Introduction

, fought in July 1863, was a turning point in
the American Civil War. The battle was huge—about 172,000 men
took part—and it remains the deadliest battle ever fought on
U.S. soil. Though both sides suffered tremendous losses, the North won
a crucial victory. Later that year, a cemetery for the dead soldiers
was dedicated in a day-long ceremony. At this event, President Abraham Lincoln
made his most famous speech. The speech is short: just 278
words. Yet, in these few words, Lincoln eloquently honored the dead
while placing their sacrifice in the context of the ongoing struggle
to secure the principles on which the nation was founded. (This text
is from the so-called "Bliss Copy," one of several versions which
Lincoln wrote, and is believed to be the final version.)