Mill Springs to hold Memorial Day Ceremony

On Monday, May 30, 2022, Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument (NM), in partnership with Mill Springs National Cemetery, will be holding annual Memorial Day Services.

Mill Springs Battlefield NM and the National Cemetery would like to invite all veterans, active military, their families, and the public to the programs. Events start at 9 a.m. with the Mill Springs Battlefield NM remembrance ceremony at Zollicoffer Park to reflect on the Civil War battle. Following this, a Memorial Day ceremony at the Mill Springs National Cemetery will take place at 11 a.m. to honor all military service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Dean Collins will be the guest speaker.

The Mill Springs National Cemetery is one of the original 14 cemeteries authorized by Congress in 1862. After the Battle of Mill Springs on January 19, 1862, US General George Thomas ordered fallen US soldiers to be buried one mile from the battlefield. This site became the national cemetery. Additional land for the cemetery was donated by William and Nancy Logan. When the cemetery opened in 1867, there were 708 internments, half of them were unknown. The Mill Springs National Cemetery has been in operation for over 160 years. Today, there are over 4,000 buried in the cemetery.

One of the newest parks in the National Park System, Mill Springs Battlefield NM is free and open to the public Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Battle of Mill Springs was the first major United States victory in the Western Theater of the Civil War, breaking the Confederate defensive lines across Kentucky, capturing the attention of national press, and providing a much-needed morale boost for the United States.

For more information on events and programs, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/misp, Facebook at www.facebook.com/MillSpringsBattlefieldNPS, or call 606-636-4045.

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Zac Oakes is the News and Sports Director for LakerCountry.com and Laker Country WJRS 104.9 FM.