Old Bayview Cemetery
Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The oldest federal military cemetery in Texas, Old Bayview was laid out by U.S. Army engineers while Brig. Gen. Zachary Taylor was encamped in Corpus Christi on the eve of the Mexican War. On Sept. 13, 1845, the steamer "Dayton", used to transfer men from St. Joseph's Island to Corpus Christi, burst a boiler near McGloin's Bluff (Old Ingleside), killing seven soldiers. Taylor obtained a burial site from H.L. Kinney, founder of Corpus Christi. Col. Hitchcock, who served under Taylor, wrote: "On September 14, a military funeral took place at the burial ground which I selected. It is on the brow of the hill northwest of camp, and commands a view of the Nueces and Corpus Christi bays. It is a beautiful spot." After Taylor's army left Corpus Christi in 1846, the cemetery became the community burial ground. Here are graves of pioneer settlers, and of veterans of War of 1812, Texas War for independence, Mexican War, Indian campaigns, Civil War, and later conflicts. Markers bear the names of men of the 9th U.S. Cavalry, 1st U.S. Infantry, 38th U.S. Infantry, U.S. Mounted Rifles, and 1st Texas Cavalry. (1967)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Laid out by U.S. Army engineers in 1845 while Zachary Taylor's troops massed at Corpus Christi on the eve of the Mexican War, Old Bayview is the oldest federal military cemetery in Texas. Its first burials followed the boiler explosion of the steamer Dayton, which killed seven soldiers; Taylor secured the hilltop burial ground, praised by an officer for its sweeping view of the bays. After the army departed, it became the town's cemetery, holding veterans of conflicts from the War of 1812 through the Civil War and beyond.
Why it matters
The cemetery is a layered record of America's expansion and its wars, gathering in one hillside the pioneers and soldiers who contested and settled the Texas coast.
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Related people
- · Zachary Taylor
- · H. L. Kinney
Related events
- · Mexican War
- · Dayton steamer explosion
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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