Memphis National Cemetery

Memphis National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

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

History of Memphis National Cemetery

Memphis originated as a campground of the Chickasaw nation. The first European explorer, Hernando De Soto, arrived in 1541 and claimed the territory for Spain. More than a century later, in 1682, the French would also claim the land on behalf of King Louis XIV. It was not until 1797 that the United States took possession of the territory and erected Fort Adams. In 1818, the Chickasaw signed a treaty granting much of what is West Tennessee to the United States. A year later, three Nashville speculators founded the city of Memphis: John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson, future president of the United States.

Once Memphis fell under Union control, it became a convenient location to care for the sick and wounded troops flooding in from surrounding areas. General hospitals capable of caring for thousands of men at a time were set up in and around the city. A board of officers who purchased 32 acres northeast of the city chose the cemetery site. It was originally known as Mississippi River National Cemetery. At the end of the war, burials included reinterments from camps and hospitals throughout the region.

Memphis has the second-largest group of unknowns interred in any national cemetery. The large quantity of unknowns may be attributed to the long interval between battlefield burial and reinterment at Memphis National Cemetery. Often, the crude wood markers that identified original burials had been removed or deteriorated to the point where they were no longer legible. As soldiers were not required to carry personal identification, it was often difficult to determine the identity of the remains.

Memphis National Cemetery is also the burial place of the victims of one of the nation's most tragic maritime disasters, the explosion of the USS Sultana. On April 23, 1865, after undergoing boiler repairs, the vessel had picked up a number of Union prisoners of war released from Andersonville prison in Georgia and Cahaba prison in Alabama. The captain, a part owner of the vessel, was paid $5 a head for enlisted men and $10 for officers, so he did not baulk when the steamer was overloaded with passengers. The USS Sultana was certified to carry 376 passengers, but it carried well over 2,000 soldiers anxious to return home.

The steamer left Vicksburg and reached Memphis on the evening of April 26, where the passengers heard the news of President Lincoln's assassination. From Memphis, the ship stopped at a coaling station on the Arkansas side of the river, bound for Cairo, IL. About 2 a.m. a boiler exploded and the blast toppled the smokestack and cut the deck in two. Many men were killed instantly by the fire and steam, others began going over the side. Many of the wounded were put over the side to avoid the inferno, only to drown miles away. Only about 800 persons survived.

Monuments and Memorials The granite Minnesota Monument was erected in 1916 by the state of Minnesota in memory of its soldiers who fought in the Civil War and were buried at the cemetery. John K. Daniels of St. Paul, MN, is the sculptor. Daniels also did three other Minnesota monuments, found at Little Rock (1920), Nashville and Jefferson Barracks (1922) national cemeteries. Seven Minnesota monuments were commissioned in all for national cemeteries during the post-Civil War years. The others are located at the national cemeteries at Vicksburg, MS (1906–1907); Shiloh, TN (1908); and Marion, IN (1913).

The Illinois Monument is a granite-and-bronze sarcophagus commissioned by the state of Illinois. Dedicated in 1929, it depicts a soldier in repose.

Notable interments

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

Directions

The cemetery is located in the northeastern section of Memphis. From Memphis International Airport, travel north on Parking toward Winchester Road. Turn left onto Airport Exit. Turn slight left to take ramp toward Interstate 240. Merge onto Plough Road. Merge onto Interstate 240 east toward Nashville. Travel Interstate 240 east 15 miles to exit 8B (Jackson Avenue South). Note that Interstate 240 east will change to Interstate 40 west. Travel Jackson Avenue 1.5 miles to Townes Avenue. The cemetery entrance is immediately on your left.

Flowers and grounds rules

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted at the main entrance to the cemetery.

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.

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 Memphis National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Memphis National Cemetery

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

Where is the Memphis National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Memphis 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 Memphis National Cemetery directly at 901-386-8311.

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

• West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, Memphis, TN: 14 mi, open for burials
• Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at Birdeye, Birdeye, AR: 44 mi, open for burials
• Corinth National Cemetery, Corinth, MS: 83 mi, open for burials