The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868. Then known as Decoration Day and observed on May 30th, the holiday was proclaimed by Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic to honor the Union soldiers who had died in the American Civil War.
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the. Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established.
Learn about the history of Memorial Day. Discover facts about Memorial Day and why we recognize it as a national holiday.
In the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities began holding tributes to these countless fallen soldiers during the Spring and decorated their graves ...
Memorial Day history. Memorial Day, a federal holiday held the last Monday in May, is the nation's foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased ...
May 22, 2020 · Historians have tried to raise awareness of the freed slaves who decorated soldiers' graves in 1865, but their story is often overlooked.
Oct 27, 2009 · Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day started in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971 ...
Originally called Decoration Day, when Americans took time to decorate the graves of soldiers who gave their lives in the Civil War, today's national ...
Memorial Day is an American holiday on the last Monday of May. It honors fallen service members of the U.S. military. While most know Memorial Day is a day ...
May 19, 2023 · David Blight from Yale University claims that it took place in Charleston, South Carolina on May 1st, 1865, and involved Union Army soldiers ...