Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is one of two cemeteries in the United States National Cemetery System that are maintained by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. Arlington National Cemetery was established during the American Civil War after the land the cemetery was built upon, Arlington Estate, was confiscated from the private ownership of Confederate States Army general Robert E. Lee's family following a tax dispute. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 2014, the Arlington National Cemetery Historic District includes the Cemetery, Arlington House, Memorial Drive, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, and Arlington Memorial Bridge. History George Washington Parke Custis was the grandson of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington through her first marriage. When his natural father, John Parke Custis died, G.W.P. "Washy" Custis went to live at Mount Vernon where George and Martha Washington raised him as their own son. In 1802, Custis began building Arlington House on land that he inherited from his natural father. When completed in 1818, he intended the house to serve as not only a home but also a memorial to George Washington (his foster father). In 1804, Custis married Mary Lee Fitzhugh. They had four children, but only one, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, survived, and married future Confederate States Army general Robert E. Lee.