Which cemetery hosted the first national Decoration Day ceremony in 1868?

Arlington National Cemetery hosted the first national Decoration Day ceremony in 1868.

The ceremony took place on May 30, 1868, after General John A. Logan called for a nationwide day to decorate Civil War graves. Participants gathered at Arlington, where thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers were buried.

General James A. Garfield delivered the principal address. The event included prayers, speeches, and the decoration of graves with flowers. Arlington’s location across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., helped make it a powerful national setting for remembrance.

Arlington National Cemetery is not the same place as Arlington House, the former home of Robert E. Lee that stands on the cemetery grounds. It is also distinct from Gettysburg National Cemetery, which hosted the dedication speech made famous by Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in 1863.