The Gettysburg Address The Civil War was one of the bloodiest and deadliest conflicts in the history of the United States. At Gettysburg there were three consecutive days in July in which the greatest number of soldiers were injured. There were a total of 51,000 soldiers missing, wounded or dead (Goodheart 1). There was no place to bury all the dead. About 7,000 bodies of soldiers remained on the battlefield. Some were buried in shallow graves and had very few identifications (Goodheart 1). With the heat and rain the city began to smell of decaying animals mixed with the odor of human bodies (Borrit 5). The governor decided to create a national cemetery where all the dead soldiers would have a place to be honored. This is where one of the famous speeches was held. As President Abraham Lincoln gave the speech, he held it in his hand. Whether he read it or recited it by heart no one will ever know (Carmiecheal 68). When he finished his speech the crowd was silent, after a short pause scattered applause began followed by cannon fire to salute the president. Finally, President Abraham Lincoln got back on his horse and headed towards Mr. Will's house (Carmicheal 72). The Gettysburg Address is one of President Abraham Lincoln's most famous speeches. As the years go by, more and more historians try to analyze his speech to see if they can determine what President Abraham Lincoln was trying to tell the people. In the article “Abraham Lincoln's Invitation to Speak at Gettysburg and the Meaning of the Gettysburg Address” Roger Norton mentions how President Lincoln's main goal was to dedicate the battlefield to all the men who died and to explain to the nation why the Civil War was worth fighting Depending on the generation that is analyzing the meaning of the address, it will vary. Historians have attempted to analyze President Abraham Lincoln's speech; some say he was trying to remind people of what the country was founded on, namely freedom and equality. Eric Foner mentions in the book “Give Me Liberty! An American History” that Lincoln's speech “identified the nation's mission with the principle that “all men are created equal,” spoke of war as bringing a “new birth of freedom,” and defined the essence of government democratic” (529). Some say this was the beginning of democracy. Adam Goodheart states, “By invoking images of the rebirth and emphasizing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, he gave Americans a new understanding of the purpose of war and of the nation” (4). Mike Wereschagin says, “Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address left a mark on the country's evolving history. The reformulation of the speech represented a fight for something greater than the country for which it was being fought” (1). Since there are many different opinions about President Lincoln's intent regarding this speech, they all ultimately seem to have some connection based on how it is