1. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

2. The battle was waged on Pennsylvania soil on July 1-3, 1863
The battle was waged on Pennsylvania soil on July 1-3, The Battle of Gettysburg was a Union victory and the turning point of the war.
6334 died (2834 Union; 3500 Confederate).
28,209 wounded (13,709 Union; 14,500 Conf.)
20,264 missing (6,643 Union; 13,621 Conf.)
Dedication service for the cemetery originally scheduled for 23 September 1863, but was postponed when the keynote speaker needed more time to prepare his speech.

3. The people of Gettysburg asked Lincoln to be the keynote speaker but he declined – he had a war and a country to run and could not say definitely he would be there.
Edward Everett, a Unitarian minister, former governor of Massachusetts, and Sec. of State under Millard Fillmore, was chosen as keynote speaker – he was considered the best orator in the nation at the time.
November 19, 1863 was cold and drizzly – 15,000 people came to the service.

4. Everett spoke for almost two hours, detailing the history of those who fought the battles – it also chastised (scolded) the South.
Lincoln spoke second – he recognized the need to dedicate the cemetery and honor those who were buried there, but he also knew that he needed to gain support for a war that was becoming so costly to both sides.
Lincoln noted that the CW was a test of ideals for which the colonials fought in He urged Americans to devote themselves to the task begun by the honored dead – “to preserve freedom for all Americans.”

5. The speech begins with the words, “Four score and seven years ago …” That is 87 years.
Lincoln spoke for slightly more than two minutes!