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Purported Photos of Lincoln at Gettysburg Discovered


A U.S. Civil War hobbyist says he has found two never-before-seen and extremely rare photos of President Abraham Lincoln at the site where he delivered his historic Gettysburg Address.

John Richter says he found the images of Lincoln in two large crowd photos taken the day of the president's speech, November 19, 1863.

The photos show a man in a black suit and Lincoln's trademark "stovepipe" hat, looking away from the camera. Some experts say they believe the man is indeed President Lincoln, although not all are convinced.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address defined the U.S. Civil War as a battle for human equality and a unified nation. It is one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Only one other photo of Lincoln at Gettysburg is known to exist.

Richter found the new images on the U.S. Library of Congress Web site, and was able to locate what he believes is Lincoln by zooming in closely on a spot on the edge of the crowd.

Gettysburg was the site of a key Civil War battle in which there were tens of thousands of casualties before northern, unionist forces eventually defeated southern rebel troops.

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