Born on November 2, 1839, he was a veteran of the Civil War, serving with Companies B, G, and H of the Third Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry. He was the Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery from October 1886 to November 1892.
He died on November 22, 1914 and was buried in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Elizabeth Hall Commerford (January 28, 1845-July 8, 1931) lies with him.
His son, Leon Commerford, Captain, United States Army (1882-1957) and his wife, Jessie Hardeman Commerford (1884-1954) are buried in an adjoining site, as are his grandson, Leon Commerford, Jr., Colonel, United States Army (July 13, 1913-June 12, 1991) and his wife, Marie Hoebreck Commerford (1916-1987).
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard