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 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S 
 IMMORTAL ADDRESS AT GETTYSBURG 
 
 o>w*v JL4<^Xj X-^L* 
 
 
LINCOLN ROOM 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
 MEMORIAL 
 
 the Class of 1901 
 
 founded by 
 
 HARLAN HOYT HORNER 
 
 and 
 
 HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER 
 
LINCOLN and 
 GETTYSBURG 
 
 By 
 
 Robert Fortenbaugh 
 
 Adeline Sager Professor of History 
 
 Gettysburg College 
 
 Published by THE BOOKMART 
 
 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 
 
 1949 
 
THE cover of this book, "Lincoln and Gettys- 
 burg," is a reproduction of the original manu- 
 script, in Lincoln's autograph, which he held 
 in his hand while making his classic address at 
 Gettysburg, November 19, 1863. The manuscript 
 is in the Library of Congress and was one of 
 the historic documents on display in the Freedom 
 Train when it visited Gettysburg November 19 
 and 20, 1948, upon the occasion of the 85th anni- 
 versary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, after 
 which it began its second tour of the country. It 
 is to be noted that the words "under God" are 
 not on the manuscript. They were inserted later 
 in other copies of the address" by President Lin- 
 coln, but they were actually spoken in his address. 
 The manuscript was written on two sides of a 
 single sheet of paper. Part of the reproduction on 
 this cover is made from the original (one side of 
 the sheet of paper) and the remainder from the 
 reverse side from which a photostat had been 
 made. This accounts for the heavier impression 
 of the lower portion of the cover. The picture of 
 Lincoln is a reproduction of the photograph taken 
 by Alexander Gardner four days before Lincoln 
 spoke at Gettysburg. 
 
 Copyright 1949, by N. A. Meligakes 
 The BOOKMART, Gettysburg, Pa. 
 
Prefi 
 
 rerace 
 
 To the Reader: 
 
 To the hundreds of thousands of visitors who annually come to Get- 
 tysburg nothing is of greater interest than the events connected with 
 Lincoln's great Address. While the story has been told many times there 
 is not yet easily accessible a full account of all the circumstances related 
 to the theme, LINCOLN AND GETTYSBURG. 
 
 There is therefore need for an accurate, but brief description of the 
 background and events revolving around November 18 and 19, 1863, and 
 readily available at a popular price. The following narrative is offered to 
 fill that need. It was written by Dr. Robert Fortenbaugh who has been 
 Adeline Sager Professor of History at Gettysburg College for more than 
 a quarter of a century, and who has taken advantage of a favorable situa- 
 tion to study and write upon the theme here presented. 
 
 My contribution to this publication is quickly told. By chance Dr. 
 Fortenbaugh asked my opinion of the need of such a book. Without 
 comment I reached into my desk and brought out what I considered to 
 be a very rough plan of such a work, written on 36 pages of wrapping 
 paper. I explained to Dr. Fortenbaugh that it was my ambition to publish 
 a book on this subject for which I had outlined topics to be covered and 
 illustrations to be used. He was in complete agreement, and from the 
 rough plan developed this description of the events relating to LIN- 
 COLN AND GETTYSBURG. 
 
 The book is divided into two parts : the first is a running account of 
 the Story; the second is a collection of Documents illustrating the Story. 
 Reference to the documents is facilitated by indicating at the appropriate 
 point in the story the page at which a document is to be found. A sug- 
 gested list of books for further reading is included on page 30. 
 
 Speaking of Gettysburg, as I have learned to interpret and understand 
 this historic community, the thought occurs to me that perhaps this little 
 publication may be the first step toward a greater memorial to Lincoln, 
 one that is his due both in and from Gettysburg and the nation. 
 
 The Publisher. 
 
Dedicated 
 
 to those who 
 "Here gave the last full measure of devotion." 
 
LINCOLN and 
 GETTYSBURG 
 
 GETTYSBURG will live in history because of its association with 
 Lincoln even more than as the scene of the decisive battle of the 
 Civil War. Thus wrote one who had stood with the throng 
 gathered to participate in the ''exercises for the consecration" of the 
 Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. That 
 he wrote these words more than fifty years after the event, in the light 
 of a wide experience and a continued interest in all things related to 
 Gettysburg, confirms the truth of the judgment. This is the point of 
 view offered here eighty-six years after Abraham Lincoln's single and 
 brief visit to Gettysburg, which was enough inseparably to join the 
 names of the man and the place. Eighty-six years after, no one thinks 
 of Gettysburg without also thinking of Lincoln, and when thinking of 
 Lincoln that which most commonly commands attention or first comes 
 to mind is some phrase or sentence from his GETTYSBURG AD- 
 DRESS. 
 
 Lincoln's words at Gettysburg are among those most often quoted by 
 speakers and writers. Who has not repeatedly heard or read such phrases 
 as these: "It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this," 
 "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it 
 can never forget what they did here," "that from these honored dead 
 we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last 
 full measure of devotion," "that government of the people, by the peo- 
 ple, for the people, shall not perish from the earth ?" 
 
 Such repetition, with universal approval, well justifies the fulsome 
 praise of the late Alexander Woollcott, in a radio broadcast beamed to 
 England in 1938: 
 
 That was Abraham Lincoln speaking ... to a multitude of fifteen 
 thousand standing in the autumn sunshine at Gettysburg. A speech 
 now memorized, they tell me, by every schoolboy in any land where 
 English is spoken or read — a speech which, in the long history of 
 human liberty, calls back across the centuries — as mountain top to 
 mountain top — signals back to, the funeral oration of Pericles — an 
 American speech which will last as long as America does, and 
 perhaps longer. What Lincoln said at Gettysburg will still be part 
 of the human heritage when the center of civilization may well have 
 shifted elsewhere . . . when New York, yes, and London, too . . . 
 are one with Nineveh and Tyre. 
 
6 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 THE SOLDIERS' NATIONAL CEMETERY IS ESTABLISHED 
 
 The destructive and decisive battles of July 1, 2, 3, 1863, left Gettys- 
 burg, then a town of 2,100 people, a place of horror. As soon as military 
 action finally ceased, the work of caring for the wounded was more 
 efficiently organized, and the burial of the dead was begun. However, the 
 more than 21,000 wounded and sick of both armies required so great 
 attention, with every available building devoted to their care (this in 
 addition, to general and army corps hospitals under canvas), that com- 
 pletion of the burial of the dead was necessarily postponed. Nearly 6,000 
 men had been killed in action, and every day hundreds more died of their 
 wounds and of disease. 
 
 The soldiers of both armies had begun the work of interment of their 
 fallen comrades in hastily prepared graves, but the scene of action had 
 often shifted and portions of the field had come within enemy lines so 
 that, under the circumstances, many were left unburied, especially when 
 the Army of Northern Virginia began its withdrawal and final retreat. 
 To add to the seriousness of the situation, in the heat and humidity of 
 July days in southern Pennsylvania, were the hundreds of carcasses of 
 horses, many of which remained unburied or unburned for weeks. When 
 both armies had finally withdrawn, the responsibility of protecting the 
 health and sensibilities of the people of the community fell largely upon 
 the local authorities. Under all the circumstances and in face of all the 
 conditions it was an appalling situation. Even where the dead had been 
 buried by their surviving comrades heavy rains had often washed away 
 the layer of hastily thrown earth which covered the bodies. Many of the 
 graves had been left unmarked, and some of these had been opened by per- 
 sons seeking to identify missing loved ones and then left in disorder. Since 
 this was the only battle of any importance during the whole war fought 
 north of the Mason and Dixon Line, hundreds of relatives and friends 
 without news of the fate of those close to them crowded into the town 
 and added still another burden to the already over-burdened community. 
 It was imperative that some well-organized and generously supported 
 plan for the permanent interment of at least the Union dead should be 
 executed. 
 
 Such a plan was developed, the purpose and scope of which Governor 
 Andrew G. Curtin explained in his Annual Message to the Legislature 
 of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, January 7, 1864. (See pages 
 30-31.) This had resulted from circumstances described as follows: 
 
 A few days after the terrific battle of Gettysburg, His Excellency, 
 A. G. Curtin, Governor of the State of Pennsylvania, hastening to 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 7 
 
 the relief of the sick and wounded soldiers, visited the battle 
 field, and the numerous hospitals in and around Gettysburg, for the 
 purpose of perfecting the arrangements for alleviating the suffer- 
 ings and ministering to the wants of the wounded and dying. His 
 official duties soon requiring his return to Harrisburg, he authorized 
 and appointed DAVID WILLS, Esq., of Gettysburg, to act as his 
 special agent in this matter. {Report of the Select Committee: 62.) 
 
 The governor had been shocked particularly at the sights resulting 
 from the condition of the dead. The idea of taking measures to gather 
 the remains together and bury them decently in a specially prepared 
 place suggested itself. The official Report of the Select Committee says: 
 
 Mr. Wills submitted the proposition and plan for this purpose, 
 by letter, July 24th, 1863, to His Excellency, Governor Curtin, and 
 the Governor, with that profound sympathy, and that care and 
 anxiety for the soldier which have always characterized him, ap- 
 proved of the design, and directed a correspondence to be entered 
 into at once by Mr. Wills with the Governors of the other States 
 having soldiers dead on the battle field of Gettysburg. The Gover- 
 nors of the different States, with great promptness, seconded the 
 project, and the details of the arrangement were subsequently agreed 
 upon (page 62). 
 
 David Wills who plays so large a part in this narrative was born in 
 Menallen Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, on February 3, 1831. 
 He was graduated from Pennsylvania (now Gettysburg) College in 
 1851 and thereafter studied law in the office of Thaddeus Stevens in 
 Lancaster, Pa. He practiced law in Gettysburg from 1854 until 1894, 
 but always was engaged simultaneously in other activities. He was 
 Superintendent of Common Schools in Adams County, 1854-56, a direc- 
 tor of the Gettysburg Bank, 1856-94, president judge, 42nd judicial 
 district during 1874 (whence the title later commonly applied, " Judge" 
 Wills) ; originator and president of the Commissioners of the Soldiers' 
 National Cemetery until its cession to the United States Government 
 in 1872; president, Baltimore and Cumberland Valley Railroad, 1880- 
 94, and director, Hanover Railroad and branches. He died October 27, 
 1894. 
 
 Mr. Wills acted quickly, according to the authority given him by 
 Governor Curtin, and on August 17, 1863 reported: 
 
 . . . , I have invited the cooperation of the several loyal States 
 having soldier-dead on the battlefield around this place, in the noble 
 project of removing their remains ... to a cemetery. 
 
8 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 The chief executives of fifteen out of the seventeen States have 
 already responded, pledging their States to unite in the movement, 
 in a few instances, highly approving of the project, and stipulating 
 to urge upon their Legislatures to make appropriations to defray 
 their proportionate share of expense. 
 
 I have, also, at your request, selected and purchased the grounds 
 for this cemetery, . . . 
 
 The grounds embrace about seventeen acres on Cemetery Hill, 
 fronting on the Baltimore turnpike, and extending to the Taney- 
 town road. . . . 
 
 I think it would be showing only a proper respect for the health 
 of this community not to commence the exhuming of the dead, and ■ 
 removal to the cemetery, until the month of November, and in the 
 meantime the ground should be artistically laid out, and conse- 
 crated by appropriate ceremonies. (Report of the Select Com- 
 mittee: 67-68.) 
 
 Under Mr. Wills' direction contracts were made for the preparation 
 of the grounds and for the removal of the bodies when weather condi- 
 tions became more favorable. Several men were employed to have spe- 
 cific responsibilities, under Mr. Wills' supervision, in exhuming and 
 re-burying the bodies. Particular care was exercised to identify the 
 bodies and take in trust articles of intrinsic or sentimental value found 
 upon them. Such arrangements having been made, the next important 
 interest was to make plans for the consecration of the grounds with the 
 expressed purpose of making the exercises attending the consecration 
 imposing. (For further details concerning the acquisition and develop- 
 ment of the cemetery grounds, see pages 31-34.) 
 
 EXERCISES FOR THE CONSECRATION ARE PLANNED 
 
 Governor Curtin, in a letter to Mr. Wills, dated August 31, 1863, 
 expressed his pleasure over the report of progress which Mr. Wills 
 had shortly before made to him and further said : 
 
 It is of course probable that our sister States, joining us in this 
 hallowed undertaking, may desire to make some alterations and 
 modifications of your proposed plan of purchasing and managing 
 these sacred grounds, and it is my wish that you give to their 
 views the most careful and respectful consideration. 
 
 The proper consecration of the grounds must claim our early 
 attention, and, as soon as we can do so, our fellow-purchasers 
 should be invited to join with us in the performance of suitable 
 ceremonies on the occasion. (Report of the Select Committee: 68.) 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 9 
 
 As there is no record of a meeting of the Commissioners before 
 December 17, 1863, it seems certain that such "most careful and re- 
 spectful consideration" of the views of the representatives as was given 
 was by correspondence. In any case, agreement upon October 23rd as 
 the date for the consecration was made, and the name of the Honorable 
 Edward Everett of Massachusetts was submitted "to the Governors 
 of all the States interested, as the orator to deliver the address on that 
 occasion, and they unanimously concurred in him. . . ." (This quota- 
 tion is from a general statement entitled, "The National Cemetery," 
 evidently written by Mr. Wills and printed on pages 62-66 in the Report 
 of the Select Committee.) 
 
 Accordingly on September 23rd Mr. Wills wrote to Mr. Everett and 
 invited him "to deliver the oration for the occasion." (For the full text 
 of this letter, see pages 34-35.) Mr. Everett replied under date of Sep- 
 tember 26 that he was much complimented by this invitation and "would 
 cheerfully undertake the performance of a duty at once so interesting 
 and honorable," but did not expect to have a day at his command during 
 the whole month of October. However, as he did wish to accept the invi- 
 tation but would need time for adequate preparation, he suggested 
 Thursday, November 19th. (For the full text of this letter see page 35.) 
 
 It was a tribute to the regard in which Mr. Everett was held and to 
 the sincerity of the desire to have him as the orator at the consecration 
 that a date so far advanced in the autumn season for an out-door meeting 
 should have been so cheerfully accepted. Mr. Everett was worthy of 
 that regard and his qualifications to occupy the chief place on such an 
 occasion were evident. This is well-stated by William E. Barton in his 
 excellent book, Lincoln at Gettysburg (page 77) as follows: 
 
 Edward Everett was in his day America's foremost orator. He had 
 been a noted Boston minister, had followed his work in the pulpit 
 with ten years as a professor of Greek, had then been successively 
 President of Harvard, Governor of Massachusetts, United States 
 Senator, Minister to England and Secretary of State. He was a cul- 
 tured scholar, and an orator whose productions based on the best 
 Greek models, displayed American scholarship upon the platform 
 at its best. He had delivered memorable orations at historic spots 
 in New England, notable in connection with semi-centennial cele- 
 brations of battles in the Revolutionary War. His oration on Wash- 
 ington, a hundred times repeated in many parts of the country, had 
 brought in the money that helped to purchase and save Mount Ver- 
 non. He had been candidate for Vice-President on one of the tickets 
 opposed to Lincoln, but was a hearty supporter of Lincoln's ad- 
 ministration. America had no orator in his generation, and has 
 
10 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 produced none since, who could more worthily have represented 
 the nation in a classical oration on such an occasion as that which 
 he met at Gettysburg. 
 
 As the cemetery was not then, as it has been since 1872, under the 
 authority of the government of the United States, it was not felt that the 
 President of the United States had any official responsibility for, or 
 interest in, either its establishment or its consecration. Nor did any one 
 appear to have had any thought that Mr. Lincoln would be concerned 
 to come to the exercises. Indeed there were those responsible for the 
 arrangements who considered him entirely unfitted to have a part in 
 so solemn a proceeding. Therefore, when in the course of sending 
 formal, printed invitations to important national, state, and military 
 figures, including the President, an acceptance by Mr. Lincoln was 
 indicated, those in charge were much surprised and some at least were 
 not pleased. However, the President's intention could not be overlooked 
 and Mr. Wills was directed to invite him to have a part in the program. 
 
 On November 2nd Mr. Wills did as directed by a letter (for the full 
 text of the letter, see pages 36 and 38) in which was contained the 
 following : 
 
 These grounds will be consecrated and set apart to this sacred 
 purpose, by appropriate ceremonies, on Thursday, the 19th in- 
 stant, — Hon. Edward Everett will deliver the Oration. 
 
 I am authorized by the governors of the different States to in- 
 vite you to be present, and participate in these Ceremonies, which 
 will doubtless be very imposing and solemnly impressive. 
 
 It is the desire that, after the Oration, you, as Chief Executive 
 of the Nation, formally set apart these grounds to their sacred 
 use by a few appropriate remarks. 
 
 Enclosed with this official communication was a note from Mr. Wills 
 (for the full text of the note, see page 37) in which he invited the 
 President to be a guest at his home while in Gettysburg. This house 
 is still standing on the southeast corner of Center Square and, except 
 that the first floor has been completely changed into a large store, 
 retains much of its original appearance. 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 11 
 
 MR. LINCOLN COMES TO GETTYSBURG 
 
 The fortnight intervening between the receipt of Mr. Wills' invi- 
 tation and the day of leaving Washington for Gettysburg were ex- 
 tremely busy ones for Mr. Lincoln. John Hay, one of his private secre- 
 taries, has written of him at this time : 
 
 . . . the Tycoon is in fine whack. I have rarely seen him more serene 
 and busy. He is managing this war, the draft, foreign relations, 
 and planning a reconstruction of the Union, all at once. I never 
 knew with what tyrannous authority he rules the Cabinet till now. 
 The most important things he decides and there is no cavil. 
 
 In this very month of November he had several political rows to set- 
 tle. One was in Pennsylvania, another in Missouri. In addition, patron- 
 age commanded as great watchfulness as ever. Yet what probably 
 weighed most heavily upon his mind was "Reconstruction," and it is 
 important to recall that it was on December 8th that he issued his 
 "Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction," in which he set forth 
 his well-known "Ten Per Cent Plan." Further, he had to prepare a 
 most important message to Congress for the early December meeting. 
 
 However, there is much evidence to prove that he was anxious, very 
 anxious, to go to Gettysburg and that he keenly felt the responsibility 
 resting upon him for being ready with "a few appropriate remarks" 
 which had been assigned to him through Mr. Wills' letter. Somehow he 
 found time to give thought to what he should say in these "remarks," 
 and when he left Washington he carried with him the first draft of 
 what has come to be known as the "Gettysburg Address," more than 
 two-thirds completed. The responsibility which he felt is further indi- 
 cated by his concern that ample time should be allowed for the journey. 
 Secretary of War Stanton had arranged for a special train to leave 
 Washington early in the morning of the 19th, to arrive in Gettysburg: 
 about noon. The President objected, writing Mr. Stanton, "I do not: 
 wish to so go that by the slightest accident we fail entirely, and at 
 best the whole to be a mere running of the gauntlet." Arrangements- 
 were then made to have a special train, consisting of four coaches, one 
 of which was a director's car, leave Washington at noon on the eight- 
 eenth, due to arrive in Gettysburg about 6 P.M. (see page 40 for Stan- 
 ton's note of November 17th). The train proceeded by the Baltimore 
 and Ohio Railroad to Baltimore, where a baggage car was added iri 
 which luncheon was served. In Baltimore the transfer of cars w r as made 
 by horse power to the tracks of the Northern Central Railroad which 
 
12 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 carried the train to Hanover Junction. At that point it was run by the 
 Hanover Junction, Hanover and Gettysburg Railroad to its terminal at 
 Gettysburg. This line, by the completion of the trackage between Han- 
 over and Gettysburg, had been formally opened for service on Decem- 
 ber 16, 1858, and was the only railroad then entering Gettysburg. 
 
 On that late autumn day darkness had fallen when, according to 
 schedule, Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg. Here he was to re- 
 main for a little more than twenty-four hours. Here his name was to 
 become inseparably linked with the name of the town. LINCOLN AND 
 GETTYSBURG ! He left the train at the station which still stands but 
 little changed today, at the corner of Carlisle and Railroad Sts., and 
 went the short distance, a little more than a block, to Mr. Wills' resi- 
 dence on the "Diamond" (as the center square was locally known for 
 many years). After supper, at which there was a number of guests 
 including Governor Curtin and Edward Everett, a large crowd of people 
 gathered outside the house and clamored for the President's appearance. 
 Mr. Lincoln was willing to be seen, as he had been on several car plat- 
 form appearances that afternoon, but was unwilling to make a speech 
 for which they called. Informally, however, he addressed the crowd : 
 
 I appear before you, fellow-citizens, to thank you for the com- 
 pliment. The inference is a fair one that you would hear me for 
 awhile, were I to commence to make a speech. I do not appear be- 
 fore you for the purpose of doing so, and for several substantial 
 reasons. The most substantial is that I have nothing to say. (Laugh- 
 ter.) In my position it is somewhat important that I should not say 
 foolish things. (A voice, "If you can help it.") It very often hap- 
 pens that the only way to help it is to say nothing at all. (Laughter.) 
 Believing that is my present condition this evening, I must beg you 
 to excuse me from addressing you further. 
 
 THE ADDRESS IS WRITTEN 
 
 Conversing with the group which had gathered to meet him at the 
 Wills home Mr. Lincoln seemed uneasy and anxious to retire. He was 
 very probably concerned that he be fully prepared for his part in the 
 program on the morrow, that he "should not say foolish things." Not- 
 withstanding the press of work upon him in the preceding fortnight 
 there is clear evidence that he did not leave Washington that day entirely 
 unprepared. It is well known that he carried with him at least one sheet 
 of prepared writing. He might have had more sheets or some notes, but 
 only this one sheet of paper survives. In the Library of Congress this 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 13 
 
 sheet is carefully treasured. It is au Executive Mansion letter-head on 
 which is written in Lincoln's hand in ink what is known as the first draft 
 of the Gettysburg Address, though obviously not finished. (See page 
 40 for the full text of this sheet.) 
 
 Mr. Lincoln withdrew from the company rather early in the evening 
 and went to the room which had been assigned to him at the southwest 
 corner of the second floor. His colored servant, William, was with him. 
 Mr, Wills later wrote out and signed a statement relating to the events 
 connected with Mr. Lincoln after he had retired to his room. He says 
 that between nine and ten o'clock the President requested him to come to 
 his room where he found him with paper before him, prepared to write. 
 He said that he had sent for Mr. Wills in order to ascertain what part 
 he was to take in the exercises of the following day and what was ex- 
 pected of him. About eleven o'clock he sent for Mr. Wills again and 
 asked if he could see Mr. Seward. Mr. Wills says : 
 
 I told him that Mr. Seward was staying with my neighbor [Rob- 
 ert G. Harper] next door, and I would go and bring him over. He 
 said, "No, I'll go and see him." He went and I went with him and 
 Mr. Lincoln carried the paper on which he had written his speech 
 with him, and we found Mr. Seward, and I left the President with 
 him. In less than half an hour Mr. Lincoln returned with the same 
 paper in his hand. 
 
 There is little doubt that Mr. Lincoln had taken with him to Mr. 
 Harper's the sheet written in Washington to which he had added on 
 another sheet in his room at the Wills House the remaining words to 
 complete the first draft of his immortal address. (See page 41 for these 
 remaining words.) 
 
 The next morning, immediately after breakfast, he again retired to 
 his room where, using the same kind of paper on which he had written 
 in pencil the concluding words of the first draft, he then revised and re- 
 wrote in ink what he intended to say and produced the second draft 
 of the Address. This draft is also preserved in the Library of Congress. 
 (See page 41 for this second draft.) It is on two sheets of paper and 
 was the manuscript which Mr. Lincoln had in his hand when he deliv- 
 ered the Address later that day. 
 
14 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 THE CEMETERY IS CONSECRATED 
 
 When the President came out to take his position in the procession 
 which was to move at 10 o'clock he found the streets crowded by a 
 throng which multiplied the normal size of the community many times. 
 Thousands of persons had come into the town in all kinds of convey- 
 ances. Mr. Lincoln is said to have been dressed in his usual black, with 
 a crepe band around his customary high hat, and white gauntlets on his 
 hands. A fine horse of average size had been provided for him, but his 
 unusually tall figure had the effect of dwarfing the animal and creating 
 an incongruous appearance. A delay of upwards of an hour in getting 
 the procession in motion followed. During this time the President 
 showed no impatience but remained seated upon the horse, and greeting 
 many who crowded about him to shake his hand. At last, about 11 
 o'clock, the procession moved. (See pages 42-43 for the Order of Pro- 
 cession.) 
 
 The Army of the Potomac was still too much occupied with the enemy 
 to be represented on this occasion by many of its troops. General Meade 
 had found it necessary to be absent. The procession was under the com- 
 mand of Major-General Couch and what troops there were present were 
 likely from his command in Pennsylvania. Starting from the center of 
 the town, the procession moved out Baltimore Street to the junction of 
 the Emmitsburg Road, and thence, by way of the Taneytown Road, to 
 the western entrance of the cemetery grounds. Those not in the proces- 
 sion entered the grounds from Baltimore Street and massed about the 
 stand which had been erected at the center of the semi-circular design 
 under which the burials would later be made, at the spot on which the 
 National Monument now stands. 
 
 At the cemetery another delay of about one-half hour was caused by 
 Mr. Everett's tardiness in returning from concluding his study of the 
 fields of battle which he had undertaken in preparation for his oration 
 under the guidance of Professor Michael Jacobs of the local college 
 faculty. It was therefore high noon when the exercises finally began. 
 (See pages 43-44 for the Programme of Arrangements.) Estimates of 
 those gathered to participate in the exercises of consecration varied from 
 15,000 to 20,000. The record of the performance of the weather in Get- 
 tysburg had been carefully observed and recorded for many years by 
 Professor Michael Jacobs whose son wrote: 
 
 The nineteenth of November was an ideal fall day. There was 
 scarcely a cloud in the sky. The thermometer stood at its maximum 
 
The Soldiers' National Monument in the Gettysburg National Cemetery marks the 
 spot where Lincoln stood when he delivered his world-famous Gettysburg Address. 
 Carved in stone around the upper base are four figures representing War, Peace, 
 History and Plenty. The Goddess of Liberty tops the majestic shaft. Around the 
 column are 18 stars representing the 18 Northern states m the Umon at that time. 
 
16 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 at 52, just warm enough to prevent a chill, and yet cool enough to 
 be slightly bracing. 
 
 The program proceeded according to the order printed. Mr. Everett 
 did full honors to the occasion, amply justifying his selection "to deliver 
 the oration," speaking for one hour and fifty-seven minutes in the 
 manner and style of the approved orator of that period. He began : 
 
 Standing beneath this serene sky, overlooking these broad fields 
 now reposing from the labors of the waning year, the mighty 
 Alleghenies dimly towering over us, the graves of our brethren 
 beneath our feet, it is with hesitation that I raise my poor voice to 
 break the eloquent silence of God and Nature. But the duty to 
 which you have called me must be performed. Grant me, I pray 
 you, your indulgence and your sympathy. 
 
 It was a noble effort, containing a detailed review of the action in the 
 July days of the same year on the fields which lay before the speaker. 
 However, many must have tired and become dull of mind before he 
 spoke his closing sentence : 
 
 But they, I am sure, will join us in saying as we bid farewell to 
 the dust of these martyr-heroes, that wheresoever throughout the 
 civilized world the accounts of this great warfare are read, and 
 down to the latest period of recorded time, in the glorious annals 
 of our common country there will be no brighter page than thai 
 which relates THE BATTLES OF GETTYSBURG. 
 
 Mr. Lincoln did not seem to tire and certain reporters testified that he 
 was the most impressed of all Everett's hearers. When the latter had 
 finished, the President was one of those quick to congratulate him. Then 
 the hymn, composed by Benjamin B. French was sung, and the Chief 
 Marshal, Ward Hill Lamon, introduced "the President of the United 
 States." Mr. Lincoln immediately began to speak his immortal words 
 in less than three minutes, a dirge was sung by the choir, the benediction 
 was pronounced by the president of the local college, and the exercises 
 were over. A salute was then fired by the artillery present, after which 
 the military units which were in the procession re-formed and escorted 
 the President to Mr. Wills' home. Here he had luncheon and • was 
 afterward visited by a large number of persons with whom he shook 
 hands for more than an hour. At five o'clock, accompanied by John 
 Burns, he attended a patriotic meeting in the Presbyterian Church, from 
 which he withdrew quietly before the program was concluded in order 
 to return to Washington by the train which left at about 7 P.M. On the 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 17 
 
 return trip Mr. Lincoln felt badly and reclined most of the time, with 
 a wet towel across his eyes. After a day or two it was discovered that 
 he had developed a case of varioloid, a mild form of smallpox. One thing 
 cheered him, however. He found his son, Tad, recovered from a serious 
 illness which had concerned him deeply during his absence from home. 
 (See pages 44-46 for reports from Gettysburg weekly newspapers of the 
 events of November 18 and 19. See page 46 for Telegrams Received 
 by Lincoln at Gettysburg, Concerning His Son's Condition.) 
 
 HOW THE ADDRESS WAS RECEIVED 
 
 Questions naturally arise when these events are recounted concerning 
 the impression made by Mr. Lincoln and his "few appropriate remarks" 
 upon the people of the community and the assembled multitude of 
 visitors in Gettysburg on November 18 and 19, 1863. The most satis- 
 factory reply to them is that no one w r ill ever positively know the correct 
 answers to many of the questions which are, in themselves, entirely 
 proper. Eye-witness and ear-witness evidence, to be sure, is not to 
 be discounted, but there is no consensus of recollections, many of which 
 are not only different, but often contradictory. William E. Barton says 
 in this connection : 
 
 It would seem that it should be very easy to relate just what he 
 said and how he said it, and all else that should be of record about 
 it. And yet, there prevails a very considerable uncertainty about 
 nearly every detail of that address. The place and method of its 
 preparation, the manner of its delivery, the effect upon those who 
 have heard it, and the very content of the speech itself, have given 
 rise to innumerable variations of tradition and sharply contradictory 
 reports on the part of those who heard. . . . 
 
 As to his manuscript, we could prove that he had no manuscript 
 with him on the platform, that he had a manuscript, but that it was 
 either a card or a piece of paper not larger than a card, that he had 
 some notes on paper of rough appearance, presumed to have been 
 those that he had written on the train, that he delivered his ad- 
 dress from notes on a yellow envelope, . . . that he took his 
 manuscript out of his side pocket before he rose . . . , that he rose 
 with his manuscript in his hand, that he took his manuscript out of 
 his breast pocket after he rose. . . . (Lincoln at Gettysburg: Fore- 
 word.) 
 
 After these many years, however, we are not so much concerned with 
 the manner and form of delivery, etc., as with what was said. After all, 
 the Gettysburg Address has lived as literature, it is as literature and not 
 as oratory that it should be judged. 
 
18 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 Reliable evidence indicates that Mr. Lincoln himself was disappointed 
 with his effort, and said in his characteristically picturesque language 
 that the speech "won't scour." Perfunctory praise was given by many, 
 and some found occasion for bitter adverse criticism which arose more 
 because of antipathy to the speaker than to his speech. While no editor 
 of any of the great metropolitan papers offered any comment, several 
 of these in their news columns did show some discernment of the un- 
 usual. The Chicago Tribune stated next morning that "these remarks 
 . . . will live among the annals of men," while that evening the Phila- 
 delphia Bulletin said that the speech was "most happily expressed," 
 was "warm, earnest, unaffected, and touching," and not to be read 
 "without a moistening of the eye and a swelling of the heart." Real 
 recognition of the true nature of the Address was made in the editorial 
 columns of two small city papers in New England. The Springfield 
 Republican praised the "verbal perfection and beauty" of the address, 
 and called it "a perfect gem, deep in feeling, compact in thought and 
 expression, and tasteful and elegant in every word and comma." On 
 the same day the Providence Journal asked the question of what could 
 be "more beautiful, more touching, more inspiring, than those few 
 thrilling words of the President?" It continued, "they had the charm 
 and power of the very highest eloquence." Edward Everett caught a 
 glimpse of its greatness and the next day wrote a note to Mr. Lincoln 
 to express his admiration of it. (See page 47 for the full text of Ever- 
 ett's note, and also for Mr. Lincoln's reply thereto.) Through the 
 years the beauty, power, and the literary -quality of the Gettysburg 
 Address came to be recognized and praised more and more, until today 
 it is looked upon as a precious gem of English literature, and what is 
 probably more, the best and most pointed expression of American polit- 
 ical idealism. 
 
 A glowing tribute to the man and to the Address was paid fifty years 
 after Lincoln stood at Gettysburg by Lord Curzon, then Chancellor of 
 Oxford University, in an address on "Modern Parliamentary Elo- 
 quence," delivered on November 6, 1913, at Cambridge University. On 
 the authority of Barton, Lord Curzon is credited with having, in the 
 course of his address, set up three supreme masterpieces of eloquence 
 in the English language, in his judgment: the toast of William Pitt 
 after Nelson's victory at Trafalgar, the Gettysburg Address, and the 
 Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln. Lord Curzon is quoted 
 as having said : 
 
 The Gettysburg Address is far more than a pleasing piece of 
 occasional oratory. It is a marvelous piece of English composition. 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 19 
 
 It is a pure well of English undented. It sets one to inquiring with 
 nothing short of wonder, "How knoweth this man letters, having 
 never learned ?" The more closely the address is analyzed the more 
 one must confess astonishment at his choice of words, the pre- 
 cision of its thought, its simplicity, directness and effectiveness. 
 
 But it is more than an admirable piece of English composition, 
 It is an amazingly comprehensive and forceful presentation of 
 the principles for which the war then was waging. ... It joined 
 the local to the national, the occasional to the permanent, it went 
 straight at a declaration of the purpose which animated the soul 
 of Abraham Lincoln, and for which the men buried at Gettysburg 
 had given their lives. Above all it was a declaration of America's 
 fundamental principles. (Lincoln at Gettysburg : 127-129.) 
 
 LATER VERSIONS OF THE ADDRESS 
 
 Air. Lincoln lived long enough to think better of the Address him- 
 self, and on at least three later occasions wrote it out in full in his own 
 hand, each time making slight changes. The version of the Address 
 most often quoted is the only one which he autographed. This was 
 written in 1864 in order to furnish a copy to be lithographed and in- 
 cluded in a volume, Autograph Leaves of Our Country's Authors, to 
 be prepared and sold at a Soldiers' and Sailors' Fair held in Baltimore 
 in April, 1864. This is usually called the "standard version," probably 
 because it appears to be the latest copy written out by Mr. Lincoln, and 
 therefore can be considered his last revision. It remained in the hands 
 of descendants of the late Colonel Alexander Bliss who, as one of the 
 committee for gathering the autographed contributions, had conducted 
 the correspondence with Mr. Lincoln. (See page 48 for the full text 
 of this fifth version.) In April, 1949 the manuscript was sold at auction 
 by the estate of Col. Bliss' son to Oscar B. Cintas of Havana, Cuba. 
 
 Two other copies were written out by Mr. Lincoln in his hand which 
 are known to be extant. One was written on the occasion just described, 
 but he wrote it without title or signature as the committee desired, so 
 that it was not suitable for the purpose intended. He therefore wrote 
 out the fifth version, and gave the rejected copy to George Bancroft 
 whose descendants retained possession of it for some years. Recently it 
 was presented to the Cornell University Library. This fourth version, 
 like the fifth, contains 272 words. (See page 49 for the full text of this 
 fourth version.) 
 
 Another copy was written out by Mr. Lincoln early in 1864 in re- 
 sponse to a request from Mr. Everett to join him in giving manuscripts 
 
20 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 of both of their addresses at Gettysburg to be bound together in one 
 volume and sold for the benefit of stricken soldiers at a Sanitary Com- 
 mission Fair in New York. (See page 49 for Lincoln's letter to Everett 
 on this matter.) What Mr. Lincoln wrote out is in all likelihood the third 
 writing of the Address and is therefore here called the third version. 
 (See page 50 for this third version.) It contains 273 words. It is now in 
 the possession of the Illinois State Historical Library. 
 
 It might be supposed from a letter of David Wills to President Lin- 
 coln, dated November 23, 1863 (See page 50 for the full text of this 
 letter), that the latter might have either given his original manuscript 
 or made another manuscript copy of the Address for the use which 
 Mr. Wills stated in his letter. No such manuscript copy has ever been 
 found and the original drafts in existence before that date are in the 
 Library of Congress. What Mr. Lincoln likely did in response to Mr. 
 Wills' request was to take a copy of the Address as it appeared in one 
 of the newspapers and, possibly after correcting or revising it to his 
 taste, forwarded that. Possibly this is the basis of the Address as it 
 appears in the Report of the Select Committee, page 110, already cited, 
 in which are inclujled other official papers gathered by Mr. Wills for 
 the purpose of reporting to the House of Representatives of the Com- 
 monwealth of Pennsylvania on March 31, 1864. 
 
 The news service of the day was represented and probably sent out 
 a stenographic report of the Address. At least many of the papers had 
 exactly the same report. (See page 51 for such a report as printed in 
 The Adams Sentinel.) This standard newspaper report was liberally 
 sprinkled with indications of applause. All other evidence is against 
 these expressions. For one, the report of the Address as presented to 
 Governor Andrew of Massachusetts which was certainly stenographic, 
 and which is accepted as probably the most reliable and accurate of all 
 the reports, does not include indications of applause. (See page 52 for 
 the full text of the Massachusetts Commissioners' report.) 
 
 The conclusion fairly to be arrived at is that if the "few appropriate 
 remarks" did not impress many by their delivery, the reading of them 
 through the years has made a deep and lasting impression on all. Not 
 only is the Address known, loved, and recited but it is a source of 
 frequent quotation on all occasions and through every vehicle of com- 
 munication. Such phrases or sentences as, "the last full measure of 
 devotion," "a new birth of freedom," "that we here highly resolve 
 that these dead shall not have died in vain," "it is altogether fitting and 
 proper that we should do this," "that this nation, under God," "that 
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22 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 from the earth," have become a part of our common speech. A crowning 
 tribute to the Address came in 1946 in the form of a Joint Resolution of 
 Congress, designating November 19th, 1946, as Dedication Day. (See 
 page 53 for the full text of the Joint Resolution.) Thus was given an 
 incentive to all men on that day to fix their attention on these great 
 words and thus renew their faith and hope in the democratic way of 
 life. Another tangible tribute to the Address is a monument in the form 
 of an exedra, the center of which contains a bust of Lincoln, which 
 stands at the extreme southern portion of the National Cemetery at 
 Gettysburg. Two panels, on either side, contain inscriptions : one gives 
 a part of David Wills' letter of invitation to the President, the other, 
 the Address. This is in all probability the only monument now standing 
 which commemorates a speech. 
 
 LINCOLN AS GETTYSBURG SAW HIM 
 
 A question still remains, however. What was the impression made at 
 this time in Gettysburg by Abraham Lincoln? What manner of man 
 was he at this climactic point in his career? 
 
 First of all, it can be said, that he appeared to be a man with a serious 
 purpose. In spite of his extremely engrossing occupations at the time, 
 he was determined to go to Gettysburg. He doubtless felt, as Mr. Wills 
 did, that his presence would indeed be "a source of great gratification 
 to the many widows and orphans that have been made almost friendless 
 by the great battle here." He apparently agreed with Mr. Wills who 
 rather officiously suggested to him that it was his "duty to lay aside 
 pressing business for a day to come on here to perform this sad rite to our 
 brave soldier dead. . . ." He also very probably considered this an op- 
 portunity that must not be missed to combat a vicious story that, while 
 riding over the battlefield at Antietam, shortly after the battle there, 
 about a year before the time to come to Gettysburg, "amidst the indi- 
 cations of the awful cost of that battle in human life, he had called for 
 the singing of a ribald song. . . ." That he felt his obligation to be present 
 is further suggested by the fact that he left Washington with a mind 
 sorely troubled by the serious illness of his son, Tad. 
 
 The strongest evidence of his seriousness of purpose seems to be that 
 he had given thought and effort to the preparation of what he should 
 say, when he would "formally set apart these grounds to their sacred 
 use," that he carried with him from Washington an almost completed 
 first draft of what he later developed into his famous address. Further, 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 23 
 
 he left what was probably congenial company early on the evening of 
 the 18th that he might finish this first draft, and on the next morning he 
 secluded himself in his chamber that he might revise and re-write his 
 words of consecration. He was indeed a man with a serious purpose, 
 determined to honor the occasion with his very best. Fictional accounts 
 of hasty jotting down of random thoughts on odd scraps of paper, with 
 a borrowed pencil, are not only contrary to well-established facts, but 
 are clearly incongruous in the light of the quality of his thought and 
 expression to be revealed at the exercises of the afternoon of the 19th. 
 
 In the second place, he appeared to be a homely man with a friendly 
 attitude and an humble spirit. Common opinion had been that Mr. Lin- 
 coln was naturally a friendly man. His Gettysburg attitude confirms 
 this impression. His natural kindliness was manifest in his behavior in 
 general, and in several recorded instances. He appears to have been 
 warmly greeted and his response was in like kind. In addition to appear- 
 ing and addressing the crowd outside the Wills house on the evening of 
 the 18th, he exchanged greetings with many who thronged around him 
 as he sat on his horse awaiting the movement of the procession on the 
 morning of the 19th and in the afternoon he held an informal reception 
 inside the house after a late luncheon. 
 
 One eye-witness of the events of the great day, an intelligent resident 
 of Gettysburg, recounts : 
 
 Standing on the upward slope of Baltimore Street, near the 
 approach to the cemetery, and looking on the front of this proces- 
 sion, the cheers of the crowd lining the sidewalks told me of the 
 approach of the President. On all sides he was greeted with en- 
 thusiasm. With appreciative smiles and continual bows, "the tallest 
 and grandest man in the procession" acknowledged the many cries 
 of welcome, such as "Hurrah for Old Abe" ; "We are coming, 
 Father Abraham." 
 
 Edward Everett, the next day, in a note to Mr. Lincoln, congratulated 
 him on his address and also said: 
 
 I beg leave to thank you very sincerely for your great thought- 
 fulness for my daughter's accommodation on the platform yester- 
 day, and much kindness to me and mine at Gettysburg. 
 
 MacKinlay Kantor, in the last lines of his poem, "Abraham Lincoln at 
 
24 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 Gettysburg," has expressed most effectively the general impression of 
 Lincoln's friendliness thus : 
 
 I was a dog at Gettysburg. I trotted near the train. 
 
 And nosed among the officers, who kicked me to my pain. 
 
 A man came by ... I could not see. I howled. The light was dim. 
 
 But when I brushed against his legs, I liked the smell of him. 
 
 The generally accepted view of Mr. Lincoln as a man of humble spirit 
 is likewise confirmed by several examples at Gettysburg. The procession 
 to the cemetery had been planned to move at ten o'clock in the morning 
 of the nineteenth, but an hour's delay kept the President seated on 
 his horse on York Street, over which he seemed to show no impatience. 
 At the cemetery another delay of a half-hour was caused by Mr. Ever- 
 ett's tardiness in returning from viewing the fields of battle. Again Mr. 
 Lincoln patiently waited. Later in the day, he walked with John Burns 
 the several blocks from the Wills house to the Presbyterian Church, and 
 took his place in a pew still lovingly preserved and suitably marked as 
 merely one of the general audience. He remained, a silent participant 
 in the patriotic exercises until, the time for the departure of his train 
 having come, he quietly withdrew. There was nothing of "Big Brass" in 
 the demeanor of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. 
 
 In the third place, he appeared as a man of sincere democratic con- 
 victions which he confirmed by practice. His friendly attitude and his 
 humble spirit made naturally, indeed inevitably, honest democratic con- 
 victions and practice. Lincoln was pre-eminently a "Man of the Peo- 
 ple." This was strikingly illustrated before the eyes of the people at 
 Gettysburg. 
 
 Here is an incident of that illustration, as The Adams Sentinel for 
 November 24th reported it : 
 
 Toward the close of the afternoon, an incident occurred which 
 must be inseparable from this occasion, and which deserves a place 
 in the story of the war as a noble representative fact. At the request 
 of the President, a committee waited upon the brave old man, John 
 Burns, who fought in three of our wars, it is said, and who, at the 
 battle of Gettysburg, dressed himself in his Sunday clothes and 
 went into the fight, which he did not leave till he had received three 
 wounds. It need hardly be told how that patriot of the people, the 
 honest pater patriae, Father Abraham, received this brave and ven- 
 erable man, the meeting was extremely cordial — the "God bless you, 
 old man," of the nation in the person of the President. Arm-in-arm 
 with the President and the Secretary of State, John Burns went to 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 25 
 
 church in the evening. Cheering- to the President, in his great office, 
 must be this simple event — most cheering to the declining years of 
 "brave John Burns." In this touching incident, perhaps, more than 
 any other, Gettysburg was truly dedicated. 
 
 John Burns was a local cobbler whose greatest political honor had 
 been the office of constable of a country town, but he was a patriot. His 
 patriotism had been demonstrated in earlier service of his country. That 
 given on July 1, 1863 is recognized in General Abner Doubleday's re- 
 port, dated December 14, 1863 as follows : 
 
 My thanks are especially due to a citizen of Gettysburg named 
 John Burns who, although over seventy years of age, shouldered 
 his musket, and offered his services to Colonel Wister, One Hun- 
 dred and Fiftieth Pennsylvania Volunteers. Colonel Wister ad- 
 vised him to fight in the woods, as there was more shelter there, 
 but he preferred to join our line of skirmishers in the open fields. 
 When the troops retired, he fought with the Iron Brigade. He was 
 wounded in three places. 
 
 If ever the ideals underlying the Declaration of Independence, the 
 principal foundation of the democratic idealism of Abraham Lincoln, 
 were dramatized it was on that November afternoon in Gettysburg when 
 the President of the United States and the Gettysburg cobbler-constable 
 walked arm-in-arm through the public streets. But then that is what 
 those who knew him best expected of Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 Finally, he appeared as the interpreter of the political idealism of the 
 nation. He had come formally to "set apart these grounds to their sacred 
 use by a few appropriate remarks." This he did most satisfactorily: 
 
 We are met on a great battlefield 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 
 can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this 
 ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have 
 consecrated it, 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. 
 
 Had he said nothing more he would have discharged most acceptably 
 the obligation which he had assumed when he agreed to take part in the 
 exercises of the day. He would have fulfilled the expectation of the 
 editor of The Adams Sentinel whose report of his part in the program 
 
26 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 was briefly stated thus : "The President then delivered the following 
 dedicatory remarks," and, without comment, quoted these "remarks" as 
 they were spoken. 
 
 Mr. Lincoln, however, was moved to say more than appropriate words 
 of consecration of the ground. He had a message for the people before 
 him, for the American people, north and south, and indeed for the 
 people of the whole world. This the occasion gave him opportunity to 
 deliver. I like Alexander Woollcott's interpretation of his purpose : 
 
 That crowd at Gettysburg would have heard anything he had to 
 say if he'd cared two cents whether they heard him or not. He wasn't 
 speaking to them. Well, then, to whom was he speaking? Not long 
 ago I put that question to a man who knows as much about the 
 Civil War as anyone of my acquaintance, John W. Thomason, Jr., 
 of the United States Marines. By way of answer Colonel Thomason 
 told me about a letter he once found in a trunk, in a Texas attic — 
 a letter written in '63 by a young Southern captain who'd been 
 wounded at Gettysburg and was still there on crutches months later. 
 That Texan must have been one of the scattered few — there are such 
 in every audience — who did hear what Lincoln said. To his father 
 back home, the young Southerner wrote: "Pop, we've got to stop 
 fighting that man." Wherefore the Colonel thinks that if Lincoln 
 was indifferent to those present at Gettysburg it was because, over 
 their heads, he was talking to the South. It's my own notion — I 
 can't escape it — that over the heads of the South, he was talking 
 chiefly to posterity — talking to Americans who on that day at Get- 
 tysburg were as yet unborn and unbegot. While there was yet time 
 he wanted to state it in words so simple that anyone could under- 
 stand it and in words so few that everyone could remember it. The 
 ceremonies at Gettysburg gave him his chance. He took it. 
 
 What had he to say that he considered so important? What did he 
 say that has been heard around the earth? What had this "Gettysburg 
 Lincoln" on his heart to add to his "few appropriate remarks" of con- 
 secration of a burial ground? 
 
 It was concerning popular government : 
 
 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. 
 
 The "Four score and seven years ago" means to establish the Fourth 
 of July, 1776, as the birthday of the nation indeed, with the ideas in- 
 volved therein set forth in the great Declaration of that day. His great 
 thought was to assert that the nation was really born in the declaration 
 of certain fundamental principles. 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 27 
 
 His purpose was not, however, merely to state the fact. He had a 
 great practical end in mind — popular government must not be allowed 
 to fail in a nation born primarily to promote it. "Now we are engaged 
 in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so con- 
 ceived and so dedicated, can long endure." The War had to be fought, 
 the War must continue to be fought until it was won — all in the interest 
 of preserving this nation which has such peculiar, but yet such price- 
 less, features. 
 
 The sacrifice at Gettysburg in the July days was a contribution to 
 victory. All honor to "the brave men, living and dead, who struggled 
 here." Yet theirs was not, and is not, the sole responsibility. Remember- 
 ing their brave deeds, dedicating a "final resting place for those who 
 here gave their lives, that that nation might live" is not enough. "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 rather 
 for us to be 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. ..." Yet dedication is not 
 enough. "... that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have 
 died in vain — . ..." From such high resolution action must follow — 
 action to one great end — "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." 
 
 F. Lauriston Bullard concludes his most excellent study of Lincoln at 
 Gettysburg and the Address with this pointed paragraph : 
 
 Several times before he spoke at Gettysburg he had emphasized 
 the theme of the famous address. Popular government must not fail. 
 The universal problem of democracy always was in the back of 
 his mind, 'Must a government, of necessity, be too strong for the 
 liberties of its own people, or too weak to maintain its own exist- 
 ence?' 'We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of 
 earth !' It was his devotion to democracy that justified Abraham 
 Lincoln's appeal at Gettysburg for the completion of 'the unfinished 
 work' for which the 'honored dead' of that battlefield had given 'the 
 last full measure of devotion.' It is for that same cause that the 
 United States is at war today. [1944.] 
 
 It may well be added that "the unfinished work" remains today, and 
 will remain so long as democracy is threatened. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln appeared in Gettysburg, on November 19, 1863, 
 as one fervently concerned to preserve for the United States of America, 
 and so for the world, the great idea that "governments are instituted 
 
3 4 
 
 The above photograph is a reproduction of an artist's conception of the rostrum 
 when Abraham Lincoln delivered his immortal Gettysburg Address. In the above 
 group are: (i) Mrs. Wise; (2) Secretary of State William H. Seward; (3) Col- 
 onel Gordon Lofland; (4) Governor Horatio Seymour, of New York; (5) Secre- 
 tary of War Edward M. Stanton (the artist erred in this respect as Mr. Stanton 
 
8 9 10 n 12 
 
 13 
 
 
 !? 
 
 »"g 
 
 JM 
 
 «# 
 
 
 i.. iv 
 
 icas nof present at the exercises); (6) Montgomery Blair; (?) Edward Everett, 
 orator of the day; (8) Oliver P. Morton; (g) Colonel John Hay; (io and n) the 
 Misses Gilbert; (12) Governor Andrew Curtin, of Pennsylvania, and (13) Colonel 
 J. IV. Forney. The original painting, by Fletcher Ransom, hangs in the state capitol 
 
 in Springfield, Illinois. 
 
30 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." 
 From the Mayflower Compact onward Americans have ever striven 
 toward a fuller realization of the practical operation of "popular control 
 of public policy." This ideal was never more effectively described, nor 
 more appealingly presented, than by Lincoln at Gettysburg. 
 
 The LINCOLN so closely related to GETTYSBURG does not belong 
 exclusively to the past. This man of serious purpose, with friendliness 
 and humility of spirit, who was devoted to the democratic principle, and 
 who was the interpreter of our traditional political idealism, appears be- 
 fore us still today. He calls us, "the living," to be dedicated to "the great 
 task" which after all these years still remains before us. 
 
 For those who would like to pursue their reading and study on LIN- 
 COLN AND GETTYSBURG in some detail, the following list of 
 authoritative works is included : 
 
 Barton, William E., Lincoln at Gettysburg. Indianapolis. 1930. 
 
 Bullard, F. Lauriston, "A Few Appropriate Remarks," Lincoln's Gettysburg Ad- 
 dress. Harrogate, Tennessee. 1944. 
 
 Carmichael, Orton H., Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. New York. 1917. 
 
 Carr, Clark E., Lincoln at Gettysburg. Chicago. 1906. 
 
 Fortenbaugh, Robert, 'Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg," Pennsylvania History, 
 October, 1938. 
 
 Fortenbaugh, Robert, "Lincoln as Gettysburg Saw Him," Pennsylvania History, 
 January, 1947. 
 
 Jacobs, Henry E., Lincoln's Gettysburg World-Message. Philadelphia. 1919. 
 
 Lambert, W. H., "The Gettysburg Address," Pennsylvania Magazine of History 
 and Biography, October, 1909. 
 
 Lincoln Reader, The, edited by Paul M. Angle. New Brunswick. 1947. Chapter 20, 
 "Gettysburg." < 
 
 Luhrs, Henry E., Lincoln at the Wills Home and the Gettysburg Address. Ship- 
 pensburg. 1938. 
 
 Nicolay, John G., "Lincoln's Gettysburg Address," The Century Magazine, Feb- 
 ruary, 1894. 
 
 Randall, J. G., Lincoln the President. 2 vols. New York, 1945. Vol. II: Chap. 28: 
 "These Honored Dead.'' 
 
 Sandburg, Carl, Abraham Lincoln-. The War Years. 4 vols. New York. 1939. 
 Vol. II : Chap. 44. "Lincoln Speaks at Gettysburg." 
 
 Singmaster, Elsie, Gettysburg : Stories of the Red Harvest and the Aftermath. 
 Boston. 1930. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM GOVERNOR CURTIN'S ANNUAL 
 MESSAGE, JANUARY 7, 1864 
 
 After the battle of Gettysburg, in which loyal volunteers from eighteen 
 States, including Pennsylvania, were engaged, it appeared to me proper 
 that all those States should unite in establishing a cemetery on the spot, 
 in which their soldiers who had fallen in that conflict, should be honorably 
 interred. I accordingly appointed David Wills, Esq., of Gettysburg, my 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 31 
 
 agent, and through him, a site was purchased at a cost of $2,475.87, and 
 the conveyances made to the Commonwealth. On communicating with 
 the authorities of the other States, they all readily agreed to become 
 parties to the arrangement, and on the 19th day of November last, the 
 cemetery was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies in the presence of 
 the President of the United States, the Governors of the States concerned, 
 and other high officers, State and National. On the 19th day of December, 
 on the invitation of Mr. Wills, commissioners representing the States 
 interested in the cemetery, met in Harrisburg and agreed upon a plan 
 for its improvement and care in the future, and the apportionment of the 
 sum of money required, to the several States, which is herewith com- 
 municated. The expenses attending the establishment of this cemetery, 
 including the cost of the site and of removing the bodies of the slain, 
 have thus far amounted to $5,209.38, and an appropriation will be re- 
 quired to pay these expenses, and to meet our portion of those attend- 
 ing its future maintenance. It will appear by the proceedings of the com- 
 missioners, that their due proportion of the expenses already incurred 
 are to be refunded by the States on whose account they were made. It 
 is just to say that Mr. Wills has discharged his delicate and important 
 duties with fidelity and to my entire satisfaction. 
 
 (From the Report of the Select Committee Relative to the SOLDIERS' NA- 
 TIONAL CEMETERY , together with the Accompanying Documents, as reported 
 to the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, March $i t 
 1864 : Page 3. This will hereinafter be referred to as Report of the Select Com- 
 mittee.) 
 
 REPORT OF DAVID WILLS 
 
 To the Honorable, the Committee of the House of Representatives of the 
 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the Soldiers' National Cemetery, 
 at Gettysburg : 
 
 Gentlemen : — In obedience to your request, I have the honor to submit 
 the following report on the subject of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, 
 at Gettysburg : 
 
 The design of locating a place for the decent interment of the remains 
 of our soldiers who fell in defence of the Union, in the battle of Gettys- 
 burg, was originated soon after that bloody conflict, in July last ; but was 
 not consummated by the purchase of the grounds for the purpose until 
 August. A persistent effort was made by persons here, to have the 
 soldiers buried in grounds controlled by the local cemetery association 
 of this place. The plan proposed having the burials made at a stipulated 
 price, to be paid the cemetery association. Failing in this project, these 
 
32 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 persons endeavored to connect the two cemeteries, so that they should 
 both be in one enclosure, and all under the control, supervision, and 
 management of the local cemetery association. As the agent of His 
 Excellency, the Governor of Pennsylvania, I was in communication, by 
 letter, and personally, for some time, with the representatives and citizens 
 of other States, in reference to this proposed plan, and all were of the 
 decided opinion that the Soldiers' Cemetery should be entirely distinct 
 and disconnected from the local cemetery ; that, to ensure success in ob- 
 taining concert of action among all the States, it must be made an inde- 
 pendent cemetery, and the control and management of it be retained by 
 the States interested. This whole matter was very thoroughly and im- 
 partially canvassed and discussed, and this conclusion arrived at and 
 adopted. The grounds were subsequently laid out, and the burials made 
 in view of the national character of the project. 
 
 His Excellency, Gov. Curtin, having authorized me to buy grounds, 
 and invite the other States interested to unite in the removal of the dead, 
 and improving the grounds, I immediately endeavored to purchase land 
 on Cemetery Hill, and, after much difficulty, succeeded in buying five 
 different lots lying on Cemetery Hill, on the west side of the Baltimore 
 turnpike, adjoining the local cemetery on the north and west. It is the 
 ground on which the centre of our line of battle rested July 2d and 3d, 
 and one of the most prominent and important positions on the whole 
 battle field. The lots were purchased for different prices per acre, accord- 
 ing to their location, but all at a very reasonable market price. Two lots 
 were bought at the rate of $225 per acre ; one for $200 per acre ; one 
 for $150 per acre, and one for $135 per acre. The whole embraces about 
 seventeen acres, and for the exact area and amount in each purchase, I 
 refer you to the deeds on file in the Auditor General's office. 
 
 The Cemetery having assumed a national character, by being inde- 
 pendent of any local controlling influences, the Governors of all the States 
 having soldiers lying on this battle field, after much correspondence and 
 conference through commissioners sent here for the purpose, committed 
 their States to the project. I then made arrangements with Mr. William 
 Saunders, an eminent landscape gardener, to lay out the grounds in 
 State lots, apportioned in size according to the number of marked graves 
 each State had on this battle field. This number was obtained by having 
 a thorough search made for all the graves, and a complete list of the 
 names accurately taken. The grounds were accordingly very neatly and 
 appropriately laid out, and I refer you to the map of them. 
 
 To preserve their identity, I deemed it very important to have the re- 
 movals of the dead made as soon as possible. The marks at the graves 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 33 
 
 were but temporary ; in many instances, a small rough board, on which 
 the name was feintly (sic) written with a lead pencil. This would nec- 
 essarily be effaced by the action of the weather, and the boards were also 
 liable to be thrown down and lost. The graves which were unmarked 
 were in many instances level with the surface of the earth, and the grass 
 and weeds were growing over them; and in the forests the fall of the 
 leaves in the autumn would cover them so that they might be entirely 
 lost. I, therefore, issued proposals for giving out the contract for dis- 
 interring, removing and burying in the National Cemetery, all the Union 
 dead on this battle field. 
 
 These cemetery grounds were solemnly dedicated to their present 
 sacred purpose by appropriate and imposing ceremonies, on Thursday, 
 the 19th of November last. 
 
 I requested the Governors of the several States, having lots in the 
 cemetery, to appoint commissioners to assemble at Harrisburg, on the 
 17th of December last, to adopt some uniform plan for the action of 
 the Legislatures of the different States. Twelve States were represented, 
 and the other five signified, in advance, their assent to any reasonable 
 action of the convention. I herewith refer you to the report of the pro- 
 ceedings of the convention. The estimated expenses of finishing the 
 cemetery, are $63,500, and it is proposed to divide this sum among the 
 different States having lots in the cemetery, in the ratio of their repre- 
 sentation in Congress. 
 
 The Legislatures of the other States are acting in this matter, and 
 making the appropriations in the proportions as above indicated. Besides 
 making this appropriation, an additional duty devolves upon the Legisla- 
 ture of Pennsylvania. For the management and care of the grounds, and 
 the completion of the work, it is necessary to have a corporate body, and 
 the State of Pennsylvania is requested, through her Legislature, to estab- 
 lish, by letters patent, this corporation of "The Soldiers' National Ceme- 
 tery." This should be done without delay. It will necessarily require some 
 time for the board of managers to meet and organize, and in the meantime 
 the work which should be progressing is delayed. It is especially desirable 
 that the Legislature act upon this matter at once, so that the organization 
 may be perfected. Upon this board of managers, composed of one from 
 each State having soldiers dead here, will devolve the completion of the 
 project, and the future care of the grounds. 
 
 I herewith submit a list of the names of the soldiers buried in the 
 Pennsylvania lot. The whole number is five hundred and one (501). 
 
34 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 The total number buried in the cemetery, is thirty-five hundred and 
 twelve (3,512). I also submit a list giving the number buried in each 
 State lot, and in the grounds set apart for the Regulars and the Un- 
 known. 
 
 I also submit, herewith, for your satisfaction, the following interesting 
 reports : First — that of Mr. William Saunders, the designer of the 
 grounds. Second — the report of Samuel Weaver, the superintendent of 
 the exhuming of the bodies. Third — the report of Joseph S. Townsend, 
 the superintendent of interments in the cemetery, and the surveyor. I 
 also transmit the names of persons upon whose bodies articles were 
 found, referred to in Mr. Weaver's report, containing a description of 
 the articles obtained. 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 
 David Wills, 
 Agent for A. G. Curtin, Governor of Penna. 
 Gettysburg, March 21, 1864. 
 
 ( From the Report of the Select Committee : Pages 6-9. Other reports of interest 
 in this Report are: Mr. Saunders': Pages 37-38. Mr. Weaver's: Pages 39-41. Mr. 
 Townsend's : Page 42 and Pages 43-52. Other important items in the Report are : 
 Mr. Wills' Specifications for contracts for removal of bodies to the Cemetery and 
 preparing the graves, October 15, 1863: Pages 10-11. Minutes of a meeting of the 
 Commissioners appointed by the Governors of the several states involved. December 
 17, 1863: Pages 12-14. Act of Incorporation, Pages 53-56.) 
 
 DAVID WILLS TO EDWARD EVERETT, SEPTEMBER 23, 1863 
 
 Gettysburg, Pa., September 23, 1863 
 Hon Edward Everett : 
 
 Sir:— 
 
 The several States having soldiers in the army of the Potomac, who 
 fell at the battle of Gettysburg, in July last, gallantly fighting for the 
 Union, have made arrangements here for the exhuming of all their 
 dead, and their removal and decent burial in a cemetery selected for that 
 purpose, on a prominent part of the battle field. 
 
 The design is to bury all in common, marking with headstones, with 
 the proper inscription, the known dead, and to erect a suitable monu- 
 ment to the memory of all these brave men, who have thus sacrificed their 
 lives on the altar of their country. 
 
 The burial ground will be consecrated to this sacred and holy purpose 
 on Thursday, the 23d day of October next, with appropriate ceremonies, 
 and the several States interested, have united in the selection of you to 
 deliver the oration on that solemn occasion. I am therefore instructed, 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 35 
 
 by the Governors of the different States interested in this project, to 
 invite yon cordially to join with them in the ceremonies, and to deliver 
 the oration for the occasion. 
 
 Hoping to have an early, and favorable reply from you, 
 I remain, sir, your most obedient servant, 
 
 David Wills, 
 Agent for the Governor of Pennsylvania. 
 
 (From the Report of the Select Committee, pages 68-69.) 
 
 EDWARD EVERETT TO DAVID WILLS, SEPTEMBER 26, 1863 
 
 Boston, September 26, 1863 
 My dear Sir : — 
 
 I have received your favor of the 23d instant, inviting me, on behalf 
 of the Governors of the States interested in the preparation of a cemetery 
 for the soldiers who fell in the great battles of July last, to deliver an 
 address at the consecration. I feel much complimented by this request, 
 and would cheerfully undertake the performance of a duty at once so 
 interesting and honorable. It is, however, wholly out of my power to 
 make the requisite preparation by the 23d of October. I am under en- 
 gagements which will occupy all my time from Monday next to the 12th 
 of October, and indeed, it is doubtful whether during the whole month 
 of October, I shall have a day at my command. 
 
 The occasion is one of great importance, not to be dismissed with a 
 few sentimental or patriotic commonplaces. It will demand as full a 
 narrative of the events of the three important days as the limits of the 
 hour will admit, and some appropriate discussion of the political char- 
 acter of the great struggle, of which the battle of Gettysburg is one of 
 the most momentous incidents. As it will take me two days to reach 
 Gettysburg, and it will be highly desirable that I should have at least 
 one day to survey the battle field, I cannot safely name an earlier time 
 than the 19th of November. 
 
 Should such a postponement of the day first proposed be admissible, 
 it will give me great pleasure to accept the invitation. 
 
 I remain, dear sir, with much respect, 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Edward Everett. 
 David Wills, Esq., 
 
 Agent for the National Cemetery. 
 
 (From the Report of the Select Committee, pages 69-70.) 
 
36 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 WILLS TO LINCOLN, NOVEMBER 2, 1863 
 
 Gettysburg, November 2d, 1863 
 To His Excellency, 
 A. Lincoln, 
 
 President of the United States, 
 Sir, 
 
 The several States having soldiers in the Army of the Potomac, who 
 were killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, or have since died at the various 
 hospitals which were established in the vicinity, have procured grounds 
 on a prominent part of the Battle Field for a Cemetery, and are having 
 the dead removed to them and properly buried. 
 
 These grounds will be consecrated and set apart to this sacred purpose, 
 by appropriate ceremonies, on Thursday, the 19th instant, — Hon. Edward 
 Everett will deliver the Oration. 
 
 I am authorized by the governors of the different States to invite you 
 to be present, and participate in these Ceremonies, which will doubtless 
 be very imposing and solemnly impressive. 
 
 It is the desire that, after the Oration, you, as Chief Executive of 
 the Nation, formally set apart these grounds to their sacred use by a 
 few appropriate remarks. 
 
 It will be a source of great gratification to the many widows and 
 orphans that have been made almost friendless by the great Battle here, 
 to have you here personally, it will kindle anew in the breasts of the 
 comrades of these brave dead, who are now in the tented field or nobly 
 meeting the foe in the front, a confidence that they who sleep in death 
 on the Battle Field are not forgotten by those highest in authority, and 
 they will feel that, should their fate be the same, their remains will not 
 be uncared for. 
 
 We hope you will be able to be present to perform this last solemn 
 act to the Soldiers dead on this Battle Field. 
 
 I am with Great Respect, Your Excellency's Obedient Servant, 
 
 David Wills, 
 Agent for A. G. Curtin Governor of Pennsylvania, 
 and Acting for all the States. 
 
 (The original copy of this letter is No. 27781 of Vol. 130 of the Robert Todd 
 Lincoln Collection of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln. 194 vols. The Library of 
 Congress. Opened for public use in 1947.) 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 37 
 
 WILLS TO LINCOLN, NOVEMBER 2, 1863 
 
 Gettysburg, November 2, 1863 
 To His Excellency, 
 A. Lincoln, 
 
 President of the United States, 
 Sir, 
 
 As the hotels in our town will be crowded and in confusion at the 
 time referred to in the enclosed invitation, I write to invite you to stop 
 with me. I hope you will feel it your duty to lay aside pressing business 
 for a day to come on here to perform this last sad rite to our brave 
 soldier dead on the 19th instant. 
 
 Governor Curtin and Hon. Edward Everett will be my guests at that 
 time and if you come you will please join them at my house. 
 
 You will confer a favor if you advise me early of your intentions. 
 
 With great respect, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 David Wills. 
 
 (The original copy of this note is No. 27783 of Vol. 130 of the Robert Todd 
 Lincoln Collection.) 
 

 
 
 
 .ijCl&u tTz^^. <y /a l /<*- <?> ^<^_ f£» 
 
 ,S?>n*> 
 
On the opposite page appears a 
 reproduction of the letter written 
 by Judge David Wills inviting 
 President Lincoln io deliver "a 
 jew appropriate remarks" at the 
 dedication of the National Ceme- 
 tery. On the left is a photograph 
 of Judge Wills; below is shown 
 the Wills' residence, which still 
 stands in Center Square, Gettys- 
 burg. Lincoln slept in a room 
 (fourth zvindow from the left on 
 the second floor, right side) the 
 night of November 18, 1863. 
 
40 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 STANTON TO LINCOLN, NOVEMBER 17, 1863 
 
 War Department 
 
 Washington City, 
 November 17, 1863 
 Mr. President, 
 
 The arrangement I proposed has been made. The train will leave the 
 Depot at 12 o'clock. I will assign the Adjutant General or Col. Fry to 
 accompany you as personal escort, and to control the train. A carriage 
 will call for you at 12. Please furnish me the names of those whom you 
 may invite that they may be furnished with tickets and unauthorized 
 intrusion prevented. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Edwin M. Stanton. 
 
 (The original copy of this communication is No. 28072 of Vol. 132 of the Robert 
 Todd Lincoln Collection.) 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 Version No. 1 — The First Draft 
 
 Executive Mansion 
 
 Washington 186 
 
 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this 
 continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposi- 
 tion 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 por- 
 tion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation 
 might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But, in a larger sense, we 
 can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow, this ground 
 — The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, 
 far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, 
 nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what 
 they did here. 
 
 here be dedica- 
 
 It is rather for us, the living, to stand here, 
 
 (The text of this copy has been carefully copied with particular care to re- 
 produce the punctuation. There is no period at the end of the first sentence, and 
 the last incomplete sentence has a comma as its concluding mark. There are no 
 signs of erasures or corrections visible, but the whole indicates a first draft which 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 41 
 
 was intended to be revised and corrected. The words "to stand here," written in 
 ink, were crossed out with a pencil and the words "here be dedica-" were written 
 above in pencil.) 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 
 Concluding words of the first draft : 
 
 ted to the great task remaining before us — that, from these honored dead 
 we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the 
 last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve these dead 
 shall not have died in vain, that the nation, 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. 
 
 (These words were written on a sheet different from the Executive Mansion 
 paper used for the preceding part of the draft. It was probably supplied by Mr. 
 Wills. The writing is in pencil. The full draft contains 239 words.) 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 Version No. 2 — The Second Draft 
 
 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this 
 continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposi- 
 tion 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 here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a 
 portion of it 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 can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — 
 we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who 
 struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or 
 detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say 
 here, but can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, 
 rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus 
 far, so nobly carried on. It is rather 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 here gave the last full 
 measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall 
 not have died in vain ; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom ; 
 and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, 
 shall not perish from the earth. 
 
 (This draft contains 269 words. This was the version of the Address included 
 in the exhibit on the FREEDOM TRAIN.) 
 
42 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 ORDER OF PROCESSION 
 
 for the 
 
 CONSECRATION OF THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AT 
 
 GETTYSBURG, PA. 
 
 on the 19th of November, 1863 
 
 Military, under command of Major General Couch. 
 Major General Meade and Staff, and the Officers and Soldiers of the 
 
 Army of the Potomac. 
 
 Officers of the Navy and Marine Corps of the United States. 
 
 Aids. Chief Marshal. Aids. 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Members of the Cabinet. 
 
 Assistant Secretaries of the several Executive Departments. 
 
 General-in-chief of the Army, and Staff. 
 
 Lieutenant General Scott and Rear-Admiral Stewart. 
 
 Judges of the United States Supreme Court. 
 
 Hon. Edward Everett, Orator of the Day, and the Chaplain. 
 
 Governors of the States, and their Staffs. 
 
 Commissioners of the States on the Inauguration of the Cemetery. 
 
 Bearers with the Flags of the States. 
 
 Vice President of the United States and Speaker of the House of 
 
 Representatives. 
 
 Members of the two Houses of Congress. 
 
 Officers of the two Houses of Congress. 
 
 Mayors of Cities. 
 
 Gettysburg Committee of Arrangements. 
 
 Officers and Members of the United States Sanitary Commission. 
 
 Committees of different Religious Bodies. 
 
 United States Military Telegraphic Corps. 
 
 Officers and Representatives of Adams Express Company. 
 
 Officers of different Telegraph Companies. 
 
 Hospital Corps of the Army. 
 
 Soldiers' Relief Associations. 
 
 Knights Templar. 
 
 Masonic Fraternity. 
 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 Other Benevolent Associations. 
 
 Literary, Scientific and Industrial Associations. 
 
 The Press. 
 
 Officers and Members of Loyal Leagues. 
 
 Fire Companies. 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 43 
 
 Citizens of the State of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Citizens of other States. 
 
 Citizens of the District of Columbia. 
 
 Citizens of the several Territories. 
 
 (As printed in Report of the Select Committee: Pages 74-75.) 
 
 PROGRAMME OF ARRANGEMENTS 
 
 And Order of Exercises For The Consecration of The National Ceme- 
 tery, at Gettysburg, on The 19th of November, 1863. 
 
 The military will form in Gettysburg at nine o'clock, A.M., on Carlisle 
 street, north of the square, its right resting on the square, opposite M'Clel- 
 lan's hotel, under the direction of Major General Couch. 
 
 The State Marshals and Chief Marshal's aids will assemble in the 
 public square at the same hour. 
 
 All civic bodies, except the citizens of States, will assemble, accord- 
 ing to the foregoing printed programme, on York street at the same hour. 
 
 The delegation of Pennsylvania citizens will form on Chambersburg 
 street, its right resting on the square; and the other citizen delegations, 
 in their order, will form on the same street, in rear of the Pennsylvania 
 delegation. 
 
 The Marshals of the States are charged with the duty of forming their 
 several delegations so that they will assume their appropriate positions 
 when the main procession moves. 
 
 The head of the column will move at precisely ten o'clock, A.M. 
 
 The route will be up Baltimore street to the Emmittsburg road, thence 
 to the junction of the Taney town road, thence, by the latter road, to the 
 cemetery, where the military will form in line, as the General in com- 
 mand may order, for the purpose of saluting the President of the United 
 States. 
 
 The military will then close up and occupy the space to the left of 
 the stand. 
 
 The civic procession will advance and occupy the area in front of the 
 stand, the military leaving sufficient space between them and the line of 
 graves for the civic procession to pass. 
 
 The ladies will occupy the right of the stand, and it is desirable that 
 they be upon the ground as early as ten o'clock, A.M. 
 
 The exercises will take place as soon as the military and civic bodies 
 are in position, as follows : 
 
 Music, by Birgfield's Band. 
 
 Prayer, by Rev. T. H. Stockton, D.D. 
 
44 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 Music, by the Marine Band. 
 
 Oration, by Hon. Edward Everett. 
 
 Music, Hymn composed by B. B. French, Esq. 
 
 Dedicatory Remarks, by the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 
 
 STATES. 
 Dirge, sung by Choir selected for the occasion. 
 Benediction, by Rev. H. L. Baugher, D.D. 
 
 After the benediction the procession will be dismissed, and the State 
 Marshals and special aids to the Chief Marshal, will form on Baltimore 
 street, and return to the court house in Gettysburg, where a meeting of 
 the Marshals will be held. 
 
 An appropriate salute will be fired in Gettysburg on the day of the 
 celebration, under the direction of Major General Couch. 
 
 (As printed in Report of the Select Committee: Pages 76-77.) 
 
 Reports from 
 
 The Adams Sentinel 
 
 Robert G. Harper, Editor & 
 Proprietor. 
 
 Tuesday Evening, November 24, 1863 — 
 
 Thursday, the 19th inst, was a great day in the history of Get- 
 tysburg — second only in interest to the eventful first, second and 
 third day of July last. (Exactly the same in the Compiler.) 
 
 The influx of strangers commenced on Monday, and the trains 
 became heavier and heavier as the day of consecration approached. 
 On Wednesday, day and night and Thursday morning, the trains 
 arrived every few hours swelling the crowds to immense proportions. 
 
 Day dawned on Thursday with an unclouded sky, giving assurance 
 of lovely weather. The streets swarmed with people from all sections 
 of the Union, the number variously estimated from twenty to forty 
 thousand. 
 
 By the time the President, accompanied by the different members 
 of the Cabinet, entered the cemetery grounds, the stand erected in 
 the centre of the same was surrounded by at least twenty thousand 
 citizens, several thousand of whom were congregated immediately 
 in front of the stand, the immense crowd being interpersed with 
 chief marshals, aids (sic) and officers of different grades. 
 
 A cordon of soldiers was placed in the form of a circle outside 
 of the crowd congregated near the stand and entirely surrounding 
 it, beyond which thousands of citizens clustered in surging masses, 
 endeavoring to get a glimpse at the stand. (Exactly the same in 
 the Compiler.) 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 45 
 
 Service in Presbyterian Church: 
 
 According to announcement, at 5 o'clock P.M. Col. Anderson, 
 Lieut. Governor elect of Ohio, delivered an able address in the 
 Presbyterian church. The building was filled to repletion by an 
 intelligent and highly respectable audience. The President of the 
 United States and suite, occupied seats in the pulpit. The orator 
 was introduced by ex-Governor Dennison of Ohio, and commenced 
 his oration by a general reference to the occasion which had called 
 together such a vast assemblage. The address was a bold and able 
 exposition of the causes which led to the present war, the issues in- 
 volved in the contest, and the importance of its determination. 
 
 Editorial Comment : 
 
 The Celebration at Gettysburg 
 
 It gives us heart-felt satisfaction, as it has done all others, to 
 say that the late celebration at our now classic town, was ( to use the 
 words from every mouth) "a perfect success." We could not but 
 admire the systematic arrangement, the beautiful order which pre- 
 vailed throughout the whole ceremonies, amidst the immense as- 
 semblage which filled our village, and all the splendid grounds 
 which surround it, showing to all our visitors a beautiful scenery, 
 independent of the glorious battle-field, with all its interesting 
 recollections. 
 
 After the ceremonies were concluded, a salute was fired by the 
 artillery, and the military portion of the procession reformed and 
 escorted the President to his lodgings, where he was subsequently 
 visited by a large number of persons, and more than an hour was 
 the victim of a "hands shaking" that must have tested his good 
 nature to the utmost. The President returned to Washington in a 
 special train, which left Gettysburg about 7 o'clock. 
 
 Reports from 
 
 The Compiler 
 
 H. J. Stahle, Editor & 
 Proprietor 
 
 Monday Morning, November 23, 1863. — 
 
 Main story as in Sentinel; same wording in places. 
 
 The Chief Marshall then introduced the President of the United 
 States, who, after the applause had subsided, spoke as follows : 
 
 Editorial Comment : 
 
 This report is not as full as we could desire, [it was as full as the 
 Sentinel's] but is correct so far as it goes. Many matters of detail 
 
46 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 which would interest the readers of the Compiler do not receive 
 mention today simply because we have not had time to gather them. 
 Our citizens for several days thought of little else than the proper 
 entertainment of the throng of strangers and we think they suc- 
 ceeded in satisfying every reasonable expectation in this particular. 
 
 All in all, the 19th of November, 1863, will stand out as memo- 
 rable in the history of Gettysburg, which has acquired such sudden 
 and world-wide fame. 
 
 On Wednesday evening, the President was serenaded at D. Wills', 
 and came forward to express his thanks. He said he had no speech 
 to make, and would therefore make none. Secretary Seward and 
 Secretary Blair were also serenaded, and responded. 
 
 The renegades Forney and Shannon were on hand, and "came 
 out" too. Their speeches were low political tirades, out of time and 
 out of place. The "dog" does little credit to his owner. 
 
 TELEGRAMS RECEIVED BY MR. LINCOLN AT GETTYS- 
 BURG, CONCERNING HIS SON'S CONDITION 
 
 1 — From Mrs. Lincoln 
 
 War Dept. 
 
 Nov. 18, '63. 
 Hon. A. Lincoln 
 Gettysburg, Pa. 
 
 The Dr. has just left. We hope dear Taddie is slightly better. Will send 
 you a telegram in the morning. 
 
 Mrs. Lincoln. 
 
 2 — In a dispatch from Sec. Stanton, regarding movements of troops, the 
 concluding sentence is : 
 
 Mrs. Lincoln reports your sons health as a great deal better and 
 that he will be out today. 
 
 3 — In another dispatch from Sec. Stanton, regarding movements of 
 troops, the concluding sentence is : 
 
 By enquiry Mrs. Lincoln informs me that your son is better this 
 evening. 
 
 (The original copy of No. 2 is No. 28125 in Vol. 132 of the Robert Todd Lincoln 
 Collection. The original copy of No. 3 is No. 28107 of the same volume. Other tele- 
 grams forwarded to Mr. Lincoln at Gettysburg, November 18 and 19, are Nos. 
 28124 and 28126 of the volume.) 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 47 
 
 EVERETT TO LINCOLN, NOVEMBER 20, 1863 
 
 November 20, 1863 
 225 H St. 
 My dear Sir, 
 
 Not wishing to intrude upon your privacy, when you must be much 
 engaged, I beg leave, in this way, to thank you very sincerely for your 
 great thoughtfulness for my daughter's accomodation on the Platform 
 yesterday, & much kindness otherwise to me and mine at Gettysburg. 
 
 Permit me also to express my great admiration of the thoughts ex- 
 pressed by you, with such eloquent simplicity & appropriateness, at the 
 consecration of the cemetery. I should be glad, if I could flatter myself 
 that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours, as 
 you did in two minutes. My son who parted from me at Baltimore, & 
 my daughter, concur in this sentiment. 
 
 I remain, dear Sir, most respectfully yours, 
 
 Edward Everett. 
 I hope your anxiety for your child was relieved on your or — (sic) 
 
 (The original of this note is No. 28133 of Vol. 132 of The Robert Todd Lincoln 
 Collection.) 
 
 LINCOLN TO EVERETT, NOVEMBER 20, 1863 
 
 Washington, November 20, 1863 
 Hon. Edward Everett, 
 My Dear Sir :— 
 
 Your kind note of today is received. In our respective parts yesterday, 
 you could not have been excused to make a short address, nor I a long 
 one. I am pleased to know that in your judgement the little I did say was 
 not entirely a failure. Of course I knew Mr. Everett would not fail ; and 
 yet while the whole discourse was eminently satisfactory, and will be of 
 great value, there were passages in it which transcended my expecta- 
 tions. The point made against the theory of the general government being 
 an agency, whose principles (sic) are the states, was new to me and, as 
 I think, is one of the best arguments for the national supremacy. The 
 tribute to our noble women for their angel ministering to the suffering 
 soldiers, surpassed, in its way, as do the subjects of it, whatever has 
 gone before. 
 
 Our sick boy, for whom you kindly inquire, we hope is past the worst. 
 
 Your Ob't. Servt, 
 
 A. Lincoln. 
 
 (The original of this note is No. 28128 of Vol. 132 of the Robert Todd Lincoln 
 Collection.) 
 
48 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 
 Version No. 5 
 
 ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE DEDICATION OF THE 
 CEMETERY AT GETTYSBURG 
 
 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 can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — 
 we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who 
 struggled here, have consecrated it, 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 rather 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. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln 
 November 19, 1863. 
 
 (This version contains 272 words.) 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 49 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 
 Version No. 4 
 
 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 por- 
 tion 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 can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — 
 we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who 
 struggled here, have consecrated it 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 rather 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 here 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 peo- 
 ple, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 
 
 LINCOLN TO EVERETT, FEBRUARY 4, 1864 
 
 Executive Mansion 
 
 Washington, February 4, 1864 
 My dear Sir : 
 
 Yours of January 30th was received four days ago, and since then 
 the address mentioned has arrived — Thank you for it. I send herewith 
 the manuscript of my remarks at Gettysburg, which, with my note to 
 you of November 20th, you are at liberty to use for the benefit of our 
 soldiers, as you have requested — 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 A. Lincoln. 
 Hon. Edward Everett. 
 
 (The original of this note is No. 30158 of Volume 141 of the Robert Todd Lin- 
 coln Collection.) 
 
50 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 Version No. 3 
 
 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon 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 por- 
 tion 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 can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — 
 we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who 
 struggled here, have consecrated it, 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 rather 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 here 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. 
 
 WILLS TO LINCOLN, NOVEMBER 23, 1863 
 
 Gettysburg, November 23, 1863 
 His Excellency, 
 A. Lincoln, 
 
 President of the United States, 
 Sir, 
 
 On behalf of the States interested in the National Cemetery here, I 
 request of you the original manuscript of the Dedicatory Remarks de- 
 livered by you here last Thursday. 
 
 We desire them to be placed with the correspondence and other papers 
 connected with the project. [Please append your certificate to them.] 
 I am with Great Respect, 
 
 Your Excellency's Obdt. Servant, 
 David Wills, 
 
 Agent, etc. (sic) 
 
 (The original of this letter is No. 28203 of Volume 132 of the Robert Todd Lin- 
 coln Collection.) 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 51 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 
 As reported in The Adams Sentinel for Tuesday, November 24, 1863. 
 Robert G. Harper, Editor and Proprietor. 
 
 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this 
 continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposi- 
 tion that all men are created equal. [Applause.] Now, we are engaged 
 in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any other nation so 
 conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great 
 battle-field of that war ; we are met to dedicate a portion of it as a final 
 resting-place of 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 cannot consecrate, we [cannot] 
 hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, 
 have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. 
 [Applause.] The world will little note nor long remember what we may 
 say here, but it can never forget what they did here. [Applause.] 
 
 It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished 
 work that they have thus far so nobly carried on. [Applause.] It is 
 rather for us here to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us ; 
 that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause 
 for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion ; that we here 
 highly resolve that those dead shall not have died in vain. — [Applause.] 
 That the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom ; and that 
 Governments of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not 
 perish from the earth. [Long continued applause.] 
 
52 Lincoln and Gettysburg 
 
 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 
 
 As reported by the Massachusetts Commissioners to 
 Governor John A. Andrew 
 
 Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this 
 continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposi- 
 tion 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 are met to dedicate a portion 
 of it as the final resting-place of those who have given 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 cannot consecrate, 
 we cannot hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who 
 struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our power to add or to 
 detract. The world will very 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 that they have thus 
 far so nobly carried on. It is rather 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 here gave the last full 
 measure of devotion ; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall 
 not have died in vain ; that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth 
 of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the 
 people, shall not perish from the earth. 
 
 (In Massachusetts Legislative Documents. Senate, 1864. No. 1 : LXXII.) 
 
Lincoln and Gettysburg 53 
 
 [Public Law 645 — 79th Congress] 
 [Chapter 800 — 2d Session] 
 [HJ.Res. 35] 
 
 JOINT RESOLUTION 
 
 Designating November 19, 1946, the anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg 
 Address, as Dedication Day 
 
 Whereas the Gettysburg Address of President Abraham Lincoln is the 
 outstanding classic of the ages ; and 
 
 Whereas it will touch the hearts of men and inspire them with faith in 
 our matchless democracy as long as time endures ; and 
 
 Whereas in that address Mr. Lincoln adjured his fellow countrymen to 
 dedicate themselves to the principle of democracy in order that gov- 
 ernment "of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not 
 perish from the earth" : Therefore be it 
 
 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
 States of America in Congress assembled, That November 19, 1946, 
 the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, be, and hereby is, desig- 
 nated in our calendar of special days as Dedication Day. 
 That the President of the United States is requested to proclaim 
 November 19, 1946, as Dedication Day and to suggest that the ad- 
 dress be read on that day in public assemblages throughout the 
 United States and its possessions, on our ships at sea and wherever 
 the American flag flies. 
 
 Approved August 7, 1946. 
 
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Eighty-five years after Abraham Lincoln delivered his immortal Get- 
 tysburg Address upon the occasion of the dedication of the Gettysburg 
 National Cemetery, the United States Congress authorized the U. S. 
 Post Office Department to issue a special three-cent stamp to commemo- 
 rate the occasion. 
 
 This was the first time that a commemorative stamp had been issued 
 to commemorate a "speech." Another significant reference is that it is 
 the first time that such a stamp had been issued on "off years." It is the 
 custom of the Post Office Department to issue commemorative stamps 
 only in cycles of 25, 50, 75, 100 or similar 25-year cycles. 
 
 Above is a photographic reproduction of the Lincoln-Gettysburg 
 stamp. It was first made available to the public on November 19, 1948, 
 at the Gettysburg post office and in other post offices November 20, 
 1948, and thereafter. The first printing was sixty million. The supply 
 was exhausted within six weeks after date of issue. 
 
 First Day Cover cancellations at Gettysburg were in excess of one 
 million. 
 
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