Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg - A Brief Review

Bradley M. Gottfried and Linda I. Gottfried, Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The Creation of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (Savas Beatie, 2021).

This excellent volume is among the latest from the Emerging Civil War series from Savas Beatie. Do you want to know why I love this series? Okay, I’ll tell you. These books collectively offer glimpses into particular niche fields of Civil War study in extraordinarily accessible ways. They are generally short, wonderfully illustrated with images (both modern and contemporary) and are often accompanied with informative appendices jammed packed with useful information. 

So now on to Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg. I think this book would be great for folks traveling to Gettysburg who want to explore some aspects of the town and surrounding area or who have an earnest interest in the meaning of the whole thing beyond the shooting. If it’s straight up militaria that strikes your fancy, hit me up for a list. I got you. But this one looks to the aftermath of battle, the creation of the National Cemetery, and of course, Lincoln’s famous address.  

This book touches on some rather interesting points that many may not always consider. For example, the logistical nightmare of accounting for and dealing with the dead bodies left in the wake of the battle (some buried in marked graves, some not…). And if you think that everyone in town was on the same page – guess again. There were big political rivalries among the Gettysburg residents that spilled over into cemetery planning. Even the design for the cemetery was mired in controversy…and as a result underwent a number of changes. 

When it comes to Lincoln’s visit, the authors follow his paths, taking you on a journey through town and into some private residences that the President visited during his short stay, and they even review (briefly) some of the arguments concerning the writing of the address itself, which is a nice and succinct introduction to a wider literature on the subject.    

Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg is a clearly and accessibly written narrative, punctuated by insightful analysis in a colloquial style that should be appealing to a wide range of readers. I’ll be using it for sure on my future field trips to the battlefield and in the classroom – as I work with my students to unpack just how intricate this story really is.   

With compliments,

Keith