Lincoln came by train to Gettysburg on November 18 . He spent the night in Wills 's house on the Gettysburg town square . Lincoln arrived by train in Gettysburg on November 18 , and spent the night as a guest in Wills ' house on the Gettysburg town square , where he put the finishing touches on the speech he had written in Washington , D.C. Contrary to a common myth , Lincoln neither completed his address while on the train nor wrote it on the back of an envelope .