War II buried at Chalmette National Cemetery. History Chalmette National Cemetery was originally known as Monument Cemetery. It had been used as a burial ground prior to its establishment as a national cemetery. In the early part of the American Civil War, former slaves were buried at the site as were both Confederate and Union troops. In 1862, the federal government of the United States created the system of national cemeteries. Its purpose was to provide cemeteries for soldiers who died in service of the nation and included the acquisition of land. Chalmette National Cemetery was established as a United States National Cemetery in 1864 as a place to inter the Union troops. Even though Louisiana was part of the Confederate States of America, nearby New Orleans was occupied by the Union Army for the majority of the conflict, which is there was need for a Union cemetery in the New Orleans area. Originally some Confederate soldiers were buried there but were moved to the now defunct Cypress Grove #2 Cemetery by the Ladies of the Benevolent Association of New Orleans. After the Civil War, makeshift battlefield burial plots around the state had their interments moved to the more permanent national cemeteries. The remains of nearly 12,000 soldiers were moved to Chalmette National Cemetery at that time, many of whom were unknown soldiers. At about the same time, the remains of approximately 7000 African-American civilians that were buried on the grounds of Chalmette National Cemetery were reinterred at the adjacent Freedmen's Cemetery. Other civilians were also buried there in the early history of Chalmette National Cemetery, although this practice was discontinued in 1867. During the early 1960s, the historic community of Fazendeville was demolished in order to expand the battlefield in preparation for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, which took place in 1965. The town, which had been established sometime around 1870 by Jean-Pierre Fazende, had been "founded as a home for newly freed slaves," according to news reports. The cemetery, as part of the Chalmette National Historical Park, was transferred to the stewardship of the National Park Service in 1933. Local, state and federal elected officials had been engaged in efforts to acquire the community's lands since at least the early 1930s. The cemetery and battlefield were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The cemetery and