Why you should experience Chalmette National Cemetery in Chalmette, Louisiana.
Chalmette National Cemetery is a solemn military cemetery where Chalmette's battlefield heritage, national remembrance, military sacrifice, and historic preservation honor generations of Americans who served their country.
Situated within the Chalmette Battlefield along West Saint Bernard Highway near the Visitor Center and just steps from the Battle of New Orleans Monument, this meticulously maintained cemetery combines orderly rows of white marble headstones, broad lawns, mature live oaks, and dignified memorials within one of the nation's most historically significant military landscapes. Peaceful pathways and carefully preserved grounds encourage quiet reflection while connecting visitors with nearly two centuries of American military history. Every vista reinforces the profound relationship between remembrance, service, and the preservation of national memory. The result is a commemorative experience defined by historical significance, reverence, and one of Louisiana's most important national cemeteries.
What you should know about Chalmette National Cemetery.
Chalmette National Cemetery is best known for serving as the principal burial ground for Union soldiers who died during the Civil War's Gulf Coast campaigns after its establishment in May 1864, eventually becoming the final resting place for more than 15,000 military veterans and family members representing conflicts from the Civil War through the Vietnam War. Created on land immediately adjacent to the battlefield where Andrew Jackson's forces secured their decisive victory during the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, the cemetery initially received the remains of Union soldiers from more than twenty temporary burial grounds scattered across southeastern Louisiana before expanding through successive reinterments that transformed it into one of the nation's largest national cemeteries. Today, 15,000 interments include Civil War soldiers, veterans of the Spanish-American War, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and later military service, with thousands of the earliest burials marked as unknown, reflecting the devastating human cost of nineteenth-century warfare. Administered by the National Park Service as part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, the cemetery preserves not only the memory of those buried there but also the broader historical landscape where one of the defining battles of the War of 1812 reshaped American history. Together, military sacrifice, battlefield preservation, national remembrance, and enduring stewardship establish Chalmette National Cemetery as one of the most historically significant military cemeteries in the American South.
The cemetery's symmetrical layout, marble headstones, memorial monuments, and surrounding battlefield create a powerful commemorative landscape where military history and historic preservation remain inseparable. Annual remembrance ceremonies, educational interpretation, and ongoing conservation efforts continue preserving the dignity of the site while reinforcing its importance as both a place of mourning and one of the National Park Service's most significant military heritage landscapes.
How to fold Chalmette National Cemetery into your trip.
Chalmette National Cemetery works as part of an exploration through the Chalmette Battlefield.
Begin at the Chalmette Battlefield Visitor Center, where exhibits introduce the Battle of New Orleans before walking through Chalmette National Cemetery to reflect upon generations of American military service. Continue to the Battle of New Orleans Monument, whose towering obelisk commemorates Andrew Jackson's pivotal victory during the War of 1812. Conclude along the battlefield grounds, where preserved earthworks and interpretive trails provide a memorable finale celebrating one of the nation's most consequential military landscapes. The progression moves naturally from historical interpretation to remembrance before concluding across the battlefield itself, revealing why Chalmette National Cemetery remains one of Louisiana's most meaningful places of national memory.
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