Why Are No Confederate Soldiers Buried in Vicksburg National Cemetery?
The national cemetery system was established by Congress in 1862, in response to the mortality rate suffered by Union forces during the Civil War. These national cemeteries initially served as the final resting place for “soldiers who shall die in the service of the country,” and by this definition, did not include those states which had seceded from the Union. In 1873, the right of burial in a national cemetery was extended to all honorably discharged Union veterans of the Civil War, and, over the years, Congress passed legislation that gradually extended burial privileges to a larger portion of the population. This would include Confederate veterans who served in the army or navy of the United States in later wars. Vicksburg National Cemetery was established in 1866 to serve as a central burial location for Union soldiers who were killed in action or died of disease during service in this region. Union soldiers whose remains could be located in battlefield graves or at hospital sites
