Arlington National Cemetery began when Civil War casualties overwhelmed area cemeteries. Three years after the Lees fled their home, Quartermaster Montgomery Meigs ordered the bodies of Union soldiers to be strategically buried around Mrs. Lee's garden. A tomb contains over 2,000 unidentified Civil War soldiers. After the Civil War, presidents and families visited this space to honor the fallen. Today, Arlington National Cemetery stands as a memorial to service and sacrifice. Jim Parks helped shape Arlington National Cemetery, linking the plantation's past and present: born enslaved and buried at Arlington with full military honors in 1929. Parks was 18 when the war began, earned equal pay to white workers, and received special permission from the Secretary of War for his burial in appreciation for his service.