(Lincoln, Abraham)

Extensive coverage of the dedication ceremonies, and Lincoln's movements prior to the dedication, of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia: William W. Harding, Saturday, November 21, 1863

Folio,💃 8 pages (495 x 322 mm), text in fi♑ve columns; lightly browned, minor marginal tears and chips. Disbound.

While this issue of the Inquirer does not include the text of the Gettysburg Address, it does provide fascinating detail about President Lincoln's movements prior to the dedication ceremony, including remarks he made at both Hanover and Gettysburg. When the presidential traiꦦn was forced to stop at Hanover to allow another train through, a crowd formed, and Lincoln "delivered one of the brief, quaint speeches for which he is celebrated. Said he—'Well, you have seen me, and according to general experience, you have seen less than you expected to to see.'" The paper reports that Lincoln subsequently added, "'You had the Rebels here last summer, hadn't you? … Well, did you fight them any?'"

At his arrival in Gettysburg, a huge throng serenaded the President until he came out of the residence where he was staying and addressed the crowd, "briefly as usual" with one of his more famous quips: "'I appear before you this e♌vening to thank you for your attention, and the inference is, that you desire me to make a speech. The only way not to make a foolish speech is not to speak at all. Taking these circumstances into consideration, I shall not say another word.'"

The coverage also includes a summary of the Gettysburg battle, a history of the movement to found a national cemetery at the site, an enumeration of the number ofℱ dead buried there from each state, a roster of the Pennsylvanians interred there, a description of the procession to the ceremony, and the prayers of 🐻invocation and benediction.