VA national cemetery
Fort Harrison National Cemetery
Richmond, Virginia
Location
8620 Varina Road
Richmond, VA 23231
Visiting
- Address
- 8620 Varina Road, Richmond, VA 23231
- Phone
- 804-795-2031
- Visiting hours
- Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
- Office hours
- Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- Burial space
- Closed
- Accessibility
- Not yet verified
- Official page
- cem.va.gov
Flowers and grounds policy, from the VA
Our cemetery floral regulations exist only to reflect the honor and respect we hold for our Nation's Veterans, by preserving the dignity and solemnity of their final resting place.
Fresh cut flowers may be placed at gravesites at any time using cemetery-supplied floral vases. The vases may be found in a bin at the front of the cemetery next to the trash receptacle.
Floral items will be removed from gravesites when they become faded or unsightly, for mowing and maintenance, or if damaged by weather or wildlife. Due to the open nature of the grounds, we cannot guarantee against theft, vandalism, or the effects of nature.
Artificial floral arrangements may be placed on gravesites starting November 1 through April 1. Potted plants may only be placed on gravesites for a period extending 7 days before through 7 days after Easter Sunday.
Seasonal items such as Christmas wreaths (18" or smaller), grave floral blankets (not to exceed 2'x3') and potted poinsettias may be placed on gravesites beginning December 1 through January 10. These items will be removed by January 20.
Please do not secure floral items or other types of decorations to headstones or markers.
A maximum of two U.S. flags may be placed on gravesites. Flags will be removed and properly disposed of when they are damaged, faded, tattered or otherwise unserviceable.
The following items are prohibited for placement at a gravesite, columbarium, or memorial wall and are subject to removal by cemetery staff:
- Alcoholic products
- Balloons, pinwheels, wind chimes, lights, candles, statues, stuffed animals, or other similar items
- Decorative and breakable glass or plastic items
- Non-government supplied floral containers (pots, planters, vases, etc.)
- Any objects that could become projectiles when caught in grounds maintenance equipment (such as rocks, coins, or other small durable objects)
- Offensive items or those deemed inconsistent with the cemetery setting
- Permanent in-ground plantings
- Weapons of any kind, explosives, or ammunition
- Any object attached to headstones, markers, or niche covers
These rules are covered by the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 38 C.F.R. §1.218. All items placed on gravesites become the property of the US Government and will be disposed of under federal regulations.
Weapons Policy
VA regulations 38 CFR 1.218 prohibit the carrying of firearms (either openly or concealed), explosives or other dangerous or deadly weapons while on VA property, except for official purposes, such as military funeral honors.
Possession of firearms on any property under the charge and control of VA is prohibited. Offenders may be subject to a fine, removal from the premises, or arrest.
General information, from the VA
Cemetery Contact Information
Hampton National Cemetery manages this cemetery. Staff is available at Ft. Harrison National Cemetery for local assistance and can be reached at 804-795-2031. Otherwise, you may also contact Hampton National Cemetery at:
Phone: 757-723-7104
Fax: 757-723-0027
Military Funeral Honors
U.S. Air Force: 800-325-4986
U.S. Army: 804-734-6606
U.S. Coast Guard: 757-398-6390
U.S. Marine Corps: 866-826-3628
U.S. Navy: 866-203-7791
Directions from Nearest Airport
Situated in Henrico County, 7½ miles southeast of Richmond. The cemetery may be reached from U.S. Highway 60 turning south on Laburnum Avenue. From Laburnum Avenue turn left on Wilson Road. Wilson Road, after crossing New Market, becomes Varina Road. Follow Varina Road. for approximately two miles. Cemetery is on the right. Cemetery can also be reached from Interstate 64 by taking the Laburnum Avenue south exit and following directions as given above.
Pay your respects
Visitors to veterans’ graves sometimes leave a coin on the headstone to show that someone came. You can leave a symbolic coin here. No money is involved, and nothing about you is published. About the custom, and what each coin is said to mean.
History
Reproduced from the VA National Cemetery Administration’s page for this cemetery, retrieved November 11, 2026. This is the VA’s text, unedited; it is not independent research by this site.
Fort Harrison National Cemetery is located in Henrico County, VA, seven miles south of Richmond. It is a small cemetery of 1.6 acres, which owes its existence to circumstances of the Civil War. After the Battle of Cold Harbor in the summer of 1864, which secured the Union's northern front during its Richmond campaign, General Ulysses S. Grant marched southeast in an effort to cut off the Confederate troops. To prevent General Robert E. Lee from shifting troops around Richmond, the Union made a surprise attack on Fort Harrison, a strategic Confederate stronghold overlooking the James River. Union soldiers captured it on September 29, 1864. Confederate attempts to retake Fort Harrison the next day were unsuccessful and the fort remained under Union control until the evacuation of Richmond in April 1865. During this period, it was temporarily renamed Fort Burnham in honor of Union General Hiram Burnham, who was killed at Chapin's Farm during the federal attack on Fort Harrison.
At the end of the war, a site near Fort Harrison was appropriated for use as a cemetery. This national cemetery contains the original interments of Union soldiers who died on the battlefields of Forts Harrison, and Gilmer, and from some 40 locations within a five-mile area surrounding the cemetery. The number of unknown dead at Fort Harrison far exceeds the known dead. As of July 1876, 239 of 814 interments were known, while 575 were unknown, including four Confederate prisoners of war.
The cemetery remains a picturesque walled site with a standard, Victorian stone lodge. Fort Harrison National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 1995.
Notable burials and memorials
Reproduced from the VA’s page for this cemetery, retrieved November 11, 2026, including Medal of Honor recipients where the VA lists them. Links lead to the VA’s own records. To correct an entry, contact the VA; to tell us our copy is out of date, report it.
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:
Private George A. Buchanan (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company G, 148th New York Infantry, for actions at Chapin's Farm, VA, September 29,1864. Buchanan died in October 1864 and is buried in Section A, Site 224.
Nearby veterans cemeteries
Sources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Find a Cemetery: all national cemeteries, and each cemetery’s own page. U.S. government work (public domain). Retrieved November 11, 2026. Used for: name, address, phone and burial-space status, hours, policies, history and notable burials.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Fort Harrison National Cemetery (official cemetery page). Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- Map position: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. VA National Cemetery Sites (dataset).