John A. Logan wrote the 1868 order asking former Union soldiers to decorate Civil War graves.
Logan was a Union general and a prominent leader of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization formed after the Civil War. On May 5, 1868, he issued General Order No. 11, calling for an annual day to decorate the graves of those who died in the conflict.
The order selected May 30, a date not tied to a particular battle, so the observance could be broadly national. It helped turn local grave-decoration customs into an organized national tradition called Decoration Day.
Logan’s order concerned Union veterans and Union graves, although the first national ceremony at Arlington also included flowers for Confederate graves. Over time, the holiday expanded into a remembrance of all U.S. military personnel who died in service.