Appointment at Gettysburg

摘要

It was 150 years ago this month that Abraham Lincoln came to Gettysburg, Pa., to make a few "dedicatory remarks" at Soldiers' National Cemetery. The President was set to be second banana; the "real" Gettysburg Address was supposed to be given by famed orator Edward Everett, a former Massachusetts senator and governor. Everett, who spoke first, went on for two hours, spinning tales of ancient heroes and battles. Then came Lincoln's elegant two-minute speech. The rest is history. The next day, a gracious Everett wrote to Lincoln, "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." He didn't. Lincoln's entire speech is given here. We offer Everett's 13,000-word Gettysburg Address online.