- The ceremony was organized by the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association and was attended by an estimated 15,000 people, including President Abraham Lincoln.
- The keynote speaker was Edward Everett, a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, who delivered a two-hour-long oration that praised the Union soldiers and the principles they fought for.
- Lincoln then gave a brief speech that has become known as the Gettysburg Address.
- The Gettysburg Address is considered one of the most important speeches in American history, and it is still studied and admired today for its eloquence, power, and brevity.
- In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln argued that the Civil War was a struggle for the ideals of equality and freedom, and he called on Americans to recommit themselves to these principles.
- The dedication ceremony at Gettysburg National Cemetery was a significant event in the history of the Civil War and the United States, and it helped to shape the memory and legacy of the battle and the war as a whole.