"Rather Die Freemen, Than Live to be Slaves Plaque" Photograph, Contrabands and Freedmen's Cemetery, 2018, RRCHNM.
Historical Legacy
Immediately following the war, who would manage Alexandria National Cemetery and how they would do it was not clear. During Reconstruction, it was difficult to maintain the area. Eventually, the cemetery became the responsibility of the Department of Veterans Affairs through the National Cemetery Administration. The care taken for the graves has allowed the stories of those laid to rest in this cemetery to be commemorated and celebrated.
The Freedmen’s Cemetery was left to disrepair following the dismissal of Reverend Gladwin in 1865. Exposed to the elements, wooden grave-markers degraded and left more than 541 identified graves unknown. In 1955, a gas station was built over the burial ground which remained there until 2007. It wasn’t until September 2014 that the Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery, an Alexandria non-profit, helped the grounds become a preserved historical site. Today, flat plaques spot the grassy area marking graves that are known as well as commemorating the reinterment of the United States Colored Troops in 1865.