Gettysburg National Cemetery facts for kids

Soldiers National Monument at the center of Gettysburg National Cemetery, sculpted by Randolph Rogers

The Gettysburg National Cemetery is a special place located on Cemetery Hill in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was created shortly after the terrible Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. This cemetery was made to properly bury the soldiers from the Union Army who died in the battle. Many of these soldiers were first buried in shallow graves on the battlefield. This new cemetery gave them a respectful final resting place.

Why the Cemetery Was Built

After the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, thousands of soldiers had died. Many were buried quickly in temporary graves. People felt it was important to create a proper cemetery for these brave soldiers.

Who Helped Create It?

• Governor Andrew Curtin of Pennsylvania supported the idea.
• A local lawyer named David Wills played a huge role. He helped buy the land and managed the building of the cemetery. He also planned the special ceremony to open it.
• Another lawyer, David McConaughy, first thought of the idea and started the early plans.
• The beautiful design for the cemetery was created by a landscape architect named William Saunders.

At first, it was called the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

A Famous Day: The Dedication Ceremony

The Gettysburg National Cemetery was officially opened on November 19, 1863. This day is famous because of two important speeches.

The Speakers

• Edward Everett, a well-known speaker, gave a long speech about the battle and the cemetery.
• Then, Abraham Lincoln, who was the President of the United States, spoke. His speech was much shorter but became incredibly famous. It is known as the Gettysburg Address. In this speech, Lincoln reminded everyone why the soldiers fought and died. He spoke about freedom, equality, and the idea of a government "of the people, by the people, for the people."

Soldiers Buried Here

A total of 3,512 Union soldiers were buried in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. It's sad to know that 979 of these soldiers could not be identified. Their graves are marked as "unknown."

Images for kids

• 

  President Lincoln (seated, left of center) at the cemetery's consecration, November 19, 1863

• 

  1863 map of Soldiers' National Cemetery

• 

  Granite bands mark the graves of unknown soldiers.

• 

  National Cemetery rostrum (1879)

• 

  1st Minnesota Infantry Memorial Urn (1867), first battlefield monument installed in the national cemetery

• 

  Major-General John F. Reynolds (1872) by John Quincy Adams Ward

• 

  New York State Monument (1893)

• 

  Lincoln Address Memorial (1912)

• 

  Kentucky State Monument (1975)

• 

  Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial (1994)

• 

  The cemetery's south end contains graves of soldiers from more recent wars. The back of the Lincoln Address Memorial is at upper left.