Gettysburg Daily

Edward Everett’s Copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address Returns to Gettysburg



Today is the final day for Edward Everett’s copy of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to be displayed in Gettysburg. The copy is on loan from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Everett asked Lincoln for a copy to include in a volume he was assembling to mark the November 19, 1863 dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. This view was taken from the south facing north at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.

One of only five original hand-written copies of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address briefly returned to Gettysburg this weekend. During this official opening of the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center, Edward Everett’s copy of Lincoln’s speech was displayed. It is on loan from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Everett’s copy is the first copy of the address known to have the words “under God” in the line, “that this nation, under God, will have a new birth of freedom…”

See our post about the announcement of this copy coming to Gettysburg on August 23, 2008.

See our post about the confusing Gettysburg Address Memorial on May 16, 2008.



The manuscript copy is on display outside the Gilder-Lehman Gallery. To get there, walk towards the museum, but go through the two doors on the right. This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.



Follow the signs. This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.



As you go down the hallway, the exhibit is actually directly ahead of you. This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.



The exhibit is in a case located along the left (north) wall. This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.



The exhibit actually consists of two items. Lincoln’s copy of the Gettysburg Address on the left, and the book which Edward Everett was compiling for the event. This view was taken from the south facing north at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.



The leather-bound notebook contained Everett’s Copy of his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, battle maps, images of generals, political leaders, and a schedule of events for November 19, 1863. Everett’s purpose for assembling the notebook was two-fold: to provide a record for posterity, and an item for sale for charity at the upcoming Metropolitan Sanitary Fair in New York City. The Fair benefited wounded Union soldiers. There is no record, however, of the notebook being sold at the Fair. This view was taken from the south facing north at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.



The State of Illinois acquired the notebook on the open market in 1944, thanks to donations by Illinois school children and Marshall Field III. This view was taken from the southeast facing northwest at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.



Shortly after the acquisition of the notebook, the State of Illinois removed Lincoln’s speech and framed it separately. This is the first time in decades that all the pages from the notebook have been displayed together. This view was taken from the south facing north at approximately 7:45 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2008.