Gettysburg Address

Posted on August 5, 2024

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered remarks, which later became known as the “Gettysburg Address” at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery. I have been to that most hallowed ground many times over the years. There are thousands of Union soldiers who fought and died at Gettysburg who are buried there. Each state is required to bury Union soldiers of the American Civil War whose soldiers fought at Gettysburg. There are many unknown soldiers buried in is a semi-circle plus there are hundreds of unknown soldiers only known to God. The new cemetery was established after the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. Money was established by congress to establish national cemeteries all over for the soldiers who fought in the American Civil War. I was lucky enough to attend a special event at the cemetery called “100 Nights of Taps” last year. I have a friend whose father belongs to the Gettysburg Lincoln society who puts on this event each year. The ceremony starts with remarks given by the president of the Lincoln society. This event starts in early June and ends on Labor Day in September. After the head of the Lincoln society ends her remarks a chosen Gettysburg National Military park ranger gives talks about the battle itself and sometimes about soldiers who fought at Gettysburg.

After the park rangers conclude their remarks, a chosen trumpeter stands in front of the memorial to all the soldiers who fought here and are buried in the cemetery. When the trumpeter starts playing taps, other trumpeters located in and around the cemetery join in in playing the same piece of music. In 1862, Colonel Dan Butterfield was an enable soldier was also a man of music and wrote the heart rendering melody played here. Here is a lyric from Taps “”Fading light, falling night Trumpet calls as the sun sinks in flight, sleep in peace comrades dear.” The reason the National Soldiers Cemetery was chosen as the sight was it was part of the three-day Battle that the Union established a fall back defensive position on what was the Evergreen Cemetery where residences of Gettysburg are buried. Many well-known folks of Gettysburg are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery. Among them was a woman named Jennie Wade, who was the only civilian who died from a rifle shot in her sister’s home which was a no man’s land during the third day of the battle. She was first buried in the flower bed after the battle was over then reinterred in a local church cemetery then her final resting place is in the Evergreen Cemetery. Along with her is the legendary revolutionary soldier John Burns who took up his musket and fought along the Pennsylvania Bucktails on the first day of Battle. He was wounded and survived, but later buried in the town cemetery. The woman who was the caretaker of the cemetery and who buried soldiers while she was pregnant is also buried in the town cemetery.

Now getting back to Lincoln at Gettysburg. President Lincoln received an invitation from Gettysburg attorney David Wills to say a few words. Lincoln saw an opportunity to make a broad statement to the American people that held significance of the war and he prepared carefully. Although there is a popular legend that he wrote the speech on the train while traveling to Pennsylvania. He probably wrote part of it before leaving the white House on November 18th and completed it and revised it at David Wills’ house. Today the David Wills house is a National Park Service Museum.

There are so many reasons why so many tourists come to Gettysburg each year to walk the ground where the battle was fought 161 years ago. As well as to listen to park rangers talk each day all over the military park and for the visitor center to learn more about the battle and why it was fought here. There is also a place for some visitors to pay homage to their ancestors who fought here and gave their last full measure of devotion to this country and to President Lincoln who came to Gettysburg to give the greatest speech in American history: The Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address — November 19, 1863

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate –we can not consecrate –we can not hallow–this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion –that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain– that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom –and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”