Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The ceremony formally dedicated Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, after the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle had taken place from July 1 through July 3, 1863, and had become a major Union victory in the American Civil War.
Lincoln was not the main speaker. Edward Everett, a prominent orator and former U.S. secretary of state, delivered a much longer address before Lincoln spoke briefly. Lincoln's remarks connected the war to the principles of equality and self-government expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
The speech is often remembered as a lengthy oration, but it contains only 272 words in the commonly accepted Bliss manuscript. Its short length, memorable structure, and association with the cemetery dedication helped make it one of the best-known speeches in United States history.