Edward Everett's 1864 book on the "…Consecration of the National Cemetery At Gettysburg…"David Wills invitation to Abraham Lincoln: "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."[7]: 25
Following theBattle of Gettysburg, anEvergreen Cemetery Association plan to create a soldiers annex requiring fee payments for interments (e.g., by families) was replaced by a plan by local attorneyDavid Wills for a cemetery funded by the states. The Pennsylvania governor designated Wills the commonwealth's agent, who was authorized to purchase 17 acres (6.9 ha) for a cemetery, paying $2,475.87 for the land ($63,230 as of 2024).[8] Wills' September 23 invitation[9]: 183 to the renowned statesmanEdward Everett requested an oration on Wednesday, October 23;[10] but Everett needed more time to prepare his speech, which would feature fine details of the battle culled from Everett's personal interviews with those involved. Wills rescheduled the ceremony to Thursday, November 19 to accommodate Everett's needs.[11] On November 2, Lincoln received formal notice[clarification needed] of Wills' invitation to participate.[12]
On October 27 from the Presbyterian graveyard on North Washington street (now defunct), the 1st of 3,512Union Army bodies[9]: 161 was moved to the new cemetery.[13] By November 19, a speaker's platform had been constructed, and "1258 had been reburied in the semicircular cemetery".[14]
"A full view of the battlefield, with theBlue[Ridge] Mountains in the distance, was spread out before us, and all about were traces of the fierce conflict. Rifle pits, cut and scarred trees, broken fences, pieces of artillery wagons and harness, scraps of blue and gray clothing, bent canteens, abandoned knapsacks, belts, cartridge boxes, shoes and caps, were still to be seen on nearly every side—a great showing for relic hunters. … The Baltimore Glee Club then sang an ode written for the occasion by Commissioner B. B. French, of Washington, and Lincoln arose."[22]: 12
Lincoln took but a few minutes[24] for the "Address delivered at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg"[25] (Boston reporter Charles Hale "took down the slow-spoken words of the President").[26]
Following the ceremony, telegraphy regarding the program included at least three transmissions of Lincoln's address.[28]The New York Times report the next day included both Lincoln's address and the entire Everett Oration.[5]
Wills requested a copy of Everett's oration via a December 14 letter, and Everett provided a copy with footnotes (e.g., describing the maps he used while composing).[9]: 186 In 1864, Everett published his book regarding the consecration; and an 1867 record of the consecration ceremony was published with the associated correspondence.[9]
Erected by theGettysburg National Military Park (G.N.M.P.), a permanent historical marker within the Gettysburg National Cemetery states, "The speakers' platform was located inEvergreen Cemetery to your left."[29] The National Park Service'sNational Cemetery Walking Tour brochure concurs with the permanent marker:
The Soldiers' National Monument, long misidentified as the spot from which Lincoln spoke, honors the fallen soldiers. ... It was actually on the crown of this hill, a short distance on the other side of the iron fence and inside theEvergreen Cemetery, where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address to a crowd of some 15,000 people.[30]
As recently as January 23, 2004, a multiple property submission by the GNMP extended the long history of misidentification by stating, theSoldiers' National Monument "Sits on site of speaker's platform where Gettysburg Address was orated."[31] Photographic analyses by Garry Wills[32] and William A. Frassanito,[33] completed in 1992 and 1995 respectively, conclusively place the location on the Evergreen Cemetery side of the dividing fence.
^Swain, Craig (March 8, 2009)."Soldiers' National Monument"(HMdb.org webpage, marker 16864). Retrieved2011-06-23.'… of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.' –Lincoln. November 13th [sic], 1863.NOTE: The webpage's photo shows the inscribed date is the correct "19th", not the webpage's "13th".
^Eisenhower, Dwight D.[speech to a joint session of the Parliament of Canada] (Speech). (referenced in the Parliament of Canada official transcripts,Hansard)
^abCochrane, Henry Clay (February 13, 1907). "With Lincoln to Gettysburg, 1863".Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved2011-08-18.I happened to have bought a New YorkHerald before leaving and, observing that Mr. Lincoln was without a paper, offered it to him.: 9 … "Mr. Seward and Mr. Blair rode upon his right and Judge Usher and General Lamon on his left.": 11
^Everett, Edward (November 20, 1863),letter to Abraham Lincoln (cited by Simon,et al., eds.The Lincoln Forum: Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, and the Civil War. Mason City: Savas Publishing Company, 1999.ISBN1-882810-37-6, p. 41: "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.")
^Murphy, Jim.The Long Road to Gettysburg, New York: Clarion Books, 1992. p. 105, "with a pronounced Kentucky accent."
^Lincoln, Abraham (1863),Address delivered at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg (cited byBoritt 2006, p. 290: "This is the only copy that…Lincoln dignified with a title: "Address delivered at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg.", a rare full signature, and the date: "November 19, 1863." … This final draft…remained in the Bliss family until 1949.")
^Sandburg, Carl (1939). "Lincoln Speaks at Gettysburg".'Abraham Lincoln: The War Years. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company. pp. 452–457. (cited by Prochnow, p. 14)
^Barton, William E (1950).Lincoln at Gettysburg: What He Intended to Say; What He Said; What he was Reported to have Said; What he Wished he had Said. New York: Peter Smith. pp. 138–139.
