It was established in 1862 as one of the original 14 National Cemeteries for the burial of
American Civil War soldiers. In 1881, Quartermaster General
Montgomery C. Meigs recommended the consolidation of all veteran interments in Philadelphia into one cemetery. The U.S. Federal Government purchased from Henry J. and Susan B. Freeman in 1885. A federal superintendent was appointed in 1869 for the "number of burials in seven incorporated cemeteries near the city of Philadelphia." Remains were reinterred from seven cemeteries in the Philadelphia area:
Lafayette,
Lebanon, United American Mechanics Association,
Odd Fellows,
The Woodlands,
Glenwood,
Mount Moriah, Bristol,
Chester and Whitehall. It also contains the burial of 66
Buffalo Soldiers from the
9th and
10th Cavalry Regiments and the
24th and
25th Infantry Regiments. In 1912, the Philadelphia chapter of the
United Daughters of the Confederacy sponsored the installation of a nine-foot tall granite stone memorial to recognize the 184 Confederate soldiers and sailors buried at the cemetery. It was dedicated on October 12, 1912 on the 42nd anniversary of the death of
Robert E. Lee. The dedication was attended by approximately 1,000 people. The Mexican-American War monument was erected by the Scott Legion to recognize the 169 men from that conflict buried in Glenwood Cemetery. The soldiers were originally interred at Glenwood Cemetery and were reinterred to Philadelphia National Cemetery in 1927. The Mexican-American War monument was also relocated to the Philadelphia National Cemetery. ==Notable interments==