St. Augustine National Cemetery

A few years ago Diane and I spent a long weekend in St. Augustine, Florida. We stayed at the St. Francis Inn, an absolutely wonderful B&B, and enjoyed ourselves just roaming around the small city and seeing the sights. We did all the typical touristy things, popped in and out of galleries, stopped by the local winery, and sampled the food in several of the restaurants. But no meal could compare with the breakfast at our B&B. It was exquisite.

Among the many places we visited was one of the nation's smallest national cemeteries, the Saint Augustine National Cemetery. I was especially interested in visiting the cemetery because it contains the graves of the soldiers who were ambushed on December 28, 1835 by a large force of Seminole Indians. Led by Major Francis Dade, 108 soldiers perished. Only two or three soldiers and an interpreter managed to survive the attack. The actual battlefield -- the Dade Battlefield Historic State Park -- is located in Bushnell, Florida, right here in Sumter County, just a few miles from our home. Diane and I had visited the battlefield on several occasions, but never the cemetery where these men were all interred. The Florida Indian War lasted seven years from 1835 until 1842. The bodies of the slain soldiers had been buried at the site of the battle, and it wasn't until 1842 that the soldiers' remains were reinterred in St. Augustine.

The soldiers were buried in three mass graves, each marked by an unusual, large pyramid-like stone. An obelisk and memorial plaque also mark the site. In the below photo the three pyramids are visible in the background, behind the obelisk. I've also included a close-up of one of the pyramid markers.

These days the Florida Indian War is likely viewed by many as being eminently politically incorrect, but these men were all U.S. Army soldiers who were fulfilling their duties to protect the settlers in the Florida territory. (Florida didn't become a state until 1845.) Anyway, I refuse to cancel them and will instead include them among all those who gave their lives in service to our nation. It seemed only fitting to remember these men, as we remember so many others, on this Memorial Day.

Due to its size and age, the St. Augustine National Cemetery is "full" and conducts no new internments, so if, like me, you're an aging veteran, you have to choose another. But the cemetery is truly worth a visit if you're ever in St. Augustine.