Hampton National Cemetery (Phoebus Addition)

Hampton National Cemetery is located in Hampton, VA, near Hampton Roads, in the vicinity of where the historic Civil War naval battle between the Confederate Merrimac/Virginia and the Union Monitor iron-clad ships occurred in 1862. The cemetery's first burials took place in 1862 and the cemetery is among numerous national cemeteries with origins that date to the Civil War.

The great number of sick and wounded soldiers during the Civil War resulted in numerous military hospitals being set up near battle sites. A 1,800-bed military hospital was established at Fort Monroe, near Hampton. Although the Fort Monroe hospital was better staffed and organized than many Civil War hospitals, the mortality rate was high. Consequently, burials at Hampton National Cemetery included many soldiers who died at Fort Monroe and other military hospitals in the vicinity. Although burials began at the cemetery in 1862, it was not classified by the U.S. Government as a national cemetery until 1866. The legal transfer of 4.749 acres for the cemetery did not occur until 1868.

There are 638 unknowns soldiers buried at Hampton National Cemetery — most of them Civil War soldiers who fell in combat and were originally hastily buried on the battlefield. There are also 272 Confederate soldiers buried here at Hampton National Cemetery.

Hampton National Cemetery is one of 13 national cemeteries in which World War II prisoners of war are interred. There are 55 German and five Italian POWs buried in the Phoebus Addition section of Hampton National Cemetery, which is a noncontiguous tract of the cemetery.

During World War II, on April 14, 1942, a German U-boat, U-85, was sunk by the USS Roper on April 14, 1942 off of Cape Hatteras. The entire crew was lost, and the boat sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. On April 15, 1942, full military honors were provided for 29 German sailors from U-85 and they were interred at Hampton National Cemetery. The bodies and a few life jackets were all that surfaced after the submarine was sunk. On board the ship, when it sank, was an Enigma decoding machine. The machine was recovered from the ship during a dive in 2001 and is currently on loan from the German government to the Atlantic Graveyard Museum located in Cape Hatteras, NC.

Through acquisition of additional land parcels since 1862, the cemetery has grown in acreage from its original size of 4.749 acres to its present size of 27.071 acres. Hampton National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 26, 1996.

Monuments and Memorials
The Union Soldiers monument is a 65' tall granite obelisk that was erected through the efforts of Dorothea Dix, the superintendent of women nurses in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. In 1868 Dix transferred ownership of the monument to the United States. The monument inscription reads: "In Memory of Union Soldiers Who Died to Maintain the Laws."

Two small, rusticated granite blocks inscribed "To Our Confederate Dead" are situated near the burial location of 272 Confederates in the cemetery.

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:

Landsman Michael Cassidy (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions on board the USS Lackawanna during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama, August 5, 1864. Cassidy died in 1908 and is buried in Section B-P, Site 9503.

Ordinary Seaman John Davis (Peacetime). African American sailor John Davis received the Medal of Honor on board USS Trenton (Steam Frigate) in Toulon, France, for jumping overboard to save the life of shipmate, Coxswain Augustus Ohlensen. He is buried in Section C-P, Site 8534.

Coal Heaver James R. Garrison (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions on board the USS Hartford during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama, August 5, 1864. Garrison died in 1908 and is buried in Section B-P, Site 9523.

Sergeant Alfred B. Hilton (Civil War). Alfred B. Hilton was about 21 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Army on August 11, 1863, in Baltimore, MD. Hilton served in Company H, 4th U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), as a bearer of the flag, or national standard. At the Battle of Chaffin's Farm (Fort Harrison, Virginia) on September 29, 1864, he seized the regimental colors when the color-sergeant fell. Sergeant Hilton struggled forward with both flags until severely wounded at the enemy's inner line. Hilton's right leg was amputated, and he died at Fort Monroe hospital on October 21, 1864. Hilton received the Medal of Honor posthumously in April 1865, and he is buried in Section E, Site 1231.

Seaman Edward Madden. He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for the rescue of a drowning shipmate while on board the USS Franklin in Lisbon, Portugal, February 9, 1876. His citation was awarded under the name Maddin. He died in 1925 and is buried in Section E, Site 1014A.

First Lieutenant Harry J. Mandy (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company B, 4th New York Cavalry, for actions at Front Royal, VA, August 15, 1864. Mandy died in 1904 and is buried in Section C-P, Site 8709.

First Lieutenant Ruppert L. Sargent (Vietnam). Ruppert L. Sargent was born in Hampton, VA, on January 6, 1938. He attended Virginia State University and Hampton Institute before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1959; he graduated from officers training in 1965. The next year, First Lieutenant Sargent joined Company B, 9th Infantry. On March 15, 1967, Sargent was leading a platoon in the Hau Nghia Province, Republic of Vietnam, when two grenades fell into his group; he threw himself on them to protect comrades. Posthumously, Sargent became the first black officer awarded the Medal of Honor. His company, still in Vietnam, wrote to the City of Hampton with a letter that contained $230 for a wreath for Sargent's grave and funds for his widow. The City of Hampton named its administration building for him in 2002. Sargent is buried in Section FI, Site 7596.

Sergeant Isaiah B. Sapp. He served in the U.S. Army, Company F, 71st Pennsylvania and 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry and received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy, under the alias Isacc Sapp, on board the USS Shenandoah for the rescue of a drowning shipmate, December 15, 1871. Sapp died in 1913 and is buried in Section A-P, Site 10465.

Sergeant Charles Veale (Civil War). Charles Veale was born in 1838 at Portsmouth, VA. He enlisted in Company D, 4th Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) in 1863 and served under General Benjamin Butler. He received the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Battle of Chaffin's Farm (Fort Harrison, Virginia) on September 29, 1864. Veale was wounded at Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in 1865 and he mustered out in May 1866. Veale's health was compromised, and in 1872 General Butler helped admit him to the Southern Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers at Hampton. Sergeant Veale died of chronic bronchitis on July 27, 1872, and is buried in Section FI, Site 5097.

Coxswain David Warren (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions on board the USS Monticello during the reconnaissance of the Wilmington, NC, harbor and defenses, June 23–25, 1864. Warren died in 1900 and is buried in Section C-P, Site 7972.