Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of
remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of
America.
Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of
Memorial Day.
While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace
of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult
to prove conclusively the origins of the day.
Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is
clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to
honor our dead.
It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General
John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his
General Order No. 11.
“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with
flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in
defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now
lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,”
he proclaimed.
The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen
because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at
Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves
of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
http://www.usmemorialday.org/?page_id=2
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