Saint Augustine National Cemetery

The land now occupied by St. Augustine National Cemetery was part
of a monastery until 1763, when England took Florida from Spain. The
British repurposed the monastery to house its soldiers, calling it St. Francis Barracks.

The Spanish regained Florida in 1783 and continued to use
the old monastery for military purposes. After Spain ceded Florida to the
United States in 1821, the U.S. Army moved in. In 1828, a post cemetery
was established here for those who died while stationed at nearby Fort
Marion.

When the Seminole Wars ended in 1842, the remains of soldiers killed in those battles were moved here. By 1875, Union soldiers—42 known and 40 unknown.

Three coquina-block pyramids mark the graves of officers and soldiers who were killed in action or died in service between 1835 and 1842 during the Second Seminole War.