Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot is located in Section D of Ashland Cemetery in Carlisle, PA. The soldiers buried here were stationed at Carlisle Barracks, one of the oldest military posts in the United States. Initially, the dead from Carlisle Barracks were interred in a post cemetery. In March 1866, the federal government purchased approximately 0.25 acres of land in Ashland Cemetery, and by 1871, the War Department transferred the remains from the post cemetery to the government plot in Ashland Cemetery.

Carlisle Barracks has a long history both as a post and as an educational institution. President George Washington met the garrison here in 1794 before journeying to Western Pennsylvania to quash the Whiskey Rebellion. In the first half of the 19th century, the Army established educational programs at Carlisle Barracks, including the School of Cavalry Practice and the School of Horse-Drawn Light Artillery. Major J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry set fire to the barracks during the Civil War, when the Confederate Army invaded Pennsylvania in the Gettysburg Campaign. In 1879, the War Department transferred control of the post to the Department of Interior, which opened the Carlisle Indian Industrial School on the site. Carlisle Barracks returned to the War Department in 1918, which continued to operate educational programs on the campus. The U.S. Army War College, established in Washington, D.C., in 1903, was relocated to Carlisle Barracks in 1951. Today, the Army War College trains the upper ranks of military personnel.

Monuments and Memorials
In 1934, the federal government erected a headstone with the inscription "500 Unknown U.S. Soldiers." Subsequent research identified the remains of 35 soldiers interred in the soldiers' lot. In July 1960 the federal government erected a replacement monument bearing a plaque with the inscription: "500 U.S. Soldiers of the Civil War Are Here Interred. [List of the 35 Names] The Others Are Known But to God." In addition to the mass grave, there are 23 individual graves of soldiers who died at Carlisle Barracks, 19 known and four unknown.

Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 435 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.

» Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:

Sergeant Jacob Cart (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 7th Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, for actions at Fredericksburg, VA, December 13, 1862. Cart died in 1882 and is buried in Section 22, Row D, Site 24.