Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-06

n YoT many are left who had the
mi privilege of personal ,ac-
quaintanee with abraham
a Lincoln. / have consented to
write an account of an event. as l
saw il. which is of peculiar interest
to all .Amcricans-the delivery of the
Gettysburg address.
From earliest boyhood hero wor-
shipper. inclined always to let my
ina gination play about the persons
and doings OF men of accomplishment
and power. Lincoln interested me in
tensely from the very moment Of his
first appearance upon the stage of
national affairs. With the Lincoln
Douglas debates in Illinois we were
made familiar through the reports in
the public press. and though. the
logical force of Lincoln's arguments
was most impressive. we were hardly
prepared to recognize in him a pos
sible future President OF the United
States Upon his nomination and
subsequent election my Imagination
fred me with the determination to
know more of this man. who had ap
parently made so much out Of the
scanty opportunities which had been
his. was. of course, on hand in
Washington to hear his first inaugu-
had ever seen him.
Then came the war. which added a
new interest to the man upon whom
devoIved the tremendous RESPONSE
bilities OF guiding and preserving the
Union. 1 read everything about the
President that was published. saw
him once or twice. but really did not
come to know him until shortly after
the battle of Gettysburg. when I had
occasion to go to Washington to seek
an interview. was kindly listened to.
given some good advice and returned
more than ever a Lincoln admirer. .
[
. NATURALLY. when the first in
timation was given by the papers
that the President would go to Gettys-
burg 10 take part in the dedication
ceremonies of the new national Gene
terry which had been established there
in commemoration of the great battle
Gin which l myself had taken part, in
helping TO care for the woundedD. ii
did not take me long to decide that ]
would be present. ARRANGEMENTS were
made in advance for the hire of a
seated vehicle and at 4 o'clock on
the morning of November 10. 1863
accompanied by my two brothers In
Raw, I started for Gettysburg oyer
the same road that is now known as
the Lincoln highway. 1t was mere
dirt road. very rough. "A goodly por-
ton not macadamized at all. very diff
ferent from the fine driveway it Is
now, and, while il took careful d-v.
ing to prevent an upset. we were in
no danger in those days from speed.
ing automobiles. AS it was. we came
near upsetting several times in the
darkness of that early November
morning.
Reaching Gettysburg at about 1880
We found the town already astir will
residents and witt. Visitors who hat
came on the same GRAND that brought
US there. We put up the horses at Z
i stable got our breakfast. and pre-
pared to find as favorable 4 place a,
we could to see the procession and
hear the addresses. The presidential
party Had arrived the night before
the Presidents special train having
left Washington at noon of Wednes.
day, the 18th. Three members of the
cabinet-Mr. Seward. Secretary OF
State; Mr.. Usher, Secretary Of this
Interior. and Mr.. Blair. Postmaster
: General-accompanied the President
as did the French ministeE NJ. Mer.