Saint Augustine National Cemetery Memorials

Monuments and Memorials:

The Dade Monument is composed of three pyramids constructed of native coquina stone and originally covered with white stucco. The pyramids were dedicated at a ceremony on Aug. 15, 1842, that marked the end of the Florida Indian Wars. The structures cover vaults that contain the remains of soldiers who died during the Florida Indian Wars (1835-1842). According to the inscription, the wars began on Dec. 25, 1835. Three days later, Maj. Francis L. Dade and his regiment were enroute from Fort Brooke (Tampa) to Fort King (Ocala) when they were ambushed and killed. Of the 108 men and officers under his command, only two or three survived. Maj. Dade and his men are among those entombed at the pyramids.

The Dade Monument, a coquina stone and marble obelisk, was erected in 1844 and commemorates Maj. Francis L. Dade and the men who died with him at the 1835 massacre. Soldiers stationed at the St. Augustine post contributed one day's pay to fund the memorial.