Cypress Hills National Cemetery: Difference between revisions

'''Cypress Hills National Cemetery''' is a {{convert|18.2|acre|adj=on}} cemetery located in the [[Cypress Hills, Brooklyn|Cypress Hills]] neighborhood of [[Brooklyn]], New York City. It is the only [[United States National Cemetery]] in New York City and has more than 21,100 interments of veterans and civilians.

There are 24 Medal of Honor recipients buried in the cemetery, including three men who received the award twice. Although Cypress Hills was established to honor Civil War veterans, its grounds include the graves of soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War, [[Spanish–American War]], Korean War and Vietnam War.<ref>[http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/cypresshills.asp US Dept of Veterans Affairs]. Administered by the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]], the National Cemetery is closed to new interments. The only interments that are being accepted are subsequent interments for veterans or eligible family members in an existing gravesite. Periodically however, burial space may become available due to a canceled reservation or when a disinterment has been completed. When either of these two scenarios occurs, the gravesite is made available to another eligible veteran on a first-come, first-served basis.</ref>

In 1849 the private [[Cypress Hills Cemetery]] was established as a nonsectarian burial ground. On April 21, 1862, the cemetery's board of directors acted upon the request of undertaker A. J. Case to establish a place for burial of United States veterans who died in Brooklyn and the vicinity. With the American Civil War underway, a location was needed for casualties who died in New York hospitals. The board of directors authorized {{convert|2.7|acre}} for deceased veterans and was known colloquially as the '''Union Grounds'''. Private Alfred Mitchell, a young soldier of the [[1st New York Engineers]] who died on April 13, 1862, was the first Civil War casualty to be interred in the new Union Grounds. Eight years later, an inspection report noted that 3,170 Union soldiers and 461 [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] prisoners of war were already buried here. Others were brought from cemeteries on [[Long Island Sound]] and as far away as Rhode Island.

* There are 24 Medal of Honor recipients interred at Cypress Hills

Marine Sergeant [[John Mapes Adams]], for action during the [[Boxer Rebellion]]

Coxswain [[John Laver Mather Cooper|John Cooper]], aka John Laver Mather, two time recipient. The first for action on board [[USS Brooklyn (1858)|USS ''Brooklyn'']] during the [[Battle of Mobile Bay]], and the second a year later while serving on Rear Admiral [[Henry K. Thatcher]]'s staff in [[Mobile, Alabama]]

Army Sergeant [[Wilbur E. Colyer]], for action at the [[Battle of Verdun]] during World War I

Marine Sergeant Major [[Daniel Daly|Daniel Joseph Daly]], two time Medal of Honor recipient. The first for action in the Boxer Rebellion, and the second for action in [[Haiti]] in 1915

Marine Private [[James Dougherty (Medal of Honor)|James Dougherty]], for action aboard USS ''Carondelet'' (second ship by that name) in Korea in 1871

Army Private [[Christopher Freemeyer]], for action in [[Montana Territory]] during the [[Indian Wars]]

Army Sergeant Major [[Frederick W. Gerber]], for 32 years of service to the US Army during the [[Indian Wars]]

Army Sergeant [[Patrick Golden]], for action in the [[Arizona Territory]] during the Indian Wars

Army First Sergeant [[Edward P. Grimes]], for action in [[Colorado Territory]] during the Indian Wars

Army Sergeant [[Bernhard Jetter]], for action during the [[Indian Wars]]

Chief Watertender [[Johannes J. Johannessen]], for peace time service aboard [[USS Iowa (BB-4)|USS ''Iowa'']]

Quartermaster [[Edward S. Martin]], for action at the [[Battle of Mobile Bay]] during the Civil War

Lieutenant [[Mons Monssen]], for peace time service aboard [[USS Missouri (BB-11)|USS ''Missouri'']]

Army Sergeant [[John Nihill]], for action in Arizona Territory during the Indian Wars

Quartermaster Third Class [[Anton Olsen (U.S. Navy)|Anton Olsen]], for action aboard [[USS Marblehead (C-11)|USS ''Marblehead'']] during the [[Spanish–American War]]

Army Private [[Henry Rodenburg]], for action in Montana Territory during the Indian Wars

Army Sergeant [[Valentine Rossbach]], for action at the [[Battle of Spotsylvania Court House]] during the Civil War

Army Private [[John Schiller]], for action at the [[Battle of Chaffin's Farm]] during the Civil War

Chief Watertender [[Eugene P. Smith]], for peace time service aboard [[USS Decatur (DD-5)|USS ''Decatur'']]

Gunner's Mate First Class [[Wilhelm Smith]], for peace time service aboard [[USS New York (BB-34)|USS ''New York'']]

Marine Gunnery Sergeant [[Peter Stewart (Medal of Honor recipient)|Peter Stewart]], for action during the Boxer Rebellion

Army Private [[James W. Webb]], for action at the [[Second Battle of Bull Run]] during the Civil War

Army First Sergeant [[Henry Wilkens]], for action in Montana Territory during the Indian Wars

Seaman Louis Williams, a.k.a. [[Ludwig Andreas Olsen]], two time recipient. Both medals were for peace time service aboard [[USS Lackawanna (1862)|USS ''Lackawanna'']]

[[Robert Osborne Abbott]], American Civil War surgeon, and medical director, [[Department of Washington]]

[[Hiram Cronk]], soldier with the New York Volunteers, the last surviving veteran of the [[War of 1812]] as of the date of his death in 1905

General [[Thomas W. Egan]], [[40th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment]], Civil War

Brevet Brigadier General [[William Gates (soldier)|William Gates]], veteran of the War of 1812, Seminole War, Mexican War and Civil War

[[Bill Lovett|William "Wild Bill" Lovett]], leader of the [[White Hand Gang]], veteran of World War I

Colonel [[Benjamin Kendrick Pierce]], veteran of the [[War of 1812]], [[Second Seminole War]], and [[Mexican–American War]], and brother of President [[Franklin Pierce]]