Unknown Union Soldier's Full Military Funeral Honors

November 8, 2026

November 4, 2026 - Soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), the U.S. Army Band, "Pershing’s Own" and the U.S. Army’s 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Caisson Detachment conduct full military funeral honors with escort for an unknown Union soldier in Section 81 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

The soldier was discovered in March 2024 by the National Park Service (NPS) during professional archaeological excavations at the site of a Civil War field hospital within Manassas National Battlefield Park. This site is associated with the Second Battle of Manassas. Analysis done by NPS indicates the soldier was approximately 16 to 19 years old.

NPS transferred the remains of this young soldier to the Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC). OAC coordinated the interment of this soldier in Section 81 of Arlington National Cemetery where two other unknown union soldiers discovered at the Manassas National Battlefield Park were interred in 2018.

An Arlington Lady represented the unknown soldier’s next of kin and received the U.S. flag from his funeral service.

Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Army photos by Elizabeth Fraser, Arlington National Cemetery.

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