11 Chapter 8 A Two-Minute Speech

Chapter 8 A Two-Minute Speech Finally, Lincoln found a brilliant general to lead his army: Ulysses S. Grant. Grant was willing to fight. He had already won important victories, such as the Battle of Vicksburg, which gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. But Grant realized that just winning battles was not enough to win the war. The important thing was to take away the South's ability to keep on fighting. To do this, the Union army had to attack in many places at once.

最后，林肯找到了一位杰出的将军来领导他的军队:尤利西斯。 格兰特。格兰特愿意战斗。 他已经赢得了重要的胜利，比如维克斯堡战役，使联邦控制了密西西比河。 但是格兰特意识到，仅仅打胜仗是不足以赢得战争的。 重要的是要剥夺南方继续战斗的能力。 要做到这一点，联邦军队必须同时在许多地方发动进攻。

They had to fight battles one right after another. And they needed to destroy railroads and factories that helped keep the Confederate army going. Grant planned to wear out the South so it would have to surrender. But it would take time. And it would cause many thousands more deaths.

他们不得不打一场接一场的仗。 他们需要摧毁邦联军队赖以生存的铁路和工厂。 格兰特计划让南方精疲力竭，迫使南方投降。 但这需要时间。这会导致成千上万的人死亡。

Lincoln relied on Grant more and more. After one terribly bloody battle, many people thought Grant should be fired. But "I can't spare this man," Lincoln said. "He fights."

林肯越来越依赖格兰特。 经过一场惨烈的战斗，许多人认为格兰特应该被解雇。 但林肯说:“我不能放过这个人。” “他打架。”

In the North, fewer men were willing to volunteer as soldiers. So in 1863, Lincoln called for a draft. For the first time in American history, men were forced to enlist in the army. In New York, there were draft riots. Men said they didn't see why they should die to free black people. Many Northerners were so fed up with the war, they were even willing to just let the rebel states go. GETTYSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY

在北方，很少有人愿意自愿当兵。 所以在1863年，林肯呼吁征兵。 在美国历史上，男人第一次被迫参军。 在纽约，发生了征兵骚乱。 男人们说，他们不明白为什么要为解放黑人而牺牲。 许多北方人受够了这场战争，他们甚至愿意让反叛的州离开。 葛底斯堡国家公墓

More and more, people blamed Lincoln. He needed to explain why the war had to be fought to the bitter end. But back then the president didn't often address the nation directly. Lincoln's chance came at the dedication of the cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg had been a great victory for the Union. Union soldiers had stopped the rebels from pushing their way north. But more than three thousand Union soldiers and almost five thousand Confederate soldiers had been killed, and a special cemetery was created to bury them all. The dedication of the cemetery took place on November 19, 1863. Even though Lincoln was the president, he was not the main speaker. That was Edward Everett, a man famous for long, fancy speeches. Everett talked for almost two hours. Lincoln spoke for only two minutes. His words were simple and direct. He began by quoting a line from the Declaration of Independence: "All men are created equal." He reminded his audience that the United States was the first country founded on that idea of equality. In 1776, no one

人们越来越多地指责林肯。 他需要解释为什么这场战争必须打到最后。 但当时总统并不经常直接向全国发表讲话。 林肯的机会出现在宾夕法尼亚州葛底斯堡公墓的落成典礼上。 葛底斯堡战役是联邦的一次伟大胜利。 联邦士兵阻止了叛军向北推进。 但是，有三千多名联邦士兵和近五千名南方邦联士兵被杀，为了埋葬他们，专门建造了一个墓地。 1863年11月19日，公墓举行了奉献仪式。 即使林肯是总统，他也不是主要发言人。 这就是爱德华·埃弗雷特，一个以长篇演讲而闻名的人。 埃弗雷特谈了将近两个小时。 林肯只讲了两分钟。 他的话简单而直接。 他首先引用了《独立宣言》中的一句话:“人人生而平等。” 他提醒听众，美国是第一个建立在平等理念之上的国家。 在1776年，没有人