National Cemetery Administration
San Antonio National Cemetery
Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Office Hours: Contact Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at 210-820-3891.
This cemetery has space available for cremated remains. We may be able to accommodate casketed remains in the same gravesite of previously interred family members.
Burial in a national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
A Veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran.
Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty or who die while on training duty, or were eligible for retired pay, may also be eligible for burial.
The cemetery is located in the eastern section of San Antonio. From Interstate 37, take Commerce exit east and proceed to S. New Braunfels. Turn left and travel one block to Paso Hondo. Travel approximately ½ mile to the cemetery on your right.
Fax all discharge documentation to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.
For information on scheduled burials in our national cemeteries, please go to the Daily Burial Schedule.
This cemetery was accepted for listing in the National Register of Historic Places on November 22, 1999.
For educational materials and additional information on this cemetery, please visit the Education section, located below.
Fresh cut flowers are permitted on graves year round. Flowers may be removed to facilitate cemetery operations such as lawn mowing and grounds maintenance.
Flower pick-up dates are posted on "Next Flower Pick-Up" signs posted at cemetery entrances. During flower pick-up dates all items, including flags, will be removed from graves and will not be retained. Persons who placed items on graves may recover those items from their loved one's gravesites prior to the scheduled pick-up dates.
In order to preserve the dignity of the cemetery, items placed on graves must be floral in nature.
NO GLASS or METAL of any kind is allowed. This includes but not limited to items such as statues, vigil lights, shepherd's hooks, breakable objects of any nature, and other commemorative items which are not permitted on gravesites. Items NOT PERMITTED on gravesites will be removed.
Fresh cut flowers are permitted on graves year round. Flowers may be removed to facilitate cemetery operations such as lawn mowing and grounds maintenance.
Artificial flowers may be placed on graves but may be removed as soon as they become faded and unsightly or interfere with grounds maintenance operations, particularly during the grass growing season.
All fresh cut and artificial flowers must be in plastic vases — no other containers are allowed. Plastic vases are provided at the cemetery and are located in receptacles throughout the cemetery and should be returned to the receptacles when no longer needed. The Cemetery provides plastic vases and are Federal property and should not be removed from the cemetery. Please limit to two vases per gravesite.
All flowers should be displayed in a manner so as not to completely cover the headstone. Floral items and other types of decorations may not be secured or adhered to headstones, markers or niche covers at any time. If found they will be removed.
Plantings are not permitted at any time. Potted plants are only permitted on gravesites 10 days before and 10 days after Easter.
Christmas wreaths or grave blankets are permitted on graves during the Christmas season from December 1st until January 20th of each year. Grave floral blankets may not be larger than 2 feet by 3 feet. Christmas trees of any kind ARE NOT permitted on the gravesites.
Cemetery trees, shrubs and/or any other plants may not be decorated with any ornaments of any kind at ANY TIME.
The Cemetery Director reserves the right to remove and destroy, without notice, anything left on graves that violates the intent of these policies/regulations, offends the sensibilities of the public, or the dignity of this cemetery, is an eyesore, or threat to the safety of the public or cemetery personnel.
Headstones are Federal property. Altering or marking by paint, marker, lipstick or any other means is considered vandalism and may be subject to penalty as defined in Title 38 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Sec. 1.218. There is security and law enforcement at VA facilities.
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery assumes no responsibility for items left on gravesites. Due to the open nature of the grounds, we cannot guarantee against theft, vandalism or the effects of nature. Anyone caught removing items from gravesites not their own will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Questions concerning cemetery floral policy should be directed to cemetery staff at 210-820-3891.
VA regulations 38 CFR 1.218 prohibit the carrying of firearms (either openly or concealed), explosives or other dangerous or deadly weapons while on VA property, except for official purposes, such as military funeral honors.
Possession of firearms on any property under the charge and control of VA is prohibited. Offenders may be subject to a fine, removal from the premises, or arrest.
San Antonio National Cemetery is located in Bexar County, Texas. The Spanish first explored this region in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The town grew out of San Antonio de Béxar Presidio, which was founded in 1718 and the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, which became the capital of Spanish Texas in 1773. By 1778, the settlement had a population of more than 2,000, including Native Americans at the San Antonio de Valero Mission. Despite its status as a colonial capital, most visitors described the town as "miserable." Prominent factions in San Antonio aligned itself with Hidalgo's forces in the fight for Mexican independence. A number of Spanish government officials were subsequently captured and detained. Their victory, however, was short lived. After only one month, Royalist forces recaptured the city, killing and wounding much of San Antonio's population in the process.
During the Texas Revolution, 1835–1836, San Antonio was the site of several battles, including the siege of Bexar (December 1835) and the battle of the Alamo (March 6, 1836). With the establishment of the Republic of Texas in December 1836, Bexar County was organized and San Antonio was chartered as its seat. After Texas entered the Union in 1845, San Antonio experienced a period of rapid growth, as the city became a servicing and distribution center for the western settlement of the United States: a population of 3,488 in 1850 skyrocketed to 8,235 in 10 years. In 1861, local militia forced the surrender of the federal arsenal at San Antonio even before the state seceded on March 2, and San Antonio served out the Civil War as a Confederate depot.
The original national cemetery site, which was part of San Antonio's burying ground, was donated to the U.S. government by the city in 1867. The original deed was lost and the transfer never recorded, however. The city executed a new deed April 14, 1871, conveying approximately 1.89 acres of land to the United States. The first interments at San Antonio were the remains of Union soldiers removed from the city cemetery and outlying areas. Subsequent burials included unknown who had died on the western frontier. A total of 314 unknowns are buried in a common grave in Section H, marked with a monument inscribed "To the Unknown Dead."
San Antonio National Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Monuments and Memorials
A monument dedicated to the Unknown Dead was erected at San Antonio National Cemetery by the U.S. government in 1912.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 390 Medal of Honor recipients interred in VA national cemeteries.
» Medal of Honor recipients buried or memorialized here:
Private David Bennes Barkley (World War I). Texan David Bennes Barkley served in Company A, 356th Infantry, 89th Division, U.S. Army during World War I. On November 9, 1918, Private Barkley volunteered to swim across the Meuse River to reconnoiter the enemy's location, but when returning, he drowned. Private Barkley received the Medal of Honor in 1919 and his remains were on view at the Alamo in 1921. It was only in 1989 that Barkley was recognized as the first Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient. He is buried in Section G, Site 1302.
Sergeant William H. Barnes (Civil War). William H. Barnes was born at St. Mary's County, Maryland, in 1841. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on February 11, 1864, at Norfolk, VA, and served in Company C, 38th Infantry, U.S. Colored Troops (USCT). During the Battle of New Market Heights, Virginia, on September 29, 1864, Private Barnes was among the first troops to enter the enemy works. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for this act of bravery. After the Civil War, Barnes and other USCT were stationed in Texas. Barnes was promoted to sergeant in July 1865, and after several months of detached service, he returned to post and contracted tuberculous. Barnes died December 24, 1866, and is memorialized in Section MA, Site 86.
Sergeant William DeArmond (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company I, 5th U.S. Infantry, in recognition of actions at the Upper Washita River, Texas, September 9–11, 1874. DeArmond is memorialized in Section MA, Site 89.
Sergeant Frederick Deetline (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry, for actions at the Little Big Horn River, Montana Territory, June 25, 1876. Deetline died in 1910 and is buried in Section F, Site 921.
First Sergeant Henry Falcott (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company L, 8th U.S. Cavalry, for actions in the Arizona Territory, from August to October 1868. Falcott died in 1910 and is buried in Section F, Site 918.
Corporal John J. Givens (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company K, 6th U.S. Cavalry, in recognition of actions at the Wichita River, Texas, July 12, 1870. His citation was awarded under the name of Given. Corporal Givens is memorialized in Section MA, Site 88.
Private John Harrington (Section F, Site 1012)
Private James Howard (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company K, 158th New York Infantry, for actions at Battery Gregg, near Petersburg, VA, April 2, 1865. Howard died in 1879 and is buried in Section E, Site 889.
Corporal Henry A. McMasters (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company A, 4th U.S. Cavalry, for his actions at Red River, Texas, September 29, 1872. McMasters died in November that year and is buried in Section D, Site 729.
First Sergeant James J. Nash (Spanish-American War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company F, 10th U.S. Infantry, for actions at Santiago, Cuba, July 1, 1898. Nash died in 1927 and is buried in Section I, Site 1461-A.
Sergeant Solon D. Neal (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company L, 6th U.S. Cavalry, for actions at the Wichita River, Texas, July 12, 1870. Neal died in 1920 and is buried in Section G, Site 1323.
Private George W. Smith (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company M, 6th U.S. Cavalry, in recognition of actions at the Wichita River, Texas, September 12, 1874. Smith died the next day and is memorialized in Section MA, Site 87
Private Simon Suhler (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company B, 8th U.S. Cavalry, for actions in the Arizona Territory, from August to October 1868. His citation was awarded under the alias Charles Gardner. Suhler died in 1895 and is buried in Section I, Site 1610.
First Lieutenant Lewis Warrington (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 4th U.S. Cavalry, for actions in the Muchague Valley, Texas, December 8, 1874. Warrington died in 1879 and is buried in Section A, Site 60.
Other Burials
There are 281 identified Buffalo soldiers interred here.
Second Lieutenant George E. M. Kelly, for whom Kelly Air Force Base was named. Lt. Kelly was killed in 1911 at Fort Sam Houston, the second U.S. Army aviator to lose his life in a military airplane accident. (Section A, Site 117-A)
Corporal Harry M. Wurzbach, a five-term U.S. congressman from San Antonio. One of the major thoroughfares of the city is named for him. (Section J, Site 274)
Gustav Schleicher, a German-born immigrant who became a Texas state representative and senator and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. (Section A, Site 140)
Brigadier General John L. Bullis, for whom Camp Bullis, Texas was named. He retired in 1905, the day after he was promoted to brigadier general. (Section A, Site 174)
Friday Bowlegs and several other Indian scouts are buried in Section F.
Friday Bowlegs, a Seminole and native of Florida, served as an Indian Scout in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars. He was identified as having African-American heritage as well as American Indian, yet little else is known about him. Bowlegs died on July 16, 1902 (Section F, Site 1054).
Twelve Chinese civilian employees of the Quartermaster Corps are buried in Section H. Five of them are listed both as Chinese refugees and as Quartermaster employees. They accompanied the American Expeditionary Forces commanded by General John J. Pershing out of Mexico.
More than half of VA's national cemeteries originated with the Civil War and many are closed to some burials. Other sites were established to serve World War veterans and they continue to expand. Historic themes related with NCA's cemeteries and soldiers' lots vary, but visitors should understand "Why is it here?" NCA began by installing interpretive signs, or waysides, at more than 100 properties to observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011–2015). Please follow the links below to see the interpretive signs for San Antonio National Cemetery.
Visit the Veterans Legacy Program and NCA History Program for additional information. Thank you for your interest.
