The Gettysburg Address  "A Few Appropriate Remarks"  November 19, 1863

On November 19, 1863, the national cemetery on the Gettysburg battlefield was to be dedicated. The dedication committee selected distinguished orator Edward Everett of Massachusetts as the principle speaker and, as an afterthought, sent an invitation to President Abraham Lincoln. The invitation was intended only as a courtesy; the committee doubted the joke-cracking president's ability to speak on such a solemn occasion. His part was to be minor: "It is the desire that after the oration, you, as Chief Executive of the nation, formally set apart these grounds to their sacred use by a few appropriate remarks."

To the committee's surprise, Lincoln accepted the invitation; he had been waiting for an opportunity to express his thoughts on the Union's purpose in the war. Hostile newspaper editors protested the president's role, believing that what was sure to be a partisan appeal was not appropriate for a ceremony intended to honor fallen heroes.

By the time Lincoln left Washington on November 18, he had jotted down only a few notes on what he wanted to say. He had been distracted by official duties and the feverish sickness of his son Tad. A similar affliction had killed his son Willie 20 months before.

At 11:00am the next day, 15,000 to 20,000 spectators crowded around the speakers' platform. After a two-hour flowery oration by Everett, the president stood and, in his high-pitched western twang, delivered his address in two minutes and 15 seconds. There was only scattered applause as Lincoln took his seat. The president turned to a friend and remarked, "It is a flat failure and the people are disappointed." The next day the Chicago Times reported: "The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat, and dishwatery utterances of... the President."

Few people at the time realized that Lincoln's "few appropriate remarks" would become one of the most memorable speeches in the English language.

Fascinating Fact:  On the day of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address- over three months after the battle- the work of burying the dead was still in progress.


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