History of Memorial Day

General John A. Logan’s name probably doesn’t ring a bell for most people, but the day we now call Memorial Day was originally his idea – at least partially.

On May 5, 1866, just over a year after the end of the Civil War, the tiny hamlet of Waterloo, New York, closed up their shops for the day and decorated the headstones of fallen soldiers with flowers to commemorate their sacrifice. Little did the town’s residents know it would later be officially designated the birthplace of Memorial Day.

Two years later to the day, General Logan, the leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, was inspired by local commemorations he witnessed across the country and called for a national day of remembrance. He suggested May 30 should be called Decoration Day and “designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”

President James Garfield became the first commander-in-chief to commemorate Decoration Day in 1868 when he led 5,000 participants in decorating the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington Cemetery.

However, due to continued post-war tension, Decoration Day was not widely accepted in Southern states, which commemorated their war dead with their own ceremonies and honors. This divide continued until the end of World War I, when the now-unified country rallied around the troops and mourned the loss of over 100,000 soldiers together.

Eventually, Decoration Day was replaced with the more universal Memorial Day and continued to be celebrated on May 30 until Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968, moving Memorial Day to the fourth Monday in May and finally declaring it a federal holiday starting in 1971.

Today’s Memorial Day celebrations continue many of the traditions started over 150 years ago and include recognition of military personnel lost in all of America’s wars and conflicts, past and present. Many veteran organizations and private citizens across the country take time out to somberly lay wreaths and plant flags on the graves of American military personnel, including the over 400,000 buried at Arlington.

While many new traditions such as auto racing and swimming pool openings have become staples for Memorial Day weekend, let us never forget it is first and foremost about honoring the brave military soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave the ultimate sacrifice so the rest of us can remain free.