Bivouac of the Dead The Bivouac of the Dead is a poem written by Danville , Kentucky native , Theodore O ' Hara to honor his fellow soldiers from Kentucky who died in the Mexican - American War . The poem increased its popularity after the Civil War , and its verses have been featured on many memorials to fallen Confederate soldiers in the Southern United States , and are even to be found on many memorials in Arlington National Cemetery , including Arlington ' s gateway . When war against Mexico was declared in May 1846 , O ' Hara left Washington , D . C . to return to his native Kentucky in order to enlist . Within a month , he was appointed Captain of the Kentucky Volunteers , and served as their assistant quartermaster . Before he returned to Kentucky in 1847 , he was made a brevet major . After hearing of the severe losses that the 2nd Kentucky Infantry and Kentucky cavalry suffered from the Battle of Buena Vista , O ' Hara wrote the " Bivouac of the Dead " in dedication of the fallen troops . When many of the fallen Kentuckians were buried in Frankfort Cemetery on July 20 , 1847 , future congressman and U . S . Vice President John C . Breckinridge spoke for an hour at the event . Whether or not O ' Hara spoke " Bivouac of the Dead " is disputed , but it is commonly believed that he did . It is agreed he spoke the poem in 1850 at the same cemetery , for the interment of William T . Barry and General Charles Scott . " Bivouac of the Dead " would later be called " a worthy contribution to American Literature . " It was first published in the " Frankfort Yeoman " in 1850 . However , modern historians have also claimed it was not written until 1851 , after Narciso López ' s failed attempt to remove Cuba from Spanish control . O ' Hara was known to change the lyrics to " Bivouac " . Alternations included removing mentions of specific places , and removing various stanzas . In 1858 the " Mobile Register " published what is believed to be the original version , with the " Louisville Courier " publishing the original with an introduction stating it was the version spoken at the 1847 ceremony , reflecting the changes in the poem . In 1900 " The New York Times " devoted an article decrying all the alterations to the poem , and stressed returning to the original version . When O ' Hara was reinterred at Frankfort Cemetery , a friend used " Bivouac " as the eulogy . The first monument to the fallen Confederate States of America in Kentucky , the Confederate Monument in Cynthiana , used a verse from the " Bivouac of the Dead " . Six other monuments in Kentucky also used parts of the poem on memorials to fallen Confederates . Portions of the poem are also displayed on 7 plaques at Finn ' s Point National Cemetery in Pennsville Township , New Jersey , where a significant number of Confederate Soldiers who died in captivity during the American Civil War are buried . It was Montgomery C . Meigs who chose to quote " Bivouac of the Dead " for the entrance into Arlington , due to its solemn appeal . However , at Arlington and many other national cemeteries , O ' Hara was not credited due to having fought for the Confederacy . During the late 1920s and 1930s , instances of " Bivouac " on markers throughout national cemeteries were removed , leaving only fourteen with " Bivouac " verses on tablets . In 2001 , the National Cemetery Administration began returning the first stanza to any national cemetery in which the poem is missing . Parts of the poem may be found at Marye ' s Heights in Fredericksburg , Virginia Also , The national cemetery ( Union soldiers only ) at Antietam in Sharpsburg MD has phases from the first stanza on markers at various points .