In the years following the conclusion of the Civil War in April 1865, towns and communities all over the country began holding remembrances and memorial services to honor the fallen soldiers from the deadliest conflict in United States history. It has been disputed, but the first of these such services was believed to be held April 25, 1866, in Columbus, Mississippi, when groups of women decorated the graves of Confederate and Union soldiers killed during the Battle of Shiloh.
Due to the mass casualties experienced in the war between the states, the federal government also established the first national cemeteries after the war. The most notable of which was Arlington National Cemetery – the former home estate of Gen. Robert E. Lee. It was there in Spring of 1868, that the first official remembrance day, called Decoration Day, was established by Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, the head of a Union veterans group. He declared that the people of the United States should shower the war dead graves with flowers during the day of remembrance at the end of May.
“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,” said Logan.
Over 5,000 people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery on the inaugural Decoration Day to ornament some 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers’ gravestones on the premises.
Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, but in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The law established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
Cities and towns across the United States now routinely host Memorial Day parades and festivities each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest gatherings take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. Many shows and concerts also take place there, and television networks such often show military-themed movie marathons during the holiday weekend.
Americans sometimes observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. On a less somber note, the holiday often represents the unofficial beginning of summer and many travels for weekend getaways and throw parties and hold cookouts.
Fleet Week also coincides with the Memorial Day weekend. Every year, numerous active military ships dock in coastal cities around the U.S. for seven days. The crews made up of Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps members disperse across the cities and visit the local tourist attractions. The largest and most famous Fleet Week occurs in New York City. Thousands of Sailors dressed in their dress white uniforms can be seen all around the world famous Big Apple attractions including Times Square and The Empire State Building. Sometimes the docked vessels even give ship tours to curious civilians.
Most government offices are usually closed in observance of Memorial Day. Here in Columbia County, all Magnolia city departments and offices will be closed on Monday, May 29, as well as local government offices in Emerson, McNeil, Taylor, and Waldo. All county offices will also be closed. WCA trash pick-up will not run Memorial Day, and the Columbia County Landfill will be closed Saturday, May 23, as well as Memorial Day.