The military affairs journal Task & Purpose writes that Arlington Cemetery has made changes to its website in recent weeks. Webpages that were devoted to the Civil War, Black, Hispanic, and Women were delinked so that visitors can no longer find them. Below is an archive illustration from the cemetery’s website on the left and a recently screenshotted page screenshotted by Task and Purpose. The names surrounded framed by red have been removed.
These pages allow visitors to learn about the history of the cemetery and to see biographies of the service members buried there. Many people visit Arlington not because they have relatives buried there, but to have an immediate experience of American history. It is also used by families to impress on children the terrible sacrifice Americans have made in these wars.
The fact that the Civil War page no longer appears in the home directory is particularly serious. The cemetery was started during the Civil War by President Lincoln. It is on land that had been formerly owned by General Robert E. Lee. In fact, Lee’s house, Arlington House, still stands at the property’s highest point.
The land the cemetery is on also served another purpose during and immediately after the Civil War that the cemetery’s website explained. It was used as a refugee camp by African Americans escaping slavery and it became one of the earliest freedmen’s villages in the United States.
The section on African American History included members of the United States Colored Troops who were buried at Arlington as well as where their graves are located.
The site also deleted the guide to Medal of Honor winners. We don’t know why that was delinked. It may be because it included Civil War honorees or because it included Black soldiers. But, there has been a lack of transparency that needs to be cleared up.
Without the guidance of the website, many visitors will be unable to learn about our American military history.
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