In 1867, the Springfield National Cemetery was established because of the critical need for suitable burial space for the remains of men who fell at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek and in other battles and skirmishes in southwest Missouri.

In 1870, the Confederate cemetery was established on a four-acre tract adjoining the National Cemetery, but separated by a stone wall, there are 566 gravesites in the Confederate section; most of the internments are unknown. Of the original 501 buried here, 238 were killed at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, while most of the remaining 263 died from wounds or sickness, or were killed in the 1863 Battle of Springfield. The last burial of a Confederate veteran there took place there on June 12, 1939.

In 1911, the two cemeteries were united by United States government, and are now managed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.