November 19: Abraham Lincoln Delivers the Gettysburg Address (1863)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who maintain military cemeteries.
History Note
On July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, Union and Confederate armies fought the Battle of Gettysburg in southern Pennsylvania. The Union troops numbered over 90,000 and the Confederates had 70,000 men. By the end of the battle, 7,000 men were dead and over 33,000 were wounded. Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee retreated back into Virginia, ending their second and final major attempt to invade the North.
Many of those who died during the battle were buried in various locations in and near the battlefield. David Wills, a local attorney, helped to lead the effort to create a cemetery for the fallen soldiers. A dedication ceremony was scheduled for November 19.
Edward Everett (1794-1865) was a politician, minister, educator, and diplomat who had a reputation as a great orator. The organizers invited Everett to give a speech at the ceremony. Shortly before the event, they invited President Lincoln to attend as well and give “a few appropriate remarks” after Everett’s address.
President Lincoln arrived the night before and stayed in the home of David Wills. Lincoln was still finalizing his remarks on the morning of the event. Some 15,000 people gathered for the ceremony, including six state governors, other officials, and news reporters.
Music and a prayer opened the ceremony before Edward Everett delivered a long speech about the battle. After another song, President Lincoln delivered his brief speech, known as the Gettysburg Address. A final song and another prayer closed the ceremony.
The next day, Everett wrote a letter to Lincoln. Everett said, “I should be glad if I could flatter myself, that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes." In a kind-hearted reply, President Lincoln said, “In our respective parts yesterday, you could not have been excused to make a short address, nor I a long one. I am pleased to know that, in your judgment, the little I did say was not entirely a failure.”
Lincoln’s two-minute Gettysburg Address has become one of the most famous speeches in history.
This photo shows President Lincoln at the ceremony on November 19, 1863. He is looking down, slightly to the left of the man in the center wearing a top hat. Josephine Cobb, chief of the National Archives Still Pictures Branch, recognized Lincoln in the original glass plate in 1952. Image courtesy the Library of Congress.
Learn More
This video clip shows actor Gregory Peck reciting the Gettysburg Address at a 4th of July celebration in 1986.
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