The Timeless Gettysburg Address

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The Copse, Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

In March 2022, spouse and I visited Gettysburg for several days.  The area was the site for perhaps the most famous battle of the United States Civil War, fought July 1-3, 1863. 

I've been to many Civil War battlefields and related sites, from Prairie Grove, Arkansas (a battlefield I passed twice a day on my way to and from work for several years) to the home of Gettysburg hero and later Governor of Maine Joshua Chamberlain in Brunswick, Maine,  Monocacy in Maryland,  and sites of final surrender such as Appomattox Court House in Virginia and Bennett Place in Durham, North Carolina.  But nothing can prepare you for Gettysburg, a battlefield which is as much an outdoor memorial as it is a piece of land where some 50,000) people were killed or injured in a massive three day battle.  There are hundreds of memorials and many parts of the battle to learn and ponder.  No wonder that many choose to hire a licensed battlefield guide.

It is so peaceful today, except for the thousands of people who visit this sacred ground each year.

It wasn't pretty.  It wasn't romantic.  In some ways, we still haven't recovered.  We are still surrounded by reminders.  Today is the 159th anniversary of one of these reminders, a short speech that may be the most famous speech ever given in our country.

This speech began simply, as a verbal invitation, followed later by an invitation in writing.

On November 2, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln received this invitation:

"Gettysburg Nov. 2 1863
To His Excellency
A. Lincoln
President U. S.

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; and 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 Gov. of Penna.[Pennsylvania] and acting for all the States"

In the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863,  some 2500 residents of Gettysburg were left to tend to the thousands of wounded and bury the thousands more who had died during the three day battle. Gettysburg was to be the costliest battle (in lives lost) of the Civil War.   I will spare you the details of the horrific conditions endured that summer by the farmers and others who owned the land where the dead fell, and what overwhelmed remaining Union soldiers and area residents went through, but if you are interested, here is one description. This article also has a harrowing description of what the Confederate soldiers left behind in Lee's retreat experienced.

Eventually, state and local governments came together.  With financial help from every Union state whose citizens died at Gettysburg, lawyer David Willis oversaw the purchase of 17 acres for what became a national cemetery.  It was to be dedicated on November 19, 1863, and the featured speaker was going to be....

...no, not President Lincoln.  He was invited to give some remarks after the featured orator.  You might say, he was invited almost as an afterthought. (more on that shortly).

It was, instead, a noted orator by the name of Edward Everett, a man who had served as a Congressman, a Secretary of State, a Senator and the Governor of Massachusetts, who was to give the main speech. 

It would seem as if the President was being slighted, being treated almost as an afterthought.  But, I have read that was not the case at all. In the 1860's Presidents were not expected to give speeches. That was the job of orators such as Everett, and Lincoln was invited to give a "few words" in his role as President.

Lincoln Memorial, Gettysburg National Cemetary

Ironically, perhaps, Everett would not live to see the end of the Civil War, and Lincoln himself only outlived the end of the war by a few days.  But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Today is the 159th anniversary of the dedication of Gettysburg's National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, and here is the address Lincoln thought would not long be remembered.

Gettysburg National Cemetery, March 2022

He was wrong.  But what I find most interesting is that no one today knows the exact spot where Lincoln stood to make his speech.  There are some educated guesses.  Nor, until recently, did we even have a photograph of Lincoln making his address.  In the one photo now known, Lincoln's head is barely visible.

There are five known copies of the address, with some differences.  I believe this one is the most commonly quoted, what is now known as the "Bliss copy".

"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

Lincoln now belongs to the ages, and it it our turn to protect those hard fought liberties.

The Gettysburg Cyclorama

A cyclorama is a type of 360 degree oil on canvas painting popular in the late 19th century.   Their popularity died out as motion pictures became available in the 20th century.  Few cycloramas have survived to the present day.

They would depict various events such as fires, battles, and other events of note.

The Gettysburg Cyclorama is a restored painting by French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting Pickett's Charge, a failed charge by the Confederate troops during the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg in the United States Civil War.  This three day battle was fought July 1-3, 1863, so we are commemorating its 159th anniversary this year.

If that charge had succeeded, the Confederate State of America may well have eventually won their war against the United States.  Historians and people who study the war debate this to the present day.

Today, I want to bring you some of this cyclorama  This particular painting was not the original Battle of Gettysburg cyclorama, which was first displayed in Chicago in 1883.  That painting took a year and a half to create.  The artist interviewed various survivors of the battle and took sketches of the battlefield during a 1882 visit.

There were possibly four Gettysburg cycloramas produced under the direct supervision of this artist: Chicago (1883), Boston (the version now exhibited at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) Philadelphia (1886), Brooklyn (which became part of New York City in 1898) in 1886.

The version first displayed in Chicago may have been destroyed in a storm in Omaha, Nebraska in 1894.  The Gettysburg National Park Service website states it still survives and is known as the "Wake Forest" version, in dire need of restoration, but I read elsewhere there is evidence of its destruction in Omaha, as mentioned earlier.  Another cyclorama may have been cut up and used as tents for Native Americans.

The version I saw at the Gettysburg (battle) Visitors Center in March of this year was a second commission of Pickett's Charge, first displayed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1884.  Between 2003 and 2008 the painting was restored, and it is, to put it mildly, awe-inspiring.

Let's go in. Yes, it's weird saying "inside a painting" but the painting surrounds you completely.

When you first go in, the lights are dimmed. Then, the show begins.  Lights are raised to duplicate a sunrise, I'm guessing, and the battle is revealed.  (You can download video and stills at this site but these are my pictures.)

This is so realistic that it is said that veterans of the battle cried when they visited the cyclorama back in the 1880's.

The battle was fought on farmland, not far from the small city of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. (Today, the population is around 7,000 people.)

The painting is  377 feet (114.9m) in circumference and 42 feet (12.8m) high. 

What is missing are the sound effects of battle that are also piped in.  Note that, in addition to the painting, there are real rocks and figures in front of it, which give it the three dimensional look.

These pictures do not begin to do the Cyclorama justice.  

At a time when it seems our country is becoming more split apart, it is well to dwell on the aftermath of the Civil War.  Gettysburg was an important, and terrible, part of this war.  

We must never put ourselves through anything like this, ever again. 

Lincoln #AtoZChallenge

On November 19, 1863, the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, gave a short speech at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 

 This is the background of why Lincoln was there that day.  For my non-United States readers, please know that our country was in the midst of a civil war.  Lincoln was President to a country that had lost 11 states between late 1860 and the first part of 1861.  A major battle in the war that followed took place July 1, 2 and 3rd, 1863, in Gettysburg, killing 7,058 people on both sides, and another 5,000 or so horses and mules.

Lincoln wasn't even the featured speaker of the day.  That honor went to one Rev. Edward Everett, a man who had served as a Congressman, a Secretary of State, a Senator and the Governor of Massachusetts.  Everett was a noted orator.  In those days, Presidents were not expected to give speeches.  The speech is recognized today as one of the greatest in United States history.

Everett spoke for some two hours and Lincoln for about two minutes.  Later, he said of Lincoln's speech (see below for text)  "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." Generations of school children were required to memorize Lincoln's speech.

When you walk through modern day Gettysburg, Lincoln is everywhere.

 

In this work of art called "Return Visit", which is more realistic than the photo shows, Lincoln speaks to a modern day tourist.

Lincoln is on bicycle racks.

In our motel room. (There was also a portrait of Lincoln, but my picture didn't come out well.)

At the Gettysburg battlefield.

Here is Lincoln's speech.  It's hard for us to put ourselves in the shoes of a President whose country is torn apart and at war, but the effort is worth it.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:
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.

"L" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:   "From Florida to Vermont With Stops In Between".

 

Eisenhower (Farm) #AtoZChallenge #WordlessWednesday

Dwight Eisenhower was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II, with a rank of five star general and later became the 34th President of the United States.

Eisenhower and his wife Mamie owned a farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield, which he donated to the National Park Service in 1967.  Eisenhower used this land as a weekend retreat as President, and met with various foreign leaders here.

Usually, several buildings on the farm are open to the public, but, due to the pandemic, they are closed.  However, on a recent visit to Gettysburg, we were able to walk the grounds. 

This plaque explains the former President's skill in farming.

The Eisenhower residence.  When you walk the grounds, you realize you are walking in the footsteps of history.

One of the outbuildings.

I found out recently that the property has a view of South Mountain, which also has Civil War significance. (This link leads to an interview with an author of a book written about the battle, in case that interests you.)

The National Park Service hopes to reopen the Eisenhower site buildings this spring, at which time visitors will no longer be able to drive directly to the site, and the fee will be restored.

"E" day for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Post 4400 Thanksgiving Thoughts

On November 25, my United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving.  And today, I celebrate my blog's 4,400th post.  

But it seems there isn't much to celebrate.

The last almost two years have been a tremendous strain on us and our country, as it has been for everyone all over the world.

Our country may be on the brink of a Civil War.  I've thought for a long time that the American Civil War never truly ended. Now, as the days pass, it seems that we are headed to a brink that we won't be able to pull back from.

It won't be geographic this time, at least not in the way our Civil War of 1861-1865 was. Political divisions are already splitting families - and marriages - apart.

This is not a political post, so I am not going to get into details or express my opinions.

Rather, I want the Americans reading this to stop and think.

Today, I think of November 19, 1863 when our country was literally being torn apart by a Civil War.   Just in the three day Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), there were some 23,000 Union casualties and 28,000 Confederate casualties.

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a short speech at a battleground of the Civil War in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of a ceremony to dedicate a cemetery on the battle grounds.

It's short and to the point.  Some people think it's one of the greatest speeches in American history.

Prior to that, in October of 1863, Lincoln had also signed a Proclamation of a particular Thanksgiving which had a large religious component.

It's humbling, reading these words below that were written in the midst of a war that killed some 750,000. Americans.  Note that some authorities think the total casualties, which include injuries, might have been in excess of 1,500,000.

At the time of the 1860 census, our population was about 31,443,000, which included about 3,953,762 enslaved individuals.  Our population now is about 331,400,000.

What do we think a modern Civil War would do to us?

Perhaps we should reflect on Lincoln's words (red for the Gettysburg address, blue for the Thanksgiving Proclamation) this year at Thanksgiving.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:
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.


By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

What can we do to make things better, this coming Thanksgiving? 

Our children and their childrens's freedoms depend on it.

July 2013 Revisited

 In July of 2013, we were commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1, 2 and 3, 1863.  This battle, fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is said to have been the defining moment of who would win the United States Civil War.

I wrote many posts during the 150th anniversary of the war (1861-1865) including this one on July 3, 2013. 

I had wanted so much to be able to visit Gettysburg that week.   There was supposed to be a large gathering to commemorate that watershed battle, but, unfortunately, many people had the same idea and, unlike me, they didn't try to make last minute plans.

Spouse and I had already taken time off from work.

I was not happy, but then fate intervened.

I was so positive I had written a blog post about what happened next, but if I did, I can't find it on my blog, so here goes (eight years later).

First, I need to explain that many years ago, both this cousin (let's call her "H") and my childhood best friend (BFF) were house hunting in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.  H has spent almost her entire life in Brooklyn.  BFF grew up with me in the Bronx (another borough) but, as an adult, moved to an apartment in Brooklyn at the time she got married.  Anyway, H and BFF found themselves at the same open house.  

They hit it off.  They became friends, not knowing (at first) that they had something else in common.  Or, actually, someone else.  Me.

(Just as another fun fact, a good friend of BFF's husband was the son of my next door neighbor in the Bronx, proving that even New York City, with its eight million people, can be a small world at times.)

At some point, they found out they had me in common, and when spouse and I came to Brooklyn, we always tried to visit both of them.

Fast forward to 2013.  About a year and a half before, BFF had been diagnosed with cancer.  As the summer of 2013 came close, she was doing well.

One late June day, H called to catch up on life.  In talking with her, she mentioned that, on July 4, BFF had planned a BBQ.  Among other people, H was invited.  Too bad I couldn't be there, as I lived 150 miles away, and probably had other plans....or could I?

I contacted BFF, and sure, we were welcome to come.  And to stay with her and husband.

We came. We had a wonderful visit and 4th of July BBQ with BFF, H, and BFF's other friends.     We had a great time, that first few days of July we spent down there.   

BFF loved to crochet and knit.  During her treatments, she would work on outfits for pediatric cancer patients, and she showed me some of her work.  Here is one picture of her work.

The next day, we went into Manhattan on the subway and walked (in that 90 plus degree heat) the  entire High Line.  Here's a post I wrote about it at the time.  At one time, this was an elevated railroad track.  Now, it's one of the most successful urban parks in the United States, full of art work.  The neighboring buildings take advantage of its popularity, too.

This is not a story with a happy ending, I'm sorry to say.

This visit was the last time I saw my BFF "well".   She passed away in 2015.  May she forever rest in peace.

But if I I had been able to find lodging down in Gettysburg, I never would been able to go to that wonderful BBQ, and spend other quality time with her before and after.

Maybe some things are meant to be.  Each July 4, I think back on that special July 4 I spent in Brooklyn.

May my readers in the United States have a happy and meaningful Independence Day.  Tomorrow I will have a happier post - I promise.

One Short Speech

I first blogged this in 2013.  Now that there are those claiming our political divisions will result in a second United States Civil War, it is well we step back and reread history to discover just what the first Civil War did to our country.

It wasn't pretty.  It wasn't romantic.  In some ways, we still haven't recovered.  We are still surrounded by reminders, such as a speech generations of school children had to memorize.
Possibly the most famous speech in United States history began simply, as a verbal invitation, followed later by something in writing.

On November 2, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln received this invitation:

"Gettysburg Nov. 2 1863
To His Excellency
A. Lincoln
President U. S.

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; and 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 Gov. of Penna.[Pennsylvania] and acting for all the States"

In the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863,  some 2500 residents of Gettysburg were left to tend to the thousands of wounded and bury the thousands more who had died during the three day battle. Gettysburg was to be the costliest battle (in lives lost) of the Civil War.   I will spare you the details of the horrific conditions endured that summer by the farmers and others who owned the land where the dead fell, and what overwhelmed remaining Union soldiers and area residents went through, but if you are interested, here is one description. This article also has a harrowing description of what the Confederate soldiers left behind in Lee's retreat experienced.

Eventually, state and local governments came together.  With financial help from every Union state whose citizens died at Gettysburg, lawyer David Willis oversaw the purchase of 17 acres for what became a national cemetery.  It was to be dedicated on November 19, 1863, and the featured speaker was going to be....

...no, not President Lincoln.  He was invited to give some remarks after the featured orator.  You might say, he was invited almost as an afterthought. (more on that shortly).

It was, instead, a noted orator by the name of Edward Everett, a man who had served as a Congressman, a Secretary of State, a Senator and the Governor of Massachusetts, who was to give the main speech. 

So it sounds like the President was being slighted, being treated almost as an afterthought.  But, I have read that was not the case at all - that, in the 1860's Presidents were not expected to give speeches. That was the job of orators such as Everett, and Lincoln was to give a "few words" in his role as President.

Ironically, perhaps, Everett would not live to see the end of the Civil War, and Lincoln himself only outlived the end by a few days.  But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Today is the 156th anniversary of the dedication of Gettysburg's National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, and here is the address Lincoln thought would not long be remembered.

He was wrong.

There are five known copies of the address, with some differences.  I believe this one is the most commonly quoted.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:

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.

 

Perhaps I should start rerunning my Civil War Sunday posts which I wrote between 2011-2015, during the 150th anniversary of that dread event, so that my readers (and I) can get a refresher.  But, for now, let's remember one thing - a short speech.

Civil War Sunday - Then and Now

I've had to cut back my United States Civil War Sunday posts due to family obligations, as they take a lot of time to research.  But, today, I wanted to share something with you.

Online, recently, there has been a trend - dare I call it a meme? - to recreate photographs of the past. Some take old photos of their childhood and pose, as adults in the same places, in the same positions.  Others take historical photos, and go back to the site to photograph what is there now.

This photographer from the British paper The Guardian  went to Civil War sites (1861-1865) and photographed them as they appear today.

This is how he did it.

As you view each old photo, it dissolves into the photo of the same site today.

I've been to several of these sites - Ft. Sumter (where the war began), Antietam, Washington, DC, Gettysburg.  Viewing these photos, for me, is an emotional experience although none of my ancestors fought in the war.  My ancestors dd not come to the United States until the early 20th century but the Civil War, I sometimes feel, is embedded in my DNA.

Whether you are interested in the Civil War, or just history in general, this site is a must-view.

Have you ever tried to recreate historical photos?

Civil War Sunday - Those Silly Words

On November 19, starting at 10am, there will be a ceremony at Soldier's National Cemetery, at Gettysburg Military Park, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

James Getty, a native of Illinois who is a Lincoln look alike and has been a Lincoln reenactor (if that's the right word) for years, will make the same short address that President Abraham Lincoln made 150 years ago November 19, at the dedication of the Soldier's National Cemetery.  There, some of of the 8,000-odd people who died at the Civil War's Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, are buried. 

There are five known copies of the Address. Each is slightly different, and each has a slightly different word count, from 268 to 274 words.  The version below is the one most used.


These words speak for themselves.  There is nothing for me to add.

"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."


My one major disappointment, besides being unable to come to the commemoration myself, is that President Obama will not be attending the ceremonies.  Not all of us know that President John F. Kennedy turned down a similar opportunity to attend the 100th anniversary ceremony.  He went to Dallas, Texas instead.  However, our President participated in this video of various famous people, including all five living Presidents, reciting the address.

We Americans can poke fun, though, at even the most serious of things.  This week, a Pennsylvania newspaper retracted its 1863 criticism (calling the speech "silly remarks") of what may now be the most famous speech in U.S. history, and a satirical Saturday night program jumped right on it.

Here are a couple of Internet resources if you want to learn more:
Ken Burns
Civil War Trust

The world did "more than little note". Let us hope we long remember.

Civil War Sunday-Not As an Afterthought

Possibly the most famous speech in United States history began simply, as a verbal invitation, followed later by something in writing.

On November 2, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln received this invitation:

"Gettysburg Nov. 2 1863
To His Excellency
A. Lincoln
President U. S.

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; and 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 Gov. of Penna.[Pennsylvania] and acting for all the States"

In the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863,  some 2500 residents of Gettysburg were left to tend to the thousands of wounded and bury the thousands more who had died during the three day battle. Gettysburg was to be the costliest battle (in lives lost) of the Civil War.   I will spare you the details of the horrific conditions endured that summer by the farmers and others who owned the land where the dead fell, and what overwhelmed remaining Union soldiers and area residents went through, but if you are interested, here is one description. This article also has a harrowing description of what the Confederate soldiers left behind in Lee's retreat experienced.

Eventually, state and local governments came together.  With financial help from every Union state whose citizens died at Gettysburg, lawyer David Willis oversaw the purchase of 17 acres for what became a national cemetery.  It was to be dedicated on November 19, 1863, and the featured speaker was going to be....

...no, not President Lincoln.  He was invited to give some remarks after the featured orator.  You might say, he was invited almost as an afterthought. (more on that shortly).

It was, instead, a noted orator by the name of Edward Everett, a man who had served as a Congressman, a Secretary of State, a Senator and the Governor of Massachusetts, who was to give the main speech. 

So it sounds like the President was being slighted, being treated almost as an afterthought.  But, an interesting article explains that was not the case at all - that, in the 1860's Presidents were not expected to give speeches. That was the job of orators such as Everett, and Lincoln was to give a "few words" in his role as President.

Ironically, perhaps, Everett would not live to see the end of the Civil War, and Lincoln himself only outlived the end by a few days.  But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

As we draw closer to the 150th anniversary of the dedication of Gettysburg's National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, I will blog more about this event that became so important in our nation's history.

The Sentinals and the Heroes

When I visited Gettysburg, as I did at the dawn of the 21st century, I was immediately struck by one thing on the preserved battlefield. 

The stone sentinels.  The bronze sentinels.

On the battlefield, there are statues.  Monuments.  Monument after monument.  In a way, you can consider Gettysburg as a huge outdoor art gallery.  It's overwhelming, and, if you don't know the history behind them, even a bit puzzling.

Battalion monuments. Individual monuments. State monuments.  Union monuments.  Confederate monuments.  Monuments and markers where people fought, and people died.  Monuments in meadows and hills.  I wish I had my pictures in electronic form from that trip, but I don't.

According to battlefield historians, people actually ask how those monuments were protected during the battle and how all the bullet holes were repaired afterwards.  (They also ask questions such as "how did they direct traffic during the battles?" and "why were all the battles fought in national parks?")

I don't think I would last long as a public historian, not that I am even a historian. 

But I digress - just a little.  I had promised to blog about Confederate heroes at Gettysburg today. 

Day three of the Battle of Gettysburg dawns.  Actually, the fighting started at 4am, before dawn.

Both sides basically occupied the same ground as they had at the end of the second day's fighting.  In the morning, the Confederates would try (and fail) to take Culp's Hill.  The rebels then made a deadly gamble.

First, there would be a massive bombardment of the Union center under General Longstreet, lasting nearly two hours.  Then, 12,000 Confederate troops were ordered to attack the heart of the Union lines. 

Divisions headed by Major General Isaac R. Trimble, Major General George Pickett and the other headed by Brigadier General General James Johnston Pettigrew, participated.

The "charge" (which it wasn't for those soldiers; it was a walk across a mile of hell and over a stone fence, as bullets mowed them down) is, today, commonly called "Pickett's Charge" after General George Pickett.  I am not a military historian, and I am not going to debate the details of who ordered it, who didn't want to do it, and so forth.  One thing, though, is certain. People have been trying to blame one participant or the other for the defeat for the past 150 years.

Today, you can find "the high water mark of the Confederacy" on the Gettysburg battlefield.  This is as far as the Confederates got in their invasion of the North, during Pickett's Charge.  They would never get that far again.

Except for one small instance, the Confederates were not able to break through the Federal lines.  Pickett lost over half of his division.  He lost every one of his 15 regimental commanders. 

So, could you say, that those 12,000 Confederates were heroes?  Perhaps.  They were certainly brave, as they continued to charge while their fellow soldiers died all around them.  I do not agree with their cause but I can't argue against their bravery.

If we look for a one true hero of Gettysburg, we will probably never find that person. 

Confederate reenactors

So, the battle finally ended, but at what a cost - 51,000 dead, injured, captured.  There were some skirmishes on July 4, but the battle is considered to have ended on July 3.

Are you related to anyone who fought in the Civil War, and may have been at Gettysburg?

On A Warm July 1 Morning

On a warm summer morning one July 1, birds sang.  Perhaps children were out picking raspberries on the edge of a small town in Southeast Pennsylvania.

Perhaps some of them were picking wild strawberries.

And other picked the abundant wildflowers, perhaps to put in a bouquet for their mothers.

None of these people knew what would happen in the next three days.  At the end of July 1, 1863, 16,000. soldiers would lie dead, wounded or captured.  All together, from July 1 to July 3, 1863,  51,000 casualties....and the Confederates turned back from their aim to capture Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and force the Union to recognize the Confederate States of America.  But at what a cost.

Today, Tuesday and Wednesday are the 150th anniversary of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, the pivotal battle in Pennsylvania which changed the course of American history.  This battle was the bloodiest battle in the Civil War/American history. 

Thursday, July 4, will be the 150th anniversary of the fall of Vicksburg, in Mississippi, a siege which also shaped the course of American history.

In recognition of these watershed events in the Civil War, I will be devoting the next four days on my blog to the Civil War.  This won't be "just any" coverage - if you were bored to tears in school by your history classes,  I promise this will not be your school's dreaded dead or dying on arrival history instruction.  I hate dead history myself.  I know not all of my blog readers are into the Civil War, so you may want to come back on Friday for some nice wildflowers.

For today, I'd like to have Senator Angus King of Maine provide the "video" for my blog.  (If you don't want to listen to the video, a transcript of the speech is included - but I do recommend the video. You'll see why.)  It's almost 13 minutes, but it is time well spent, and will give you an overview of some of the events of this battle, including the actions of one man - Joshua Chamberlain - a man who had been a professor in a Maine college the year before.

So what else is interesting about Senator King? He was born, not in Maine (a Union state) but in Virginia (a former Confederate state). And he is an Independent (not a Republican or a Democrat) - "his own man".


In the next couple of days, I'd like to tell you some stories about the battle of Gettysburg, perhaps some you have never heard of before, including two with a local, upstate New York slant.  You'll learn things many people do not know about Joshua Chamberlain, the hero of Little Roundtop, who spent a lot of his life in Brunswick, Maine,. You'll also find out about the role my home area of upstate New York played in the Battle of Gettysburg - one you, and many others, probably have never heard of.

And, you'll read a story about Vicksburg, Mississippi, the city with a long memory which refused to...no, I'm not going to tell you.  You'll have to come back July 4th and see.

For those joining me today in either Camp NaNoWriMo or the Ultimate Blog Challenge, welcome!

Civil War Sunday - The Reunions

Today, we are on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, in southeast Pennsylvania.

On C-SPAN 3 (a non profit cable channel initially created by the cable industry here in the United Stats) I've been watching live coverage of various Civil War historians giving talks about various aspects of the battle and the people who were part of it.

Earlier this evening, I watched a live interview with writer Jeff Shaara.  He is not a historian, but a writer of historical fiction.  When he writes a novel (Civil War oriented or otherwise) he goes directly to source documents, and, for him, "it's all about the characters".  He tells history through the story of the people who were involved.

Jeff Shaara also talked about the Gettysburg reunions - the 50th and 75th reunions, to be exact.

Shaara told us that, in the 50th reunion (in 1913) sicknesses ran rampant as the veterans, mostly in their 70's, camped on the battlefield.  The bodies of the veterans had been weakened by malaria and dysentery suffered during the war.  Now, climbing hills and hiking across land they had fought on as young men, they became sick once again.

But, they wanted so much to be there.  Federal and Confederate veterans shook hands and ate together. Confederate veterans once again voiced the "rebel yell".  The Civil War shaped these men - for good or bad, it followed them all their lives.

The last verified veteran of the Battle of Gettysburg died in 1950 at the age of 102.

Now it is up to future generations to remember the Civil War,  the story of America's past. Part of the history of the human race.

Civil War Sunday - All Roads Lead to Gettysburg

In September of 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia had invaded Union territory, in Maryland, and had fought an epic battle near Sharpsburg, Maryland on a field near Antietam Creek.  Robert E. Lee's eventual goal was to capture Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  His hope was that the will of the Union to continue the war would be broken by Harrisburg's capture, and the Union would then have allowed the Confederate states to go their separate ways.

Harrisburg, at the time, was the capital of the second most populous state in the Union, Pennsylvania and a major railroad center.  But the capture of Harrisburg was not to be.  The Confederates lost at what we know as the battle Antietam, and retreated back to Confederate territory.  It was a dear loss of lives on both sides, with approximately 22,717 casualties (dead, wounded, captured).  Antietam was the bloodiest one day battle in the Civil War, but the worst was yet to come in 1863.

Now, in June of 1863, Lee's army is on the move again, invading Maryland.  His aim, once again, was to capture Harrisburg and break the will of the Federals.   On June 24, 1863, there would be another skirmish at Sharpsburg, Maryland.  Through the rest of June, there would be various skirmishes and actions, as Lee brought the war again to Union territory.  Various places in Maryland, and then north into Pennsylvania, became places of battles.  McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania.  Hanover, Pennsylvania.  Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

Lee, at the last minute, had to divert from Harrisburg, because the Union Army of the Potomac, he discovered, was closer than he thought. So he ordered troops poised to invade Harrisburg, to march to another place instead... a small town called Gettysburg, where 51,000. people would be killed, injured or captured between July 1 and July 3, 1863.  The mind can barely comprehend it.  

Our local regiment, the 137th New York Volunteer Infantry, under the command of one David Ireland, would help hold Culp's Hill on the night of the second day of battle.  A local photographer has produced this collage of his photos of monuments (mainly of New York but some Confederate) and vintage photos of Gettysburg.  It is only a few minutes long, and well worth your time.

The Confederates lost the battle, and retreated, and with them retreated their hope of victory in Pennsylvania.  But the war would go on for almost another two years.

Why do people pour into Gettysburg for the 25 year anniversaries?  What makes it so special, so sacred?  Part of it is its proximity to the most densely populated part of the United States.  Gettysburg is 50 miles from Baltimore, 90 miles from Washington, DC and 250 miles (approximately) from where I live in upstate New York.

I won't be there this July, due to circumstances. But I have been to Gettysburg, and I hope to return later this year.  But what a gathering it will be between next weekend and the weekend after. Not just because of the local connection but because Gettysburg created the modern United States we all live in.

Civil War Sunday - Battlefield Rehab

It may surprise you to know that when you visit an American Civil War battlefield, it may not look very much like how it did when the battle was fought.

Obviously, there were no monuments - a staple of many Civil War battlefields, monuments pay tribute to the fallen, or, generally, to the subdivisions of armies that fought there.

And, there were no cemetaries full of the casualties.

But, with the passage of time, other things happen.  Many battles were fought on farmland.  If the battlefield is not farmed, it starts to grow back into forest. Historians tell us that visitors can not fully understand the battle if the battlefield doesn't look like it did on the day of the battlefield.  Landmarks get obscured.  You don't see exactly what the soldiers saw on the day of battlefield.

There is now a movement, controversial to some, to "rehab" some important battlefields of the Civil War.  This is not the same thing as a restoration, and there is some confusion over the terminology used.

At least one battlefield, Gettysburg (the three day battle in southern Pennsylvania that represented the  maximum advance of Confederate troops, is being "rehabbed", using historical records from the 1863 period.

For example, the many monuments that have been erected at Gettysburg (you could probably spend an entire day just studying those, never mind the battlefield) would need to be removed in a true restoration.

As part of that rehab, a building long a landmark at the battlefield is being torn down.  That building is the Gettysburg Cyclorama Building, which contained an artistic rendering of Pickett's Charge.

Many people say "good riddance" to this building, considered by many an eyesore.  The painting, one of four versions, and of historical interest is still being exhibited.  It is just the building that used to house it which is being torn down.

I visited Gettysburg years ago, and decided I would rather spend my time at the battlefield.  I hope to be able to return this year (although, probably, not during the 150th anniversary commemoration).  I'm eager to see what the rehab of the battlefield has accomplished.