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VA National Cemeteries

Fort Harrison National Cemetery burial schedule and eligibility

Richmond, Virginia · VA national cemetery

Address, hours, directions and contact details: Fort Harrison National Cemetery.

VeteranFunerals Editorial·3 min read·May 1, 2026·Facts checked

You can look up burials at Fort Harrison National Cemetery on VA's daily burial schedule, which lists the committal services families have agreed to publish. Veterans who were not dishonorably discharged can be buried here, and so can their spouses and some dependent children. To schedule a burial, you or the funeral director call VA's National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. VA lists Fort Harrison National Cemetery as closed to new burials, so ask the scheduling office whether an existing family gravesite can be used.

History of Fort Harrison National Cemetery

Fort Harrison National Cemetery is located in Henrico County, VA, seven miles south of Richmond. It is a small cemetery of 1.6 acres, which owes its existence to circumstances of the Civil War. After the Battle of Cold Harbor in the summer of 1864, which secured the Union's northern front during its Richmond campaign, General Ulysses S. Grant marched southeast in an effort to cut off the Confederate troops. To prevent General Robert E. Lee from shifting troops around Richmond, the Union made a surprise attack on Fort Harrison, a strategic Confederate stronghold overlooking the James River. Union soldiers captured it on September 29, 1864. Confederate attempts to retake Fort Harrison the next day were unsuccessful and the fort remained under Union control until the evacuation of Richmond in April 1865. During this period, it was temporarily renamed Fort Burnham in honor of Union General Hiram Burnham, who was killed at Chapin's Farm during the federal attack on Fort Harrison.

At the end of the war, a site near Fort Harrison was appropriated for use as a cemetery. This national cemetery contains the original interments of Union soldiers who died on the battlefields of Forts Harrison, and Gilmer, and from some 40 locations within a five-mile area surrounding the cemetery. The number of unknown dead at Fort Harrison far exceeds the known dead. As of July 1876, 239 of 814 interments were known, while 575 were unknown, including four Confederate prisoners of war.

The cemetery remains a picturesque walled site with a standard, Victorian stone lodge. Fort Harrison National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 1995.

Notable veterans buried at Fort Harrison National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note at Fort Harrison National Cemetery, with section and site where it has them.

  • Medal of Honor
  • The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
  • Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
  • Private George A. Buchanan (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company G, 148th New York Infantry, for actions at Chapin's Farm, VA, September 29,1864. Buchanan died in October 1864 and is buried in Section A, Site 224.

Visiting hours at Fort Harrison National Cemetery

Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk. Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Who can be buried at Fort Harrison National Cemetery?

VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.

What does burial here include at no cost?

  • A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
  • Opening and closing of the grave
  • A government-provided burial liner
  • A government-provided headstone or marker
  • Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.

How do you schedule a burial at Fort Harrison National Cemetery?

  1. Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
  2. Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
  3. You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Fort Harrison National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

VA lists Fort Harrison National Cemetery as closed. Ask the scheduling office what, if anything, can still be arranged here, and about open national cemeteries nearby.

Where is the Fort Harrison National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Harrison National Cemetery to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Fort Harrison National Cemetery directly at 804-795-2031.

Headstone, flag and burial allowance

  • Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
  • Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
  • Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under Virginia law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Virginia and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.

Funeral homes near Fort Harrison National Cemetery

A funeral director usually arranges the burial with the cemetery. These are the closest funeral homes by straight-line distance. Each one links to its full listing on FuneralUS, our funeral home directory.

  1. Nelsen Richmond
    Richmond, VA
    2.8 mi from the cemetery
  2. 5.7 mi from the cemetery
  3. 5.8 mi from the cemetery
  4. 5.8 mi from the cemetery
  5. 6.1 mi from the cemetery
  6. 6.7 mi from the cemetery

Search all funeral homes by ZIP on FuneralUS

FAQ

Questions about burial at Fort Harrison National Cemetery

  • Is burial at Fort Harrison National Cemetery free?

    Yes, for eligible veterans, spouses and dependent children. VA provides the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a burial liner, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care at no cost. The funeral home's services, such as transport and any service before the burial, are arranged and paid for separately.

  • Can I reserve a gravesite at Fort Harrison National Cemetery in advance?

    No. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision before a death, but VA says the decision letter doesn't name a cemetery or gravesite, because neither can be reserved in advance.

  • How do I schedule a burial at Fort Harrison National Cemetery?

    Fax the veteran's discharge papers to 866-900-6417 or email them to [email protected]. Then you or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET). National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

  • Where can I see the burial schedule for Fort Harrison National Cemetery?

    On VA's daily burial schedule at https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/dailyburialschedule/. It covers every national cemetery, but it only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them.

  • Are military funeral honors provided at Fort Harrison National Cemetery?

    Yes, if you ask for them. Your funeral director, a Veterans Service Organization or the cemetery staff can arrange them. At minimum, two uniformed service members fold and present the burial flag at the committal shelter, and Taps is played.

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