Alexandria National Cemetery

GPS Coordinates: 31.322258, -92.432386
County: Rapides Parish
Record count: 9,064

Ownership: National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Directions: Located along the north side of E Shamrock St., near the intersection with Main St (US-165).

Background: Alexandria National Cemetery was established in 1867 when an eight-acre plot was appropriated from local resident François Poussin in Pineville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, for the burial of Union soldiers who died in the region during the Civil War.

The cemetery's origins stem from the widespread destruction that occurred in the area between 1863 and early 1864, culminating in the complete burning of Alexandria on May 13, 1864, by Union troops. Following the war's end, federal reconstruction troops moved into the region, leading to the cemetery's creation as part of the national effort to properly inter Union dead.

Approximately a decade after establishment, Poussin's heirs successfully sued the United States, resulting in a court order requiring payment of $1,200 for the property title. The cemetery expanded through reinterments from surrounding Louisiana towns including Mount Pleasant, Cheneyville, and Yellow Bayou, as well as remains from Fort Brown, Texas, when that fort was decommissioned.

Alexandria National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and features notable memorials including 1911 granite monuments commemorating unknown soldiers transferred from Texas cemeteries.

Burial Records

• View All Transcriptions Combined, 9,064 records
  • Unidentified Burials, by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (833 records)
  • Veteran Affairs Database, by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (8,231 records)

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