The Washington Arsenal's superintendent laid out fireworks to dry on June 17, 1864. In the heat of summer, fireworks exploded into the room where gunpowder was being filled. The fire and explosions that followed claimed 21 lives, many of which were young Irish immigrants who provided the only support for their families. Seventeen of the victims are buried at Congressional Cemetery. 15 of them are buried beneath the Arsenal Monument. (Two of these victims are interred in separate family plots.The Arsenal was situated near the Anacostia and Potomac rivers. It is also known as Fort McNair at Greenleaf Point, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. The large facility was used primarily for ammunition production during the Civil War.A funeral was held at Arsenal for the victims following the tragedy. President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary Of War Edwin Stanton attended the ceremony. A funeral procession made its way down Pennsylvania Avenue to Congressional Cemetery after the ceremony. Flannery Brothers created the monument. It features a carved statue of Grief that is positioned atop large stones. It was dedicated one-year after the explosion.
