Update: Obama will not attend Gettysburg Address 150th anniversary program

Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg (NPS)

President Barack Obama will not participate in the Dedication Day ceremony on Nov. 19 that will observe the 150^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Gettysburg National Military Park last week said he received an invitation, but Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell will represent the administration, it was announced Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James McPherson will be one of the speakers, Gettysburg National Military Park announced Thursday.

The 10 a.m. program, which is free and will last about 90 minutes, will feature a reading of the remarkable speech by Lincoln portrayer James Getty and the Oath of Allegiance to 16 new citizens.

The Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg holds the remains of more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in battle. Lincoln's two-minute speech at the cemetery's dedication on Nov. 19, 1863, touched on the themes of human equality, sacrifice and a test of the nation's principles.

No backpacks, large bags, tripods, chairs or parcels will be permitted in the cemetery.

Live coverage of the event begins at 9 a.m. It will be available via the Internet by following links from the park website, www.nps.gov/gett, and the Gettysburg Foundation website, www.gettysburgfoundation.org.

• Read the Gettysburg Address