Community Celebrates Gettysburg Address Anniversary

REDLANDS>> President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address on Nov. 19, 1863, to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Penn. The much-anticipated ceremony brought closure following the bloody three-day Battle of Gettysburg that wreaked havoc on the community the previous July. The president’s brief, but powerful speech is widely considered to be the best public address of his career and one of the most important in our nation’s history. The Lincoln Memorial Shrine commemorated the 153rd anniversary of that monumental moment with the third Lincoln Shrine Civil War Band Tattoo on Saturday Nov. 19, in Smiley Park. The event included Civil War-era music, a color guard presentation and recitation of the Gettysburg Address by famed Lincoln presenter Robert Broski. Returning to the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, the acclaimed Mountain Fifes and Drums and Redlands’ Camp Carleton Cornet Band, each dressed in Civil War uniforms and performing songs military bands played during the Civil War. Shrine Associate Archivist Maria Carrillo said of the event, “The Gettysburg Address was a pivotal moment in Lincoln’s presidency and we felt that the Civil War Band Tattoo is a great was to celebrate it. Given the success of our previous band tattoos, we are excited to bring the event back this year."