A “Return Visit” to Gettysburg
I recently went back to Gettysburg on a quick stop-through trip. It was nice to see the town circle decorated and lit up for the holidays and walk through my alma mater’s campus during an eerily quiet time of year! I took this picture with a particularly interesting set of statues.
The monument, titled “Return Visit,” was sculpted by J. Seward Johnson in 1991. President Lincoln, carefully modelled to stand life-size, gestures at the Wills House where he stayed the night before delivering the Gettysburg Address in November 1863. I’ve always enjoyed the statue. It’s understated – just Lincoln at ground level with the visitor, welcoming you towards him with open arms rather than towering over you. The realism is striking; I’ve often seen visitors do a double or triple-take at the “modern” visitor, believing him to be real. This visitor, though perhaps not timeless in sartorial choices, stands there holding a copy of the famous speech, listening intently to the President.
This unique monument is captured in a brilliant picture by ECW’s resident photographer, Chris Heisey; Chris Mackowski and I selected it as the cover image for our co-edited volume The Civil War and Pop Culture (Savas Beatie, 2023). I couldn’t resist grabbing a copy of our book from my car and posing with it beside the statue that graces the cover.
It was good to see “Return Visit” returned, as in 2022 it was briefly removed from display in order to undergo a thorough cleaning. It was in fine structural shape before, just a little visually faded (hoping I can say the same when I turn 30 in a few years!), but this work really makes the statue shine.
“Return Visit” is always a welcome sight on the circle when I come on my own return visits, reminding folks of the Gettysburg Address and its lasting impact, occasionally startling a visitor or eliciting comments on clothing fashion choices, and showing that the past isn’t so far away.
For what it’s worth, my sister in law saw a picture of the statue and joked, “why is Lincoln talking to Perry Como?”
When you next come to Gettysburg, you might want to check out the new Thaddeus Stevens statue that is a block away on Baltimore Street in front of the Adams County courthouse. More information about the Stevens statue is at this link: https://www.thaddeusstevenssociety.com/statue
Yes! I’ve seen that – great statue.
I always feel like the “modern” visitor looks like he’s ready to go host an episode of Supermarket Sweep.
My husband and I have visited Gettysburg three times in seven years. We are completely fascinated by the battlefield and by the area and museums, etc. We live east of Albany in the rural community of Burden Lake, which has Civil War history here as well.
Gettysburg reminds us of our home here. We have the Helderberg Mountains here to the west of us and Gettysburg has mountains similar to the ‘Bergs, west of there. We find peace on those battlefields despite the horrific carnage that occurred there. Why the peace? I know not why.., but we can only say it is felt by the both of us.
That is an awesome picture of you!