Fort Smith National Cemetery

Fort Smith National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas. VA lists it as open for burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

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

History of Fort Smith National Cemetery

Fort Smith National Cemetery is located in Sebastian County, Arkansas. Fort Smith has played an important role in the expansion and development of the United States. By the early 19th century more and more white settlers were moving into the territory acquired through the Louisiana Purchase of 1805. Tensions with the local Native Americans increased as both groups competed for space and resources. To ensure the safety of the settlers, the U.S. Army established a string of military posts along the western frontier. Fort Smith was the first and westernmost of these.

On Christmas Day 1817, General William Bradford and his men arrived on the point of land just below the confluence of the Poteau and Arkansas rivers, where they began constructing a stockade fort sufficient for one company. Within a few years of its establishment, additional troops were garrisoned to maintain peace and prevent hostilities between the Cherokee and the Osage. However, 50 men (about 25 percent of the command) died in 1823, with forty-four of the deaths occurring during the summer months. Despite its strategic importance the Army closed the fort in 1824. Doors, windows, and all other movable equipment at Fort Smith were transported to Fort Gibson for use in the construction of that post.

The first cemetery at Fort Smith was most likely established during this period. A newspaper article published in 1841 suggests there was a dilapidated burial ground outside of the stockade containing three graves marked by marble slabs. This cemetery may have been established in 1819 at the time of, or just prior to, the death of the Fort Smith surgeon Thomas Russell.

In 1838 the Army permanently returned to Fort Smith with the arrival of Company F, 7th U.S. Infantry. A new garrison was constructed, including an officers' log house where General Zachary Taylor lived from 1841 until 1845. In addition, the original post cemetery was rehabilitated and enlarged. On April 23, 1861, at the onset of the Civil War, Fort Smith was evacuated and Confederate forces occupied the garrison. By May of that year, the Arkansas legislature had ceded the fort to the Confederate States of America. During the War Between the States more than 400 Confederate soldiers were buried at Fort Smith, including Generals James B. McIntosh and Alexander E. Steen.

On September 1, 1863, Union troops were able to retake Fort Smith and it remained in Union hands for the rest of the war.

In 1867, the old post burial ground was elevated to a national cemetery consisting of about five acres enclosed by a white-washed fence. Many military dead were removed from battlefields and private cemeteries and reinterred here. So many, in fact, that when the Fort Smith military reservation closed in 1871, President Grant ordered that Fort Smith National Cemetery be reactivated by the War Department and remain open for the purpose of future military burials.

Probably the most famous interment at Fort Smith is Isaac C. Parker, better known as the "Hanging Judge." Parker was born in 1838 in Ohio and began practicing law in 1859; during the Civil War he was a corporal assigned to the 61st Missouri Infantry. After the war, Parker became a judge for the 12th Circuit of Missouri and was elected to Congress twice. In 1875, President Grant appointed him U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. At the relatively young age of 37, Parker found himself responsible for a 74,000-square-mile area. In his 21 years in this position, Parker sentenced 151 men to death by hanging (of these, 83 were actually executed). In a territory noted for its lawlessness, his harsh but effective administration helped make the settlement of the West possible. On November 17, 1896, two months after Judge Parker was removed from office due to a movement toward the establishment of local courts, he died and was buried at Fort Smith National Cemetery.

Also buried at this cemetery is Fort Smith-native Brigadier General William O. Darby, who organized and commanded the First Ranger Battalion, or "Darby's Rangers". The highly-decorated Col. Darby was killed in Italy's Po Valley only days before the end of World War II in Europe; he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

The once-small cemetery at Fort Smith has been expanded several times over almost 200 years and today totals 32 acres. Many of the private monuments in the national cemetery face west, in the opposite direction of government furnished headstones. This is in accordance with a religious custom in some Arkansas communities to bury the dead with the feet to the east so that on Resurrection Day the body will arise facing east. The inscription is facing west as it is believed that a person, when reading the headstone, would be in a proper position (facing east) to say a prayer for the deceased.

Fort Smith National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1999.

Monuments and Memorials A carillon was donated by the American Veterans as part of their international living memorial program, which began shortly after World War II. The carillon was dedicated on Veteran's Day, 1986.

A marble memorial to Unknown Confederate Dead also commemorates Brig. General James McIntosh, CSA, who was killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 8, 1862 and Brig. General A. Steen, CSA, who was killed at Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial of granite and bronze was dedicated May 30, 1998 to honor all who served their country during the Vietnam War.

The Pearl Harbor Memorial was dedicated on December 7, 1997 by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association in memory of all who served on the island of Oahu, Territory of Hawaii on December 7, 1941 during the attack by Japan.

Notable interments

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

Directions

From Fort Smith Airport, take South 74th Street to Rogers Avenue, turn left and proceed west approximately five miles to S. 6th Street, turn left and proceed three blocks to cemetery entrance. From Oklahoma on Interstate 40, take the Roland, Oklahoma exit, follow US 64 south to Fort Smith, approximately six miles. Turn right on South 6th Street and proceed three blocks to cemetery entrance. From Fayetteville or Little Rock, Arkansas on Interstate 40 going west, take the Interstate 540 exit to Rogers Ave. (West) exit. Proceed west, approximately 4-1/4 miles, to South 6th Street, turn left and proceed three blocks to cemetery entrance.

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 Fort Smith National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Fort Smith National Cemetery Confederate Burials in the National Cemetery - The Confederate Occupation

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

Where is the Fort Smith National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Smith 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 Smith National Cemetery directly at 479-783-5345.

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 Arkansas law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Arkansas 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 Fort Smith National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

• Fayetteville National Cemetery, Fayetteville, AR: 48 mi, open for burials
• Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Fort Gibson, OK: 54 mi, open for burials
• Baxter Springs City Soldiers' Lot, Baxter Springs, KS: 115 mi, closed to new in-ground burials