US History/US History (Bureau Development Inc.)(1991).ISO/dp/0033/00335.txt

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$Unique_ID{USH00335}
$Pretitle{37}
$Title{Gettysburg
Lincoln and Gettysburg}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Tilberg, Frederick}
$Affiliation{National Park Service}
$Subject{gettysburg
address
lincoln
battle
president
park
cemetery
national
states
battlefield}
$Volume{Handbook 9}
$Date{1962}
$Log{}
Book:        Gettysburg
Author:      Tilberg, Frederick
Affiliation: National Park Service
Volume:      Handbook 9
Date:        1962

Lincoln and Gettysburg

Establishment of a Burial Ground

     For the residents of Gettysburg the aftermath of battle was almost as
trying as the 3 days of struggle that had swirled about them.  The town's
2,400 inhabitants, and the nearby country folk, bore a heavy share of the
burden of caring for the 21,000 wounded and dying of both sides, who were left
behind when the armies moved on.  Spacious rooms in churches and schools and
hundreds of homes were turned over to the care of the wounded; and kindly folk
from neighboring towns came to help those of Gettysburg in ministering to the
needs of the maimed and shattered men.

     Adequate attention to the wounded was an immediate necessity, but fully
as urgent was the need of caring for the dead.  Nearly 6,000 had been killed
in action, and hundreds died each day from mortal wounds.  In the earlier
stages of the battle, soldiers of both armies performed the casks of burying
their fallen comrades, but the struggle had reached such large proportions and
the scene of battle had so shifted that fallen men had come within enemy
lines.  Because of the emergencies of battle, therefore, hundreds of bodies
had been left unburied or only partially covered.  It was evident that the
limited aid which could be offered by local authorities must be supported by a
well-organized plan for disinterment of the dead from the temporary burial
grounds on the field and reburial in a permanent place at Gettysburg or in
home cemeteries.

     A few days after the battle, the Governor of the Commonwealth, Hon.
Andrew Curtin, visited the battlefield to offer assistance in caring for the
wounded.  When official duties required his return to Harrisburg, he appointed
Attorney David Wills, of Gettysburg, to act as his special agent.  At the time
of his visit, the Governor was especially distressed by the condition of the
dead.  In response to the Governor's desire that the remains be brought
together in a place set aside for the purpose, Mr. Wills selected land on the
northern slope of Cemetery Hill and suggested that the State of Pennsylvania
purchase the ground at once in order that interments could begin without
delay.  He proposed that contributions for the purpose of laying out and
landscaping the grounds be asked from legislatures of the States whose
soldiers had taken part in the battle.

     Within 6 weeks, Mr. Wills had purchased 17 acres of ground on Cemetery
Hill and engaged William Saunders, an eminent landscape gardener, to lay out
the grounds in State lots, apportioned in size to the number of graves for the
fallen of each State.  Each of the Union States represented in the battle made
contributions for planning and landscaping.

     The reinterment of close to 3,500 Union dead was accomplished only after
many months.  Great care had been taken to identify the bodies on the field,
and, at the time of reinterment, remains were readily identified by marked
boards which had been placed at the field grave or by items found on the
bodies.  Even so, the names of 1,664 remained unknown, 979 of whom were
without identification either by name or by State.  Within a year,
appropriations from the States made possible the enclosure of the cemetery
with a massive stone wall and an iron fence on the Baltimore Street front,
imposing gateways of iron, headstones for the graves, and a keeper's lodge.
Since the original burials, the total of Civil War interments has reached
3,706.  Including those of later wars, the total number now is close to 5,000.

     The removal of Confederate dead from the field burial plots was not
undertaken until 7 years after the battle.  During the years 1870-73, upon the
initiative of the Ladies Memorial Associations of Richmond, Raleigh, Savannah,
and Charleston, 3,320 bodies were disinterred and sent to cemeteries in those
cities for reburial, 2,935 being interred in Holly wood Cemetery, Richmond.
Seventy-three bodies were reburied in home cemeteries.

     The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania incorporated the cemetery in March 1864.
The cemetery "having been completed, and the care of it by Commissioners from
so many states being burdensome and expensive," the Board of Commissioners,
authorized by act of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania in 1868, recommended
the transfer of the cemetery to the Federal Government. The Secretary of War
accepted title to the cemetery for the United States Government on May 1,
1872.

Dedication of the Cemetery

     Having agreed upon a plan for the cemetery, the Commissioners believed it
advisable to consecrate the grounds with appropriate ceremonies.  Mr. Wills,
representing the Governor of Pennsylvania, was selected to make proper
arrangements for the event.  With the approval of the Governors of the several
States he wrote to Hon. Edward Everett, of Massachusetts, inviting him to
deliver the oration on the occasion and suggested October 23, 1863, as the
date for the ceremony.  Mr. Everett stated in reply that the invitation was a
great compliment, but that because of the time necessary for the preparation
of the oration he could not accept a date earlier than November 19.  This was
the date agreed upon.

     Edward Everett was the outstanding orator of his day.  He had been a
prominent Boston minister and later a university professor.  A cultured
scholar, he had delivered orations on many notable occasions.  In a
distinguished career he became successively President of Harvard, Governor of
Massachusetts, United States Senator, Minister to England, and Secretary of
State.

     The Gettysburg cemetery, at the time of the dedication, was not under the
authority of the Federal Government.  It had not occurred to those in charge,
therefore, that the President of the United States might desire to attend the
ceremony.  When formally printed invitations were sent to a rather extended
list of national figures, including the President, the acceptance from Mr.
Lincoln came as a surprise.  Mr. Wills was thereupon instructed to request the
President to take part in the program, and, on November 2, a personal
invitation was addressed to him.

     Throngs filled the town on the evening of November 18.  The special train
from Washington bearing the President arrived in Gettysburg at dusk.  Mr.
Lincoln was escorted to the spacious home of Mr. Wills on Center Square.
Sometime later in the evening the President was serenaded, and at a late hour
he retired.  At 10 o'clock on the following morning, the appointed time for
the procession to begin, Mr. Lincoln was ready.  The various units of the long
procession, marshaled by Ward Lamon, began moving on Baltimore Street, the
President riding horseback.  The elaborate order of march also included
Cabinet officials, judges of the Supreme Court, high military officers,
Governors, commissioners, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Members of Congress, and many local groups.

     Difficulty in getting the procession under way and the tardy return of
Mr. Everett from his drive over the battleground accounted for a delay of an
hour in the proceedings.  At high noon, with thousands scurrying about for
points of vantage, the ceremonies were begun with the playing of a dirge by
one of the bands.  As the audience stood uncovered, a prayer was offered by
Rev. Thomas H. Stockton, Chaplain of the House of Representatives.  "Old
Hundred" was played by the Marine Band.  Then Mr. Everett arose, and "stood a
moment in silence, regarding the battlefield and the distant beauty of the
South Mountain range."  For nearly 2 hours he reviewed the funeral customs of
Athens, spoke of the purposes of war, presented a detailed account of the
3-days' battle, offered tribute to those who died on the battlefield, and
reminded his audience of the bonds which are common to all Americans.  Upon
the conclusion of his address, a hymn was sung.

     Then the President arose and spoke his immortal words:

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
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 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.  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.

     A hymn was then sung and Rev. H. L. Baugher pronounced the benediction.

Genesis of the Gettysburg Address

     The theme of the Gettysburg Address was not entirely new.  President
Lincoln was aware of Daniel Webster's statement in 1830 that the origin of our
government and the source of its power is "the people's constitution, the
people's government; made for the people, made by the people, and answerable
to the people."  Lincoln had read Supreme Court Justice John Marshall's
opinion, which states: "The government of the Union is emphatically and truly
a government of the people.  Its powers are granted by them and are to be
exercised directly on them, and for their benefit."  In a ringing anti-slavery
address in Boston in 1858, Rev. Theodore Parker, the noted minister, defined
democracy as "a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the
people."  On a copy of this address in Lincoln's papers, this passage is
encircled with pencil marks.  But Lincoln did not merely repeat this theme; he
transformed it into America's greatest patriotic utterance.  With the
Gettysburg Address, Lincoln gave meaning to the sacrifice of the dead - he
gave inspiration to the living.

     Rather than accept the address as a few brief notes hastily prepared on
the route to Gettysburg (an assumption which has long gained much public
acceptance), it should be regarded as a pronouncement of the high purpose
dominant in Lincoln's thinking throughout the war.  Habitually cautious of
words in public address, spoken or written, it is not likely that the
President, on such an occasion, failed to give careful thought to the words
which he would speak.  After receiving the belated invitation on November 2,
he yet had ample time to prepare for the occasion, and the well-known
correspondent Noah Brooks stated that several days before the dedication
Lincoln told him in Washington that his address would be "short, short, short"
and that it was "written, but not finished."

Five Autographed Copies of the Gettysburg Address

     Even after his arrival at Gettysburg the President continued to put
finishing touches to his address.  The first page of the original text was
written in ink on a sheet of Executive Mansion paper.  The second page, either
written or revised at the Wills residence, was in pencil on a sheet of
foolscap, and, according to Lincoln's secretary, Nicolay, the few words
changed in pencil at the bottom of the first page were added while in
Gettysburg.  The second draft of the address was written in Gettysburg
probably on the morning of its delivery, as it contains certain phrases that
are not in the first draft but are in the reports of the address as delivered
and in subsequent copies made by Lincoln.  It is probable, as stated in the
explanatory note accompanying the original copies of the first and second
drafts in the Library of Congress, that it was the second draft which Lincoln
held in his hand when he delivered the address.

     Quite opposite to Lincoln's feeling, expressed soon after the delivery of
the address, that it "would not scour," the President lived long enough to
think better of it himself and to see it widely accepted as a masterpiece.
Early in 1864, Mr. Everett requested him to join in presenting manuscripts of
the two addresses given at Gettysburg to be bound in a volume and sold for the
benefit of stricken soldiers at a Sanitary Commission Fair in New York. The
draft Lincoln sent became the third autograph copy, known as the Everett-Keyes
copy, and it is now in the possession of the Illinois State Historical
Library.

     George Bancroft requested a copy in April 1864, to be included in
"Autograph Leaves of Our Country's Authors".  This volume was to be sold at a
Soldiers' and Sailors' Sanitary Fair in Baltimore.  As this fourth copy was
written on both sides of the paper, it proved unusable for this purpose, and
Mr. Bancroft was allowed to keep it.  This autograph draft is known as the
Bancroft copy, as it remained in that family for many years.  It has recently
been presented to the Cornell University Library.  Finding that the copy
written for Autograph Leaves could not be used, Mr. Lincoln wrote another, a
fifth draft, which was accepted for the purpose requested.  It is the only
draft to which he affixed his signature.  In all probability it was the last
copy written by Lincoln, and because of the apparent care in its preparation
it has become the standard version of the address.  This draft was owned by
the family of Col. Alexander Bliss, publisher of Autograph Leaves, and is
known as the Bliss copy.  It now hangs in the Lincoln Room of the White House,
a gift of Oscar B. Cintas, former Cuban Ambassador to the United States.

Soldiers' National Monument

     As a fitting memorial to the Union dead who fell at Gettysburg, the
Commissioners arranged for the erection of a monument in the center of the
semicircular plot of graves.  A design submitted by J. G. Batterson was
accepted and the services of Randolph Rogers, a distinguished American
sculptor, were secured for the execution of the monument.  Projecting from the
four angles of the gray granite shaft are allegorical statues in white marble
representing War, History, Peace, and Plenty.  Surmounting the shaft is a
white marble statue representing the Genius of Liberty.  Known as the
Soldiers' National Monument, the cornerstone was laid July 4, 1865, and the
monument dedicated July 1, 1869.

The Lincoln Address Memorial

     The "few appropriate remarks" of Lincoln at Gettysburg came to be
accepted with the passing of years not only as a fine expression of the
purposes for which the war was fought, but as a masterpiece of literature. An
effort to have the words of the martyr President commemorated on this
battlefield culminated with the inclusion in the act approved February 12,
1895, which established Gettysburg National Military Park, of a provision for
the erection of such a memorial.  Pursuant to this authority, the Park
Commission erected the Lincoln Address Memorial, in January 1912, near the
west gate of the national cemetery.

Anniversary Reunions of Civil War Veterans

     Over the years, the great interest of veterans and the public alike in
the Gettysburg battlefield has been reflected in three outstanding anniversary
celebrations.  Dominant in the observance of the 25th anniversary in 1888 were
the veterans themselves who returned to encamp on familiar ground.  It was on
this occasion that a large number of regimental monuments, erected by
survivors of regiments or by states, were dedicated.  Again, in 1913, on the
50th anniversary, even though the ranks were gradually thinning, the reunion
brought thousands of veterans back to the battlefield.  Perhaps the most
impressive public tribute to surviving veterans occurred July 1-4, 1938,
during the 75th anniversary of the battle.  This was the last reunion at
Gettysburg of the men who wore the blue and the gray.  Although 94 years was
the average age of those attending, 1,845 veterans out of a total of about
8,000 then living, returned for the encampment.  It was on this occasion that
the Eternal Light Peace Memorial was dedicated.

The Park

     In 1895, the battlefield was established by Act of Congress as Gettysburg
National Military Park.  In that year, the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial
Association - founded April 30, 1864, to commemorate "the great deeds of valor
. . . and the signal events which render these battlegrounds illustrious" -
transferred its holdings of 600 acres of land to the Federal Government.  In
1933, the park was transferred from the War Department to the Department of
the Interior to be administered by the National Park Service. Today, the park
has some 30 miles of paved roads and an area of close to 3,000 acres.  More
than 1,400 monuments, tablets, and markers have been erected over the years to
indicate the positions where infantry, artillery, and cavalry units fought.
Hundreds of Federal and Confederate cannon are located on the field in the
approximate positions of batteries during the battle.  Field exhibits on the
field describe important phases of the 3-day struggle.

     In the Park Visitor Center, south of Gettysburg, you can see museum
exhibits and the famous Gettysburg Cyclorama, as well as obtain additional
information and publications about the battlefield.

Administration

     Gettysburg National Military Park is administered by the National Park
Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.  Communications should be addressed
to the Superintendent, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pa.

Weapons and Tactics at Gettysburg

     A variety of weapons was carried at Gettysburg.  Revolvers, swords, and
bayonets were abundant, but the basic infantry weapon of both armies was a
muzzle-loading rifle musket about 4.7 feet long, weighing approximately 9
pounds.  They came in many models, but the most common and popular were the
Springfield and the English-made Enfield.  They were hard hitting, deadly
weapons, very accurate at a range of 200 yards and effective at 1,000 yards.
With black powder, ignited by percussion caps, they fired "Minie Balls" -
hollow-based lead slugs half an inch in diameter and an inch long.  A good
soldier could load and fire his rifle three times a minute, but in the
confusion of battle the rate of fire was probably slower.

     There were also some breech-loading small arms at Gettysburg.  Union
cavalrymen carried Sharps and Burnside single-shot carbines and a few infantry
units carried Sharps rifles.  Spencer repeating rifles were used in limited
quantity by Union cavalry on July 3 and by a few Union infantry.  In the total
picture of the battle, the use of these efficient weapons was actually quite
small.

     Those who fought at Gettysburg with rifles and carbines were supported by
nearly 630 cannon - 360 Union and 270 Confederate.  About half of these were
rifled iron pieces; all but four of the others were smoothbore bronze guns.
The same types of cannon were used by both armies.

     Almost all of the bronze pieces were 12 pounders, either howitzers or
"Napoleons."  They could hurl a 12-pound iron ball nearly a mile and were
deadly at short ranges, particularly when firing canister.  Other bronze
cannon included 24 pounder howitzers and 6 pounder guns.  All types are
represented in the park today, coated with patina instead of being polished as
they were when in use.

     Most of the iron rifled pieces at Gettysburg had a 3-inch bore and fired
a projectile which weighed about 10 pounds.  There were two types of these -
3-inch ordnance rifles and 10 pounder Parrotts.  It is easy to tell them apart
for the Parrott has a reinforcing jacket around its breech.  The effective
range of these guns was somewhat in excess of a mile, limited in part because
direct fire was used and the visibility of gunners was restricted.

     Two other types of rifled guns were used at Gettysburg - four bronze
James guns and two Whitworth rifles.  The Whitworths were unique because they
were breech loading and were reported to have had exceptional range and
accuracy.  However, their effect at Gettysburg must have been small for one
was out of action much of the time.

     These artillery pieces used three types of ammunition.  All cannon could
fire solid projectiles, or shot.  They also hurled fused, hollow shells which
contained black powder and sometimes held lead balls or shrapnel.  Canister
consisted of cans filled with iron or lead balls.  These cans burst apart on
firing, converting the cannon into an oversized shotgun.

     Weapons influenced tactics.  At Gettysburg a regiment formed for battle,
fought, and moved in a two rank line, its men shoulder to shoulder, the file
closers in the rear.  Since the average strength of regiments here was only
350 officers and men, the length of a regiment's line was a little over 100
yards.  Such a formation brought the regiment's slow-firing rifles together
under the control of the regimental commander, enabling him to deliver a
maximum of fire power at a given target.  The formation's shallowness had a
two-fold purpose, it permitted all ranks to fire, and it presented a target of
minimum depth to the enemy's fire.

     Four or five regiments were grouped into a brigade, two to five brigades
formed a division.  When formed for the attack, a brigade moved forward in a
single or double line of regiments until it came within effective range of the
enemy line.  Then both parties blazed away, attempting to gain the enemy's
flank if feasible, until one side or the other was forced to retire.
Confederate attacking forces were generally formed with an attacking line in
front and a supporting line behind.  Federal brigades in the defense also were
formed with supporting troops in a rear line when possible.  Breastworks were
erected if time permitted, but troops were handicapped in this work because
entrenching tools were in short supply.

     Like their infantry comrades, cavalrymen also fought on foot, using their
horses as means of transportation.  However, mounted charges were also made in
the classic fashion, particularly in the great cavalry battle on July 3.

     Cavalry and infantry were closely supported by artillery.  Batteries of
from four to six guns occupied the crests of ridges and hills from which a
field of fire could be obtained.  They were usually placed in the forward
lines, protected by supporting infantry regiments posted on their flanks or in
their rear.  Limbers containing their ammunition were nearby.  Because gunners
had to see their targets, artillery positions sheltered from the enemy's view
were still in the future.