it far above our power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work that they have thus so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before usthat from these honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom, and that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth." The words of the president were uttered in slow and measured tones, and although not heard by the large majority of the people present, the most profound silence was observed during their delivery. When he uttered the closing sentences, which have become immortal, emphasizing each with a significant nod and jerk of his head,— "that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth,—it occurred to the writer, who stood within a few feet of him, that those words were destined to an imperishable immortality. After the president's dedicatory address, a solemn dirge was sung, after which the benediction was pronounced by Rev. II. L. Baugher, D. D. The admiration of the people for President LINCOLN exceeded that ever bestowed upon any other person within my knowledge. It was evidently not so much for him personally, as representatively. He was recognized as the personification of the cause which was enshrined in every THE SPIRIT OF THE NATION. 533 patriot's heart, and for which the armies of the Union were contending. To love the Union was to love ABRAHAM LINCOLN. To hate and defame him was the acknowledged evidence of disloyalty. The honored head of the Nation, the humble and unpretending man from Illinois, standing upon the ground where one of the greatest battles of modern times occurred, and in which the existence and destiny of the Government were in part decided, modestly received the willing homage of the assembled thousands. The Man the President-the Government-the yet undecided peril to which it was exposed-the ground we were on the sleeping thousands all about us, whose blood had been poured out upon that soil that the Nation might live, all conspired to make the occasion one never to be forgotten. During the twenty-three years that have elapsed since this ground was dedicated to the sacred purpose of the interment of these honored dead, many improvements have been made. Additional grounds have been purchased; avenues along the lines held by the Federals have been laid out; tablets have been erected to mark the places where corps, divisions, brigades, and regiments stood, and monuments where distinguished men fell. States whose troops fought in this battle are appropriating money for additional improvements, and in the years to come the field of Gettysburg will increase in beauty and interest, and will be visited by untold thousands. Such was the origin of this final resting place for the remains of the heroic men who fell upon the field of Gettysburg. Who can estimate the importance to the race of their valor and heroism? They have fallen, but victory is ours theirs enrollment upon the scroll of undying fame. They did not fight in vain. Not for themselves, but for their children, for the race, for humanity, for righteousness, for God, they gave themselves a willing sacrifice. Their remains deserve the highest honor that a grateful people can bestow. Their deeds will live in history long after their bodies have mouldered into dust; and the place where they lie will be honored, protected, and preserved as a sad, but sacred, memento of their heroic conduct. And, as was intimated in Dr. Stockton's impressive prayer, the place where this great battle was fought, the ground where the dust of the slain reposes, has become the Nation's shrine, and pilgrims from our own land, and from all lands, will ever continue to visit it to catch a new inspiration of freedom, and increase and confirm their devotion to Liberty, to Religion, and to God. In the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg there are interred the bodies of three thousand five hundred and fifty-five Union soldiers. They were from the following states: Maine, one hundred and four; New Hampshire, forty-eight; Vermont, sixty-one; Massachusetts, one hundred and fifty-nine; Rhode Island, twelve; Connecticut, twenty-two; New York, eight hundred and sixty-six; New Jersey, seventy-eight; Pennsylvania, five hundred and twenty-six; Delaware, fifteen; Maryland, twenty-two; West Virginia, eleven; Ohio, one hundred and thirty-one; Indiana, eighty; Illinois, six; Michigan, one hundred and seventy-one; Wisconsin, seventy-three; Minnesota, fiftytwo; United States Regulars, one hundred and thirty-eight; Unknown, nine hundred and seventy-nine. These fallen patriots having come together from the East, North, and THE DEDICATION HYMN. 535 West, and stood side by side under one flag, inspired by one spirit, and fought for one cause, it is but right and proper that they should not be divided in death, but rest in the ground hallowed by their valor and made sacred by their blood. For them there is no more separation from home and loved ones at their country's call, no more weary marches, no more digging of trenches, no more charging into yawning chasms of death, no more painful wounds and sleepless nights, and long and weary days in hospitals. All these are forever ended. On this Altar of Sacrifice, this Mount of Salvation, this Field of Deliverance, and surrounded by these Munitions of Rocks, let them rest until the Archangel's clarion shall sound with a louder blast than that which summoned them to this field of heroic deeds. "Tis holy ground This spot, where, in their graves, "Here where they fell, Oft shall the widow's tears be shed; "Here let them rest: And summer's heat and winter's cold Shall glow and freeze above their mould A thousand years shall pass away A nation still shall mourn their clay, Which now is blest." CHAPTER XIII. A GUIDE TO THE FIELD OF BATTLE. CISITORS to Gettysburg should bear in mind that the field of battle extends over about twenty-five square miles; and while events of thrilling interest occurred at every portion, a few points only, which possess special interest, and from which a general view of the whole may be had, can be visited by those whose time is limited. Those, however, whose time will justify it should employ one of the many excellent guides at all times to be found, whose services, with the necessary means of conveyance, can be had for a reasonable compensation. To such as have but a day, or part of a day, to spend in inspecting the field, the following directions will be of value. In approaching Gettysburg from the north, you pass along and through part of the battle field of the first day. The wooded elevation to your right, just before entering the town, is Oak Hill, and is almost the center of the Union line. The line of battle extended from this ridge in a north-easterly direction for about a mile. The ridge, which you see to your right, and which extends for several miles in a southerly direction, is Seminary Ridge. Along |