Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The Creation of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
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About this ebook
Almost 8,000 dead dotted the fields of Gettysburg after the guns went silent. The Confederate dead were hastily buried, but what of the Union dead? Several men hatched the idea of a new cemetery to bury and honor the Union soldiers just south of town. Their task was difficult to say the least.
After the State of Pennsylvania purchased seventeen acres, a renowned landscape architect designed the cemetery’s layout. All was now ready for the bodies to be taken from their uneasy resting places around the battlefield, placed in coffins, marked with their names and units, and transported to the new cemetery to be permanently reinterred. More than 3,500 men were moved to the Soldiers’ National Cemetery.
As these tasks gained momentum, so too did planning for the cemetery’s consecration or dedication. A committee of agents from each state that had lost men in battle worked out the logistics. Most of the program was easily decided—it would be composed of odes, singing, prayers, and remarks by the nation’s most renowned orator, Edward Everett. The committee argued over whether President Abraham Lincoln should be invited to the ceremony and, if so, his role in the program. Divided by politics, it decided on a middle ground, inviting the president to provide “a few appropriate remarks.” To the surprise of many, he accepted the invitation, for the most part crafted his remarks in the Executive Mansion, and headed to Gettysburg, arriving on the evening of November 18, 1863. The town was filled with thousands expecting to witness the “event of the century.”
The next day, Lincoln mounted a horse to join the procession heading for the cemetery. The program was unremarkable, except for Lincoln’s remarks—whose reception was split along party lines. Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The Creation of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address recounts the events in vivid historical detail.
Includes photographs
Praise for Bradley M. Gottfried’s previous books:
“Engrossing . . . Civil War buffs will delight in this gripping addition to the literature of Gettysburg.” —Publishers Weekly
“An intimate picture of life with the brigade.” —The New York Times
Bradley M. Gottfried
Bradley M. Gottfried served as a college educator for more than 40 years before retiring in 2017. After receiving his doctorate, he worked as a full-time faculty member before entering the administrator ranks. He rose to the position of president and served for 17 years at two colleges. His interest in the Civil War began when he was a youngster in the Philadelphia area. He has written 18 books on the Civil War, including a number on Gettysburg and map studies of various campaigns. A resident of the Chambersburg/Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area, Brad is an Antietam Licensed Battlefield Guide and a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide.
Read more from Bradley M. Gottfried
The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3–July 13, 1863 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Maps of Antietam: The Siege and Capture of Harpers Ferry, September 12-15, 1862 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBrigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Maps of Gettysburg, eBook Short #2: The First Day, July 1, 1863 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maps of Gettysburg, eBook Short #3: The Second Day, July 2, 1863 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maps of Antietam: An Atlas of the Antietam (Sharpsburg) Campaign, including the Battle of South Mountain, September 2 - 20, 1862 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maps of Gettysburg, eBook Short #4: Pickett’s Charge and the Retreat to Virginia, July 3-14, 1863 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maps of Antietam: The Battle of Shepherdstown, September 18-20, 1862 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maps of Antietam: The Movement to and the Battle of Antietam, September 14 - 18, 1862 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRace to the Potomac: Lee and Meade After Gettysburg, July 4–14, 1863 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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