William R. Rathvon

On November 19, 1863, four months after the historic Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, a crowd of more than 10,000 gathered at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for the dedication of the National Cemetery to the soldiers who had fallen in what is widely acknowledged as the greatest battle of the Civil War (in terms of the total number of troops engaged and casualties on both sides, the intensity of the fighting, and the strategic and emotional significance of the outcome) as well as the point at which the war turned in favor of the Union and permanently against the Confederacy.

Among those thousands was nine-year-old William Rathvon, who had traveled with his family from nearby Lancaster to hear President Lincoln speak.

In a 30-minute recording,[4] Rathvon describes searching the battlefield for souvenirs with his friends and finding Confederate muskets thrown into the bottom of a creek.

He also describes the experiences of his relatives during the battle, including his uncle’s farm being used as the headquarters for Confederate General Richard Ewell and his grandmother hiding Union soldiers from capture by Southern troops.

Like most people who came to Gettysburg, the Rathvon family was aware that the president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was going to make some remarks.

At the head of the procession rode Abraham Lincoln on a gray horse preceded by a military band that was the first the young boy had ever seen.

He also lectured on Christian Science, travelling extensively and he taught classes on the subject until his death in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1939.

As a senior official of the Christian Science church, Rathvon had access to the best quality recording devices of his time.

Typically, a Christian Science teacher's association survives them and continues to meet annually for many years.