Preservation Groups Unveil Star-Studded Video to Commemorate Lincoln's Immortal Gettysburg Address

Celebrities and public figures provide moving recitation of Lincoln's address for Remembrance Day commemoration

GETTYSBURG, Pa., Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 147 years ago this week, President Abraham Lincoln traveled to central Pennsylvania to deliver one of the most famous speeches in world history, the Gettysburg Address.  Lincoln delivered his remarks on November 19, 1863, during ceremonies dedicating the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

To commemorate this watershed moment in our nation's past, the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) and No Casino Gettysburg have produced a video featuring celebrities and public figures reciting the famous speech.  

Among the celebrities who appear in the video are filmmaker Ken Burns, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, Matthew Broderick, Sam Waterston, Stephen Lang, and Medal of Honor recipient Paul W. Bucha, all whom oppose a proposed casino just 1/2 mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park.  The powerful music featured in the video is provided by five-time Oscar©-winning composer John Williams.  

To view the 3-minute video, please visit: http://bit.ly/coCIIp. If your media outlet wishes to use any or all of this video on-air to honor the anniversary, please contact Nicholas Redding at [email protected].

With 55,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States.  Its mission is to preserve our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds.  CWPT has protected more than 29,000 acres nationwide, including 700 acres at Gettysburg.  CWPT's website is www.civilwar.org.

No Casino Gettysburg is the all-volunteer group dedicated to stopping the proposed Gettysburg casino, also known as Mason-Dixon Resort & Casino, which would be 1/2 mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park boundary.

SOURCE Civil War Preservation Trust