On November 19 1863, President Abraham Lincoln stood on the battlefield of Gettysburg and delivered one of the most important and memorable speeches of his career. Only 271 words long, the Gettysburg Address answered the question of 'why' the Civil War was being fought, at a time when mounting casualties and general war weariness were making many question if the conflict should be prolonged. With his speech, Lincoln transformed the war's purpose from simply 'preserving the Union' into one of protecting one of the world's only free governments, and fulfilling the promise of human equality.