Caption: The earliest known photograph of Lincoln, taken in 1845 or 1846, possibly during his term in Congress. Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846 in the state of Illinois.
Library of Congress
Caption: General John C. Fremont, ca. 1860 - ca. 1865, by Matthew Brady, received his party's nomination for President at the First Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. He lost the presidential election of 1856 to Democrat James Buchanan.
Courtesy of The National Archives and Records Administration
Caption: An ornate invitation to Buchanan's inaugural ball, 1857. Although an experienced politician, Buchanan's presidency was marked by his inability to adequately address the increasing sectional controversies over slavery.
Library of Congress
Caption: A view of Lincoln's first presidential inauguration and the US Capitol building, still under construction in 1861. Prior to the event, Lincoln traveled on an Inaugural Train, stopping in key cities including Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
Library of Congress
Caption: Civil War poster recruiting African American men to the Union forces.
The Library Company of Philadelphia
Caption: The 96th Pennsylvania conducting drills during the Civil War, c. 1861. The 96th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was composed of over 1100 volunteers from Schuylkill, Berks, and Dauphin County who answered Lincoln's call for troops after the attack on Fort Sumter.
National Archives
Caption: Some officers of the 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry, c. 1862.
Library of Congress
Caption: A map of the battle at Gettysburg published in 1863, showing positions of the Confederate (in red) and Union (in blue) troops. Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the Civil War, with over 51,000 troops killed, wounded, or captured.
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division
Caption: William Saunders, a landscaper, designed this plan for the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. The Cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863.
Library of Congress
Caption: John Forney gave a drunken, impromptu speech supporting Lincoln to crowds that had gathered on the streets of Gettysburg the night before the cemetery dedication ceremony.
The Library Company of Philadelphia
Caption: John Hay was one of Lincoln's personal secretaries and accompanied him to Gettysburg.
The Library Company of Philadelphia
Caption: President Abraham Lincoln stayed in the home of Gettysburg attorney David Wills the night before the dedication ceremony of a new cemetery established to inter those who had died the previous summer at the Battle of Gettysburg. David Wills, a highly respected member of the community, had been appointed by Governor Andrew Curtin to oversee the creation and dedication of the National Ceremony.
Courtesy Adams County Historical Society