Saint Augustine National Cemetery

This cemetery is a peaceful place…
I’ve passed by this cemetery many times and never stopped not knowing the historic significants or really much of anything about it. I decided to stop and respectfully investigate this small patch of land today and I’m so glad I did.
As with most military cemeteries its immaculate and so well designed, every marker placed precisely and in formation like the men and women who served, but now resting here for eternity.
This sacred ground is almost filled to capacity and each marker represents a real life that lived and breathed honor, how proud the surviving families must be to have a relative occupy this memorial site. At this time of the year a wreath is place against each marker showing that as decades and centuries pass they are never forgotten.

This cemetery is among the most fascinating: first a Spanish possession marking the boundary of the old walled city, then later part of a monastery, then occupied by the military. Its history pre-​dates Florida becoming a state.
The earliest burials here are of soldiers who died during the war with the Seminoles, but with a fair amount later dying of a fever of some kind, at least as far as some of the markers indicated. Those markers on the ground are massive and the inscriptions go into great detail on the person buried there. One of the most striking features of this cemetery are the three pyramids marking the mass burials of soldiers who died during the «Florida-​Indian» wars or died elsewhere in the territory and were re-​interred here. Surrounding these huge markers are some smaller plain white markers in which are buried Seminole Indian scouts.
It’s a pretty cemetery. Surrounded by homes, the old buildings of the fort, and less than a block or two from the water, St. Augustine is peaceful. It’s smaller than many of the newer military cemeteries. It’s an intimate setting. There are a few internments from the 20^th and 21^st century, which reminded me that despite its historical significance, Saint Augustine is still a national cemetery and still honors the sacrifices of those buried here.