Many historians have written about the Gettysburg Address, but one of the most compelling and detailed accounts comes from Garry Wills in his 1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America. We are going to read and discuss what Wills has to say about Lincoln's speech.

As you read the first part of the essay, give some thought to the following questions:

* What are some of the myths about the Gettysburg Address that Wills sets straight?

* How does Wills go about convincing his readers that Lincoln's short speech was significant?

Wills starts by describing the events that led Lincoln to write the Gettysburg Address.