The Gettysburg Address

Perhaps the most famous battle of the Civil War was the one in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. At the end of the battle, over 50,000 soldiers were wounded, missing, or killed. The Union and Confederate armies had each lost thousands of men. Many of the bodies were buried in shallow graves along the battlefield. The Union army wanted to do better than that.

The Union army was able to get land for a cemetery in Gettysburg. This cemetery was dedicated in November of that year. Edward Everett was asked to speak at the dedication. He was a great speaker of that time. President Abraham Lincoln was also asked to speak. He was the president during the Civil War.

On the day of the dedication, Mr. Everett spoke for two hours. When it was President Lincoln’s turn, he spoke for two minutes. He didn’t think it was a very good speech, but it went on to be considered one of the greatest speeches of all time. It became known as the Gettysburg Address. In his speech, Lincoln talked about the new birth of freedom. His words inspired many people then, and they continue to inspire many people today.