President Taft At Gettysburg

President Taft is the “central figure” in the service commemoration for the Gettysburg fighting of June and July 1863, where his daughter will “unveil the monument” for the soldiers.

Gettysburg, Pa., May 26. – Arrangements have been completed for the dedication on the battlefield here on Monday afternoon of the monument erected by congress to commemorate the services of the regular army of the United States in the Gettysburg fighting of June and July 1863. President Taft will be the central figure in the ceremonies and will deliver the oration. Miss Helen H. Taft, the president’s daughter will unveil the monument. Secretary of War Dickinson will deliver an address and will transfer the monument to the Gettysburg National Park commission. The memorial will be accepted by Lieutenant Colonel John P. Nicholson, chairman of the commission. Following the placing of laurel wreaths at the base of the monument by the oldest regimental or battery commander in the Gettysburg campaign attending the dedication, President Taft will review the troops on the field. The monument is a beautiful shaft eighty-five feet high, surrounded at the base by a broad granite terrace and stands on Hancock Avenue, a short distance south of the high water mark of the battle of Gettysburg.

“President Taft At Gettysburg,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed March 21, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1891.