Throughout the nine-and-a-half months of fighting around Petersburg, thousands of Union soldiers were buried on the fields where they fell. For the great majority, their identity was lost forever in the dirt that dominated the landscape around the city.

Prior to the siege, in July 1862, the United States Congress authorized the establishment of National Cemeteries "for soldiers who shall die in defense of their country."

When the war ended, the many battlefield sites around Petersburg were surveyed to find a location for a National Cemetery where soldiers could be honored in a final resting place.