William Saunders was a horticulturist, landscape designer and nurseryman. During his long career, Saunders designed the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg, planned and developed the Washington DC park system, authored hundreds of articles on horticulture and introduced numerous plant species into the United States, significantly impacting the nation's agricultural economy. He was one of the first landscape architects to be employed by the federal government and spent thirty-eight years working for the US Department of Agriculture. He was also one of the founders of the National Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry.

Gettysburg National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania created for Union casualties from the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought between July 1 to 3, 1863, resulted in the largest number of casualties of any Civil War battle but also was considered the war's turning point, leading ultimately to the Union victory.