In November 1863, four months after the battle at Gettysburg, President Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, created to provide a proper burial for the fallen. Lincoln was not the main speaker of the day. That honor went to Edward Everett, a former senator and a celebrated orator. Lincoln spoke after Everett, and in only two minutes captured the transcendent significance of the war. He once again asserted that the United States was founded on liberty, equal rights, and self-government, and he honored those who had given their lives to prove that it could endure. Significantly, Lincoln described the country not as a union, but as a nation. Still focused on securing emancipation, he did not address how fully Black people might share in America’s promise. This is the earliest publication of the Gettysburg Address in book form.
The First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run was the first major conflict of the Civil War and a startling defeat for the Union. Following established practice, President Lincoln and Congress called for the nation “to pray for [God’s] mercy... that our arms may be blessed and made effectual for the re-establishment of law, order, and peace, throughout the wide extent of our country.” Enslaved people, including many forced to work for the Confederate Army, prayed with their feet. Fugitives by the thousands sought to cross Union lines. During the following winter and spring, abolitionists intensified their agitation for emancipation, and Congress held prolonged debates on anti-slavery measures.
