlington conducts up to 30 funerals a day on the cemeteries’ 639 acres.

The story of how Arlington became a national burial place involves both George Washington and Confederate General Robert E. Lee and is unknown to many Americans. The land was originally owned by George Custis, the son of Martha Washington, who built a mansion on the property to display his large collection of George Washington memorabilia. When he died, his only child Mary Custis married her distant cousin Robert E. Lee in 1831. At the time, Lee was a West Point graduate and the son of a three-term Virginia governor. The Lees inherited the Custis estate including 196 enslaved persons who lived and worked on the plantation.

After Virginia seceded from the Union, the Lees left Arlington for the south, never to return. In their absence, the U.S. Army confiscated the property following a tax dispute. In those days, taxes had to be paid “in person” to the local authorities, something Lee could not do because he was leading the Confederate Army. The Army established a camp and headquarters on the high ground overlooking Washington and constructed forts on the property, including Fort Whipple (now Fort Myer) and Fort McPherson.

Neither Robert E. Lee nor his wife ever attempted to recover control of the land until their eldest son sued the U.S. government for its return. In December 1882, the Supreme Court ruled in Lee's favor and a few months later the federal government purchased the property from Lee for $150,000 (over $4 million today) land "for Government use, for war, military, charitable, and educational purposes."