WASHINGTON -- Monday marks the nation’s 150th Memorial Day, and the man who issued the order to begin celebrating the national holiday now sits high above Logan Circle.
A statue of Gen. John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, is the centerpiece of Logan Circle, a bronze equestrian figure within one of Washington’s most desirable neighborhoods.
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Logan first crafted what was known as General Order Number 11. The edict issued in 1868 set aside May 30 as a memorial day, in order to commemorate the staggering casualties from the Civil War.
The holiday was first known as “Decoration Day,” with the primary goal to decorate the multitude of new graves spread across the nation.
Arlington National Cemetery held the first national Decoration Day ceremony on May 30, 1868. More than a century later, Congress changed the date from the 30th, to the last Monday in May.
Logan lived in Washington during his career in Congress representing Illinois, and he died at his home in Columbia Heights shortly before the 20th Century.
He is buried in Petworth at the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery. The grounds are one of just two national cemeteries administered by the Department of the Army, the other being Arlington National Cemetery.
