Chalmette National Cemetery was established in 1864 as a burial place for Union soldiers who died in the gulf area during the Civil War, and it also became a reburial site for soldiers from battlefield cemeteries in the region. The ground had been part of the battlefield during the Battle of New Orleans. Only four U.S. veterans of the War of 1812 are buried there, and none of the British dead from that battle are buried in the cemetery. Stewardship of the cemetery passed to the National Park Service in 1933, and its peaceful setting offers the living a moment to acknowledge the contribution of those who fought to defend the country.