A vast and impressive cemetery, it was among the first 12 national cemeteries established by Abraham Lincoln in 1862. Soldiers serving in every war since the War of 1812 are buried here. The most famous of the 23,000 interred is Colonel Henry Leavenworth. His large gray cylindrical monument is topped with an eagle.

Wives are eligible to be buried with their husbands. One casket is above the other in the same gravesite. The wife's information is on the back of the gravestone.