An independent directory for U.S. veterans and their families. Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

An American Memorial Directory
VeteranFunerals

VA National Cemetery

Baton Rouge National Cemetery

220 North 19th Street · Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Closed to new in-ground burials

Baton Rouge National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. VA lists it as closed to new burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

Source: National Cemetery Administration (cem.va.gov), retrieved May 2026

History of Baton Rouge National Cemetery

Baton Rouge National Cemetery is located in East Baton Rouge Parish within the city limits of Baton Rouge, LA. Baton Rouge has been under the authority of seven different nations since its founding: France, England, Spain, West Florida Republic, Louisiana, Confederate States of America and the United States of America. French explorers discovered the area in the late 17th century. The local Native Americans referred to it as Istrouma or Red Stick, which translated into French is Baton Rouge. Explorers' records describe large, reddened poles erected with fish and bear heads attached in sacrifice by local tribes, which may have designated boundaries between tribal hunting grounds.

In 1718, the French are alleged to have constructed a fort near here to protect travelers bound from New Orleans to northern outposts. In 1763, this area was transferred to England according to the Treaty of Paris and it was renamed New Richmond. A little more than 30 years later, in September 1779, the Spanish defeated the English at Fort Butte on Bayou Manchac and captured Baton Rouge. The territory remained under Spanish control until 1810 when approximately 1,000 local settlers declared themselves the independent West Florida Republic and overthrew Spanish colonial rule. On April 8, 1812, Louisiana was admitted into the Union, and five years later the city of Baton Rouge was incorporated.

Louisiana seceded from the Union in 1861 and became an independent republic for six weeks before joining the Confederacy. Union forces captured New Orleans in May 1862 without a battle, and subsequently, Union troops moved upriver to Baton Rouge. The Battle of Baton Rouge took place August 5, 1862. After a brief skirmish, Union troops overwhelmed the small Confederate force and Baton Rouge remained under Union control for the duration of the war.

During the Civil War, soldiers and sailors were buried at the present site of Baton Rouge National Cemetery and, in 1867, it was designated a national cemetery. Remains were brought to Baton Rouge National Cemetery from the battlefields near Baton Rouge as well as the surrounding area, including Plaquemine, LA, and Camden, AR. At the end of the Civil war, it was reported that the government paid a bonus to anyone who discovered the grave of a Union soldier so that his remains could be reinterred in the national cemetery.

A "substantial wooden fence" enclosed the cemetery until 1878, when the government contracted with Michael and Bernard Jodd to build a brick wall around the cemetery. Unfortunately, before the wall was completed both men died in a yellow fever epidemic and were interred in the cemetery; local workmen completed the wall.

Notable interments

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Baton Rouge National Cemetery, with section and site where recorded.

Lieutenant General Troy Middleton (World War I, World War II).

Troy Houston Middleton (1889–1976) was born on a farm near Georgetown, MS, and graduated from what is now Mississippi State University in 1909. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1910 and went on to serve with distinction during World War I. In 1930, Middleton became Commandant of Cadets at Louisiana State University (LSU) before returning to active duty at the outset of World War II. He led the 45th Infantry Division in Italy before receiving command of the VIII Corps in 1944. His leadership during the Normandy Campaign led to the capture of the vital port city of Brest, France. Middleton continued to serve in the European Theater for the remainder of the war and retired a Lieutenant General in 1945. After the war, he was elected LSU's president. He passed away on October 9, 1976, and now rests in Section 2, Site 3356-A.

In 1886, the remains of Gen.

Philemon Thomas were disinterred from the old Baton Rouge post cemetery and reinterred in the national cemetery. Thomas was born in Virginia in 1763 and died in Baton Rouge on November 18, 1847. He fought in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and commanded the forces that captured the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge in 1810. Later in life, Thomas served in both the Kentucky and Louisiana legislatures and was twice elected to the U.S. Congress.

There are 20 large flat markers in Section 3.

Many are cracked and the majority of the inscriptions have been worn away by the elements. Some of these markers were placed in other cemeteries as early as 1830 and the remains, along with the large markers, were moved to the Baton Rouge National Cemetery circa 1890. The decedents were both adults, as well as children of officers. Removal of a levee by the U.S. Army Engineers necessitated discontinuance of a cemetery known as the Old Post Cemetery of the Arsenal Grounds.

Directions

Cemetery's front gates are on 19th Street. From Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport take a left onto Veterans Memorial Drive. Turn right at the first traffic light and immediately take Interstate 110 South and exit 22nd Street. Turn right at end of exit ramp and follow 22nd Street to Florida Boulevard. Go through the traffic light at Florida Boulevard. Turn right to Convention Street, right on N 19th Street, enter cemetery.

Flowers and grounds rules

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.

Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

Education and visiting programs

More than half of VA's national cemeteries originated with the Civil War and many are closed to some burials. Other sites were established to serve World War veterans and they continue to expand. Historic themes related with NCA's cemeteries and soldiers' lots vary, but visitors should understand "Why is it here?" NCA began by installing interpretive signs, or waysides, at more than 100 properties to observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011–2015). Please follow the links below to see the interpretive signs for Baton Rouge National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Baton Rouge National Cemetery

Who can be buried at Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

VA lists Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge National Cemetery directly at 225-654-1988.

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 Louisiana law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Louisiana 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.

Nearest cemeteries

The three veterans cemeteries closest to Baton Rouge National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

Funeral homes near Baton Rouge 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. 0.4 mi from the cemetery
  2. Desselle Funeral Home
    Baton Rouge, LA
    0.5 mi from the cemetery
  3. 0.9 mi from the cemetery
  4. Rabenhorst Crematory
    Baton Rouge, LA
    0.9 mi from the cemetery
  5. 0.9 mi from the cemetery
  6. Rhodes Funeral Home
    New Orleans, LA
    1.7 mi from the cemetery

Search all funeral homes by ZIP on FuneralUS