Remembrance Day Nov. 19, 2022 – the 159th Anniversary of President Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address By Photographer and Contributor Simie Seaman
November 19 marks the 159th anniversary of the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg. The Gettysburg National Cemetery is famous throughout the world today as the site of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered at the cemetery's dedication ceremonies four and a half months after the battle. Numerous events take place each year to commemorate this monumental anniversary.
On November 19, 1863, amid air faintly fetid from thousands of corpses waiting to be reburied, Edward Everett delivered a two-hour oration at the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery. The event, which drew some 15,000, had the feel of a modern rock concert. Everett, a former statesman and college president, and among the preeminent orators of his day, recounted the monumental three-day battle that had left 50,000 dead, wounded, or missing. He ended his speech by referring to the Union dead as “martyr-heroes” and declaring that Gettysburg, already viewed as turning point, would become the “brightest page” in America’s history.
President Lincoln then spoke. Since he had been asked to provide only “a few appropriate remarks,” people expected a short speech. Still, they were unprepared for his brevity.
Lincoln said more in three minutes than Everett did in two hours. Using language that sounded biblical, he dwelled in abstractions, connecting the carnage at Gettysburg to the nation’s founding ideals. The fate of the Union, and its ideals, hung in the balance. The dead at Gettysburg could regenerate the nation, he emphasized, but only if the living displayed a similar kind of sacrificial devotion.
Lincoln’s address quickly became a part of American scripture, reflecting the nation’s sacred identity. After all, it sanctified the Gettysburg dead, cleansed the Constitution of any brush with slavery, clarified the sacred duties of the living, and foretold of national regeneration. Lincoln envisioned the nation itself as Christ like; and in less than two years, he himself would be cast him as America’s Christ.
Drum Barracks Civil War Museum joins in the national remembrance of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address given at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, with a reading of the Gettysburg Address and a ceremony in remembrance of Drum Barracks' fallen soldiers. This event is sponsored by the Gen. W. S. Rosecrans Camp No. 2, Sons of Union Veterans and their Auxiliary. Admission is Free. This is an outdoor event. No reservations, masks or proof of vaccination required.
Connect Information: w.w.wDrumbarracks.org – 310.548-7509
Bio
Simie Seaman, enthusiast amateur photographer, history buff and collector of beautiful things. Simie is President of the Wilmington Historical Society.
email: simieseaman368@gmail.com
310-835-8177
