Customer Reviews

On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery

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This history of the Arlington National Cemetery kept me thoroughly completely engaged throughout. An chronological accounting of our nation's cemetery through individual stories of the people who were buried there, it made an great companion to the more thematically structured and excellent Civil War history by Drew Gilpin Faust, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, which I had previously completed.

Poole's account details the complex political and bureaucratic processes around the selection of unknown soldiers, and the developing culture of memorial to war dead as well as the role of the cemetery in attempting to heal internal national divisions (Civil War, Vietnam "war"). His detailing of how Robert E Lee's wife's family plantation was slowly appropriated alone is well worth the reading time. I also greatly appreciated how Poole's highlighting the design--land use, vistas, monuments, tombstones, rituals etc--deftly demonstrates that attention to detail reinforces beliefs and values. Examples include the categorization--by war, race and sex--of people buried, to a soldier's description of the practice needed folding a flag apparent simplicity of folding the flag at a state funeral.

There many things and further questions (areas of inquiry) that came to my mind as I read this book. Overall areas that left me intrigued are: the discipline of architecture's relationship to war memorials (I know that Maya Lin, while at Yale, designed her winning design for an architecture class on war memorials); 2) any possible ramifications of the flattening of army hierarchy through the elimination of burial practice for enlisted men and officers; (as of 2009, all people, officer or enlisted, killed in action are granted full-honors ceremonies); and 4) the future of practice of the Unknowns and its relationship to accountability...

Fascinating book. Highly recommended for the content as well as the writing and as a way to approach history writing--not through the history of a single person or an organization, but around the changing, physical manifestation of intangible beliefs and values . I am going to seek out Robert Poole's other book, Explorers House: National Geographic and the World It Made, with great confidence that it will be as illuminating as this.

Note: I won this book in the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

Robert Poole comes closer to the heart and soul of Arlington than any other book that has been written. Much of the other information that has been published before is guidebook/history information. Unlike other superficial accounts that show pictures of the grandeur of the cemetery and the ceremony, there is much background, including how close our ceremonies are to those of the Grecian warrior's and how no other country goes to the extent the United States does to honor their common military men, including returning them to their home country.
I have been with the military all of my life. Arlington is a family and friend's cemetery, a very personal place and `On Hallowed Ground" comes the closest to touching the feelings that those of us that regard Arlington have as our personal hallowed remembrance as any book.
With that said I wish that there was more of the tales of the common military man here. Out of 267 pages more than 80 are devoted to the very detailed history of the Lees, the Civil War and the acquiring of the Lee land for this cemetery. I wish there was less of Lee, which has been previously covered by other books and more of the soul of the men and women of Arlington. The Old Guard is covered, but not to a great extent.
There is little of the expansion of the cemetery in and after the Vietnam era, which he attributes not to the war but to the popularity after Kennedy's burial, which he does a magnificent job of describing. But I remember an officer whose office suddenly overlooked the growing number of headstones as being insulted that, that was now the view from his office; and I of course could not reply what I was thinking, that maybe that is what he needed to see.
The days and effect of 9/11 are touched upon, but that was a tremendous effect with the coming of section 60 and the comfort and companionship of families together who have lost those buried together from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts instead of scattered around the grounds.
The constant noise of airplanes taking off from nearby National/Reagan Airport is again briefly mentioned, but not the eerie silence that followed in the many days that Reagan was shut down after 9/11 and having stood at my father's funeral in sight of the wounded Pentagon and with just the noise of the construction repair from across the highway we all knew that eerie silence brought a world forever changed.
This is a wonderful book, I wish it could have gone further into some of the changes that have occurred with honoring the military both in life and death, they are touched upon; and having been spit upon during Vietnam and called baby killers by Americans at home, to enter Arlington was a place we knew we would be honored...those are the stories that make Arlington part of the heart of America.
Poole points out that much could not be included, but even Pete Conrad is not listed among the astronauts buried there. There is one map of the Arlington today but a few of how the cemetery has expanded would have done much to show the changes. When I was very young, a family friend who was a member of the Old Guard called Arlington a garden of stones, a place of honor and remembrance, this is a magnificent story that has been well covered by Robert Poole.

Millions of people come to Arlington Cemetery every year, some come as visitors and take the standard tour, some come to mourn and seek the grave of a loved one, and many come solemnly as a part of multiple daily funeral processions. Having done all three and having had the opportunity to drive by and around the National Cemetery on a daily commute for almost two decades I still found it to be a mysterious and, if given into, a mentally overwhelming place. "On Hallowed Ground, the Story of Arlington National Cemetery, by Robert Poole, takes out the mystery. But his work only pushes the mentally overwhelming nature of Arlington, and what it stands for, to new heights.

I received this book as Christmas gift this year from a disabled Iraqi vet making a new life for himself along the Space Coast with me here in Florida. We have become friends. In honesty my initial reaction to the gift, was of course gracious, but as I thought about the pile of unread books seeking priority, my gut told me, having lived in Northern Virginia most of my life, what more stories about the old cemetery did I need to hear? Well, for whatever reasons, I cracked the cover. Ironically on a flight from Orlando to Regan National I read about the history of the land once belonging to Robert E. Lee as my flight covered the whole of the Confederacy in just less than two hours. I was hooked on the story. I assume Mr. Poole chose the word "story" as opposed to history, because the history of the cemetery is more appropriately contained within the lives of the thousands upon thousands of individuals now resting eternally.

But it is indeed a history of the Cemetery itself, which was mired in controversy from its beginnings, belonging to the Lee family and acquired from the government in questionable fashion during the Civil War, a wrong that was later set right and continuing on to present day when the US Army finally realized in January 2009 that the practice of recognizing officers buried in the cemetery with more honors then those of enlisted men who were killed in combat was a latent form of elitism and class discrimination. This has also now been corrected. Along the way he discusses the evolution of the cemetery during each of our Nations conflicts including the War of 1812, WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and our current clashes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Conspicuously missing from his history is Desert Storm.

The mystery of the cemetery, its size, its look, how it operates, and the meaning of many of its icons have now been explained. What is also clear is that even the most somber and noble of our Nation's practice's to do what is right, when it comes to the Government; one can never escape the politics of a situation. With two sides to every argument and each side vying to use whatever influence they have to push their agenda. Nothing stands as a clearer indicator of this political maneuvering than the ill advised burial of the "Unknown" from the Vietnam conflict. Who was in fact known but whose burial was insisted upon to close an ugly page in our Nation's history. That episode has ironically demonstrated a decade after a war plagued with lies and cover-ups, that the highest echelons of our government were still not immune from a good one.

With a rich history of meaning, I will never walk the fields of Arlington with the same mystery of how they came to be. I will still be awed and overwhelmed by the sacrifice they represent.

Any effort to dramatize and glamorize a cemetery has to be considered a dubious task, but the author has taken great care to do neither. Instead, Robert Poole presents a tale in reverence of America's most hallowed ground.

Arlington National Cemetery evolved from the estate of Robert E. Lee, and Poole's explanation of the conditions and situations leading up to the founding of the cemetery are interesting and eye-opening. Throughout this book he also provides previously undisclosed sidelights and tales that better explain how the cemetery grew, from first accepting only Union soldiers and rejecting their Confederate brothers. His explanations of how monuments were standardized and locations selected, for instance, make for interesting reading in this well-presented book.

Although the book focused on Arlington, he also provides minute detail in explaining the nation's efforts to document and identify thousands who have died from war and other national disasters. His details surrounding the selection of the unknown soldiers, for example, gives credence to the efforts to identify those killed in battle.

On Hallowed Ground is a historical tale about more than just a cemetery. The evolution of the city of Washington, the efforts to place the cemetery elsewhere, the impact of John Kennedy's choice to be buried there, even the explanation of the reasoning for a 24-hour guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers help to present a fascinating story. This is an enjoyable read...whether you have been to Arlington or not.

ON HALLOWED GROUND: THE STORY OF ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY is high on my list of the finest books that I have ever read. Robert M. Poole, a consummate storyteller of longstanding, hits full stride with this literary masterpiece. This extraordinary story chronicles the creation and evolution of Arlington National Cemetery, with that narrative being intriguingly told against a backdrop of some of the most pivotal events in U.S. history--the events that necessitated the existence of a hallowed ground to serve as the final resting place for those who have sacrificed so much for our country. Skillfully and harmoniously interweaving these elements, Poole crafts an entertaining and enlightening work of tremendous scope and depth. It is as insightful and illuminating as it is thought provoking, underscoring much of the American saga's greatness. This is a book for all Americans. The holidays are a time for giving. I have already given a copy of ON HALLOWED GROUND to a friend of mine who is a retired U.S. Army Major General. In the space of two days, he finished the book--and he loved it! Robert M. Poole, master wordsmith that he is, has presented us a most excellent holiday gift.

I first became aware of Arlington National Cemetery after President Kennedy was assassinated. Like so much of the country during those dark days, I watched the funeral on television. Growing up during the sixties, Arlington was ever-present, as many of the young soldiers who died in Viet Nam were buried there. Yet it wasn't until a few years ago that I became aware that the site had originally been the plantation belonging to Robert E. Lee, the general who led the Confederate forces during the Civil War.

I've visited Washington, DC several times. On my most recent trip, I was able to visit Arlington. Several surprises were waiting for me. Lee's house is still standing. For some reason, I thought that it had been destroyed during the Civil War. There are areas with grave monuments that I would have expected to see in a civilian cemetery rather than the more austere uniform markers found in the rest of Arlington. Most puzzling was the placement of some of the memorials. Especially the mass grave in what looked to me to formerly be a garden.

The answers to all of these mysteries are found in Robert Poole's excellent book on the history of Arlington. I hesitate to use the word "history" which conjures up the idea of a dry tome filled with names and dates and battles. Mr. Poole's book contains all of those but he tells his story in a more reader friendly manner.

Just because this is a history written for a popular audience doesn't mean that it has been dumbed down at all. The author covers each major era in the history of Arlington, seemingly without omitting a single significant detail. He tells how the cemetery came into being, how the traditions we see today are the result of years of development some of them still evolving, and how and why burials were placed in the cemetery.

The story of Arlington National cemetery is as much the story of the military and government officials of their times as it is about our country. I'm sure that many readers will be surprised, as I was, to learn that Arlington was not always the revered place that it is today. After reading Mr. Poole's first-rate account, it's easy to understand how a need for burial space and one man's near obsession with appropriating the property of a traitor became a national symbol and coveted place to spend eternity.

I'm looking forward to visiting Arlington again, this time with a better understanding of it and with this book tucked under my arm.

Every page an inspiration



On Hallowed Ground, by Robert M. Poole, bestows upon readers deep emotions and realizations that will be ingrained forever. Poole begins with informing readers of the history of Arlington National Cemetery: Robert E. Lee owned Arlington, Virginia's plantation during the Civil War. Even if one is versed in this era of history, something new is learned in every chapter. For example: the year Taps became official, appearing in the U.S. Army Infantry Drill Regulations in 1891.

Not all the history of Arlington makes us proud. Poole tells many stories from the Civil War to present day. The reader needs to keep in mind the time frame to empathize with decisions made. Poole is thorough and the facts complete the reader's prior knowledge.

Poole states there are more than 300,000 bodies buried at Arlington. Millions of visitors have experienced the ceremonies conducted on the grounds over time. Even if one has not personally lost a loved one in a war, the visit is emotionally draining. Pondering over those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms, while standing on the sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, is what Poole describes with such inspirational storytelling expertise.

I recommend this book for every American. I think young adults would benefit from a parent reading it to them. I feel obligated to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. I did not feel as strongly about making this trip before reading On Hallowed Ground. Robert. M. Poole has heightened my awareness to experience this in my lifetime with hopes Arlington will never run out of space.

Book review by Mary Crocco
m.crocco@yahoo.com

Excellent, well written, book which connects the cemetery and its traditions to the important military events since the civil war, including the assassinations, freeing of the slaves, return of Arlington to originl tenants and other policital and sociological activities of the 19th and 20th centuries.

This book is for all American history buffs. I wish I was aware of this book when I was teaching American I history to my high school seniors. It takes you through the history of Arlington while at the same time taking you through the history of our nation. For those honored to have love ones resting in these hallowed grounds, it also gives you a frame of reference for what our love ones endured to have the right for eternal rest.

Robert Poole's On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery (On Hallowed Ground) surprised me. I was expecting a straightforward history of the cemetery's founding, as well as a list/retelling of some of its more famous burials. While that historical account is present in the book, I also found a poignant depiction about Arlington's roles as both a place of reconciliation and a place of honor. Poole gracefully shows how the cemetery has evolved over time to reflect American society's values. He also shows how that evolution has transformed Arlington into a key monument in the nation's consciousness.

As is the case with most places that I've never visited but would like to see someday, I fill the void by reading about the attraction. My hope is that the material I'm reading will finally spur me to take a trip to see/experience the place about which I'm reading. Did On Hallowed Ground fulfill this hope? For me, it didn't...I have about the same desire to see Arlington as I did before I read the book. But, what the book did spark was a deeper appreciation for the symbol that Arlington is to our country. In that sense, On Hallowed Ground left me with a more profound understanding than a simple history would provide.