Many cities and towns still claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day today even after Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson back in May of 1966; that fact is difficult to prove. There is one fact that is clear: Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor those who died in combat defending the United States.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, the National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order Number 30. The order reads,
“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."
The date of Decoration Day, as he originally called it, was chosen because it was not the particular anniversary of any particular battle, war or national holiday. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and over 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in the year 1873. The South initially refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I. It was then that the holiday was changed from honoring only those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring all Americans who died fighting in any war defending the country.
As you enjoy that grilled burger today, remember and honor those who died in defense of this country. Your enjoyment of that burger today is possible because of the many who gave their lives in defense of your country and freedom yesterday.
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