Why was Lincoln at Gettysburg (what event was taking place)? How many words is the Gettysburg address? How long did it take him to deliver the address?

Did Lincoln think his speech was a success?

Lincoln's address lasted just two or three minutes. The speech reflected his redefined belief that the Civil War was not just a fight to save the Union, but a struggle for freedom and equality for all, an idea Lincoln had not championed in the years leading up to the war.

Lincoln delivered the address on November 19, 1863. He was in Gettysburg to dedicate a national military cemetery to the Union soldiers who fell at the Battle of Gettysburg four months earlier. The North's victory here was one of the pivotal battles of the American Civil War.

Lincoln thought most things he did were a failure, so that's not a good way to judge.  people did not expect the speech to be so short, and the audience was taken by surprise. ... It was a very good speech with good points, but it wasn't 300 words.