h that lasted two minutes. The President was not the key speaker for the ceremony; Edward Everett was. Everett was a noted public speaker of the time, and gave a two-hour opening address. Everett later admitted that Lincoln had boldly expressed the purpose of the war to the people. In order to understand the Gettysburg address, and most importantly why Gettysburg was called the turning point in the Civil War, one must know the Battle of Gettysburg, what happened, and the significance it had on the war itself.
             Gettysburg was, and still is thought, to be the largest battle ever conducted in the Western Hemisphere. It began on July 1, 1863 and ended on July 3, 1863. General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia won an amazing victory over the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Shortly after this Lee came up with a second invasion of the North. Such a move would ruin Federal plans and possibly relieve the Confederates at Vicksburg, and would allow the Confederates make a living off of the rich, Northern farms while giving Virginia a much needed rest.
             Gettysburg was not supposed to happen it was a mere coincidence that the two sides had met there. The battle of Gettysburg took place on the 1st through the 3rd of July 1863. Prior to this, the confederate government had approved General Lee's plan to invade the north. After the events at Winchester, Lee was able to move unchecked into the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania. General Lee approved a plan from J.E.B. Stuart a cavalry officer. His plan was to take three brigades of cavalry across the Blue Ridge Mountains in order to cut off the feds supply routes. Unfortunately Stuarts march encountered numerous delays and detours at the hands of an increasingly aggressive union force. Stuart would not be able to rejoin Lee until July 2. By June 28, Lee had moved two corps into Chambersburg and had sent divisions of General Richard Stoddert Ewell corps in...