Confederate soldiers do not get buried in US National Cemeteries. That is a true statement. A University of Mississippi professor wrote a book on this very topic which you may find quite interesting -- don't have it with me or I'd post the name and title.

George, you misunderstand my post, or I have misunderstood yours. A few ex-Confederates entered U.S. military service after the war and have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Robert E. Lee could not be buried there because he didn't serve in the U.S. Army after the war, but his son Fitzhugh Lee could because he did. Most Confederates who survived the war fell into the same category as R. E. Lee.

Regarding your example of Confederate POWs buried at Cave City KY, which event happened first -- the POW burials or dedication of the national cemetery there? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we'll find that the Confederates got there first. After the property became a National Cemetery, only veterans of U.S. service who had been honorably discharged could be buried there. No Confederates need apply.

In some cases Confederate dead had been buried on ground taken in by expansion of original national cemeteries. In others like Cave City Federal authorities decided not to remove Confederate burials already present. But if a family of a Confederate veteran had asked permission for his burial in a national cemetery, they would have been laughed out of the office.

Regarding the treatment of Confederate dead, the book cites examples from most national cemeteries. Gettysburg may be the best example of policies in place during the century which followed the war. In 1931 someone discovered remains of two soldiers buried near Gettysburg. Upon examination it seemed evident that the two men must have been Confederates. Since park authorities are prohibited from interring remains not positively identified as Federal, these two were literally shelved for two years. Eventually it was decided to bury them in the Confederate Cemetery at Hagerstown MD, and that's what was done.

For what it's worth, why would these two men want to have their remains buried among their enemies?