The Battle of Gettysburg was a decisive moment in the American Civil War. It marked a key defeat of the rebel Southern armies by the Union Army and a turning point in a civil war that had already caused the death of thousands of men on both sides—here, the war began to swing in the Union's favor. After Gettysburg, those who had fallen in the battle were reburied in what would later become the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Lincoln was invited to give a speech on the occasion of this cemetery's consecration. The speech he ultimately gave was very short, around two minutes in duration; the photographer, who had expected a lengthy speech, had not even finished setting up before Lincoln had finished and left the stage. Afterwards, Lincoln lamented that he had not spoken for longer and had not, in his eyes, done justice to the solemnity of the...