The observance of Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War when a group of women went to decorate soldiers' graves at the Vicksburg cemetery. On June 6, 1865, the Stonewall Jackson Memorial association decorated the graves of the Confederate cemetery in Winchester.

In 1868, John A. Logan, Commander‑in‑chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, dedicated May 30 to the honoring of the soldiers who gave their lives in defense of the Union.

The United States then declared May 30 as a legal holiday called "Decoration Day." Eventually the army declared that the flag should be flown at half mast until noon at all army installations.

Today, the Navy, unable to decorate the graves of men buried at sea, constructs minute ships of flowers and sets them afloat.