Lincoln, The Sculpture

The portrayal of Lincoln in the current movie by Steven Spielberg is a prime topic for American Civil War history scholars. In the movie, Daniel Day Lewis has convincingly conveyed the spirit of this American President who delivered his renowned Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863.

A bronze sculpture of the sixteenth President is located outside the entrance to the visitor’s center at the memorial Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. Visitors who encounter this realistic sculpture might suspect the figure to really be a performance artist who will stand to greet you at any moment. Or perhaps, visitors will be tempted to sit on the bench alongside Lincoln for a photographic memento.  A wealth of information is available from the National Park Service at:

Gettysburg National Military Park,  Pennsylvania.  National Park Service.

http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

Throughout the national battlefield, memorial sculptures are dedicated to both factions: Union and Confederate.  In 1938, a Peace Memorial with an eternal flame was added to the park in honor of reconciliation.

Abraham Lincoln. Hanover Junction, Pennsylvania

At Hanover Junction, another  Pennsylvania location, a portrait bust of Lincoln is located in a humble and discreet garden.  According to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, an on-site plaque commemorates the fact that Lincoln’s train passed through the railroad station the day before his speech at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg. In the same year but prior to Lincoln’s speech, wounded soldiers from the Gettysburg battlefield were also transported through Hanover Junction to distant hospitals. Today, the garden adjoins the rail trail that is popularly used by bicyclists.