Just last week he had promoted General Mead to the Command of the Union Army, and three days later the fate of the entire Union rested upon his shoulders.
In early June, General Lee had crossed the Potamic, and now his armies threatened DC itself. As events progressed it all began on July 1st, outside a little known town in Pennsylvania, a town called Gettysburg.
The bulk of two armies were lost to one another, when a Southern patrol happened upon a patrol of the North. As the battle waged, reinforcements from both sides found their positions. To Lincolns good fortune, Meade took control of Culps Hill. He controlled the high ground, however, he faced a General who had never before been defeated. While he had superior numbers on his side, the battle was no certain thing.
In the Mornining, on July 2nd, Lee had pressed a tremendous assault upon Culps Hill. In the battle both sides took heavy casualties, however, the Union ranks held the hill at the end of the night.
It was day 3 of the engagement that brought fear to Lincolns heart. Jeb Stuart had arrived with 20,000 of the finest calvary the world had ever seen. With this force, General Lee sent out on a three-pronged attack. His goal, to break the union line.
Again he launched an attack on Culps hill, in the meanwhile, he sent Jeb Stuart around the enemy line. They were to meet up with Pickett as he marched up the hill with Lee's infantry.
While Culp's hill held yet again, all seemed hopeless, as Stuarts men approached. It was then, a young General took to the field. In perhaps the most reckless manuever of the Civil War, General Custer, and 4000 calvary out of Michigian charged Stuart, and his 20,000 men. In shock, from the pure audacity of this assault, Stuarts men broke lines, and fled in retreat.
As Pickett broke the Union lines, the men fled, and yet were rallied back to the line when they saw no reinforcements arrive. As The Line closed in, Picketts men were forced to retreat, and Lee faced his first loss ever in battle. It was the moment that determined the fate of the Union.
And this is the news for which Lincoln awaited in a small telegragh booth in the Whitehouse, on the morning of July 4th, 1863. And it was these events that led him to impromptu speech 3 days later, outside the Whitehouse.
Fellow-citizens: I am very glad to see you to night. But yet I will not say I thank you for this call. But I do most sincerely thank Almighty God for the occasion on which you have called. How long ago is it? Eighty odd years since, upon the Fourth day of July, for the first time in the world, a union body of representatives was assembled to declare as a self-evident truth that all men were created equal.
That was the birthday of the United States of America. Since then the fourth day of July has had several very peculiar
recognitions. The two most distinguished men who framed and supported that paper, including the particular declaration I have mentioned, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the one having framed it, and the other sustained it most ably in debate, the only two of the 55 or 56 who signed it, I believe, who were ever President of the United States, precisely 50 years after they put their hands to that paper it pleased the Almighty God to take away from this stage of action on the Fourth of July. This extraordinary coincidence we can understand to be a dispensation of the Almighty Ruler of Events.
Another of our Presidents, five years afterwards, was called from this stage of existence on the same day of the month, and now on this Fourth of July just past, when a gigantic rebellion has risen in the land, precisely at the bottom of which is an effort to overthrow that principle "that all men are created equal," we have a surrender of one of their most powerful positions and powerful armies forced upon them on that very day.
And I see in the succession of battles in Pennsylvania, which continued three days, so rapidly following each other as to be justly called one great battle, fought on the first, second and third of July; on the fourth the enemies of the declaration that all men are created equal had to turn tail and run.
Gentlemen, this is a glorious theme and a glorious occasion for a speech, but I am not prepared to make one worthy of the theme and worthy of the occasion.
I would like to speak in all praise that is due to the many brave officers and soldiers who have fought in the cause of the Union and liberties of this country from the beginning of this war, not on occasions of success, but upon the more trying occasions of the want of success. I say I would like to speak in praise of these men, particularizing their deeds, but I am unprepared. I should dislike to mention the name of a single officer, lest in doing so I wrong some other one whose name may not occur to me.
Recent events bring up certain names, gallantly prominent, but I do not want to particularly name them at the expense of others, who are as justly entitled to our gratitude as they. I therefore do not upon this occasion name a single man. And now I have said about as much as I ought to say in this impromptu manner, and if you please, I'll take the music.
