Burial at Salisbury National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Salisbury National Cemetery

Salisbury National Cemetery was established by Confederate authorities to serve as the burial ground for captured Union soldiers incarcerated at the prison in Salisbury. The practice of prisoner exchange kept the prison populations down until 1864, when exchanges ended. By fall 1864, the number of soldiers at Salisbury prison doubled from 5,000 to 10,000. It suffered from one of the highest prison death rates, with as many as half the men dying of starvation or disease.

Recent historical research has led to a dispute over how many men are believed to have died during the last year or so of the war and are buried in the cemetery. The dead were buried in 18 trenches measuring about 240 feet long, located at the southeast end of the cemetery. Colonel Oscar A. Mack, the inspector of cemeteries, said in his report of 1870–1871, "The bodies were placed one above the other, and mostly without coffins. From the number of bodies exhumed from a given space, researchers estimated that the number buried in these trenches was 11,700. The number of burials from the prison pen cannot be accurately known." The figure of 11,700 was accepted for many years. However, the actual number of burials is probably lower and it is doubtful we will ever know exactly how many unknown remains are buried there.

An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers were likely buried here after dying at Salisbury Prison. Even in the years immediately after the Civil War, the federal government was unable to verify the number of dead or compile a credible list of interments to a degree that would have allowed them to inscribe names on a single memorial or on individual headstones. The most accurate government-issued document associated with these burials is found in the Roll of Honor, No. 14, compiled by the U.S. Army Quartermaster General's Office, and published in 1868.

After the war this was designated Salisbury National Cemetery, and another 412 remains were relocated here from Lexington, Charlotte, Morgantown, and other places. The cemetery was dedicated in 1874, a wall was built around the perimeter the following year, and by 1876 the headstones and a monument were in place. Salisbury National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Notable veterans buried at Salisbury National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Salisbury National Cemetery, listed by section and site as recorded in the cemetery's official register.

• Medal of Honor Recipients Landsman Lorenzo Deming (Civil War), U.S. Navy, U.S. Picket Boat No. 1. Plymouth, NC, October 27, 1864. Deming served on the U.S. Picket Boat No. 1 which was destroyed in action with the Confederate ram Albemarle. He was incarcerated at the Confederate prison at Salisbury, and when he died February 8, 1865, he was likely buried in the trench as an unknown. He is honored with an older private memorial marker and a government-issued Medal of Honor headstone in Fairview Cemetery, New Britain, CT.
• Other Burials Marshall C. Sharp (ca.1895–1946) was born in North Carolina and enlisted in the U.S. Army before 1914. He served in two regiments open to black enlisted men, the 9th U.S. Cavalry as a cook and in Company K, 10th U.S. Cavalry. In late 1919, Private First Class Sharp returned from the Philippine Islands where he was stationed with the 9th U.S. Cavalry, and in 1920, he was living on "enlisted men's row" at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, still in military service. Other tours of duty are unknown at this time, but Sharp is recognized as a Buffalo Soldier for his years in the segregated cavalry regiments. He was honorably discharged in 1923 and lived in Los Angeles, CA, for the next twenty years working as a cook and laborer until his death on June 19. He is buried in Section A, Site 680.

Eligibility for burial at Salisbury National Cemetery

Planning ahead for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time.

The Department of Veterans Affairs covers the grave plot, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government-furnished headstone or marker, and a U.S. burial flag at no cost to eligible families.

Visiting hours

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. VA will continue its practice of honoring special requests for weekend burials for religious purposes, in cases of service members killed in action and on at least one day of any three-day Federal holiday weekend at all open VA national cemeteries.

How to schedule a burial at Salisbury National Cemetery

1. The funeral home or family contacts the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117 (24/7 for active funeral arrangements).
2. Provide the veteran's full name, date of birth, social security number, dates of service, branch, and date of death.
3. Fax or email the DD-214 to the cemetery's interment office for verification.
4. Once eligibility is confirmed (typically 30–60 minutes for complete documentation), the cemetery assigns a date, time, and committal shelter.
5. The funeral home transports the deceased to Salisbury National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Salisbury National Cemetery sits in the North Carolina cemetery system

Salisbury National Cemetery is one of the veteran cemeteries operating in North Carolina. The cemetery is currently closed to new in-ground burials but may accept cremated remains in some cases. Families should verify status before planning.

For families considering alternatives, the nearest veteran cemeteries appear in our cemetery sidebar. If Salisbury National Cemetery is fully reserved, those alternatives are typically the next options.