President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address will come to life in a one-man play that gives audiences a peek into what might have been the 16th president’s state of mind the night before he delivered his immortal speech.
Playwright Chuck Johnson of Perham, Minnesota, will portray Lincoln in “The Night Before Gettysburg” in three short performances leading up to the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Johnson wrote the award-winning script three years ago. He performed the play numerous times in Minnesota before bringing it to Gettysburg in 2022 and 2023.
“I’ve performed the play well over 100 times since writing it,” Johnson said. “The intensity grows continually, as does my respect for the greatness of Abraham Lincoln — audiences sense that as we travel together into the soul and psyche of this incredible man.”
The 30-minute performances will occur nightly at 7 p.m. June 28, 29 and 30, rain or shine, at the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station, 35 Carlisle St. President Lincoln himself arrived at the same railroad platform in November 1863 to deliver his Gettysburg Address the following morning.
This free performance is offered by Destination Gettysburg.
Gettysburg will observe the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg with a 10-day commemoration — from June 28 through July 7 — featuring a variety of re-enactments, special programs, tours, performances and more.
Learn more about the anniversary commemoration, including “The Night Before Gettysburg” by visiting DestinationGettysburg.com/161.
In 1863, a few months after the epic Civil War battle, President Abraham Lincoln was invited to Gettysburg to deliver “a few appropriate remarks” at the dedication of a national cemetery where thousands of Union soldiers would be laid to rest. Lincoln arrived on November 18, 1863, and stayed at the David Wills House on Gettysburg’s town square where he put the finishing touches on his speech that evening. The next day, he joined a procession down Gettysburg’s Baltimore Street where he delivered what would become one of the world’s most famous speeches.
Featured Image Caption: Chuck Johnson is pictured during his 2023 performance of “The Night Before Gettysburg” at the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station.