Battleground National Cemetery

This cemetery, just one acre in size, is one of the smallest national cemeteries. President Abraham Lincoln dedicated it after the Battle of Fort Stevens in the summer of 1864. The defeat of the Confederates during the two-day battle in July 1864 saved Washington, D.C. from invasion. More than 900 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed; 41 of the Union soldiers were buried in this specially created cemetery, one-half mile north of Fort Stevens. When you visit the cemetery, take special note of the entrance, which is flanked by two smoothbore guns.