The Gettysburg Address, A Few Appropriate Remarks, Part Two

    We gather together, once again, to continue our discussion on the Gettysburg Address.  On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his well-known speech for the purpose of dedicating the newly designed national cemetery located on the crest of Cemetery Hill, the important high ground that the Union troops fortified toward the end of the first day’s fighting on July 1, 1863.  The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s most carefully chosen 272 words in American history, cemented his legacy as a leader who fully understood the meaning of the American Civil War. His Address followed keynote speaker Edward Everett’s nearly two-hour oratory that outlined the events that led up to and included the dynamics of Battle of Gettysburg. 

     At the conclusion of our last blog entry revolving around the Gettysburg Address, we left the reader to ponder the controversial question of when and where President Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address. Let us investigate several accounts.

     As you might imagine, many controversial stories surround this important question.  Did Lincoln write his remarks in Washington D.C. before he left for Gettysburg on November 18, 1863?  Or on the train on the back of an envelope as he traveled to Gettysburg?  Or did he extemporaneously deliver his immortal words? 

          Mythical accounts abound. Most are out of character for Lincoln, who thoughtfully composed his speeches.  He wrote slowly and liked to establish his points and make certain of his logic and phrasing. Therefore, we can definitely conclude that he did not compose his speech on the back of an envelope on the train. Traveling to Gettysburg by train left no time for him to write, let alone think about his words. He was busy conversing with important political guests on war, elections, and policy.  He could not find any time to concentrate or prepare for his address on the trip.

     In addition, it appears Lincoln wrote his first, partial draft in Washington.  Evidence exists that on November 12 he recited a portion to journalist Noah Brooks, who was working in the Executive Mansion in the fall of 1863.  Hence, the speech was partially written at that time. From this account, we can conclude that the famed Address began in Washington and was completed in his room at the Wills house on the borough square the night before.  Other witnesses have supported that time frame.  In fact, he took the finished work next door to Secretary of State William Seward’s room in the Wills house for his comments and approval.

     Lincoln’s train arrived in Gettysburg as dusk approached.  Attorney and organizer David Wills and Edward Everett, the keynote speaker, met him at the station and escorted him two blocks to the Wills house.  A formal dinner awaited.  Details of the evening can be found near the conclusion of the Gettysburg Address article in last quarter’s On A Mission magazine.

     A blue sky and fifty-two degrees met the throng of visitors the dedication day, on November 19.  At 7:00am, artillery pieces on Cemetery Hill fired their salvo that marked the beginning of the festivities. President Lincoln and Secretary of State Seward spent the early morning hours touring the battlefield.

      At 9:00am, the procession gathered on the square. Lincoln mounted a small horse, creating a sight that was quite humorous with Lincoln’s long legs dangling, yet he was perfectly at ease.  A large contingent of college and seminary students followed directly behind the President.

     The well-organized program began with music and a moving dedicatory prayer offered by Reverend Thomas Stockton, chaplain of the House of Representatives. Newspapers reported that Lincoln and Everett let their “sympathetic tears be seen.”

     On November 14, Everett had sent a copy of his 13,607-word speech to the Boston Daily Advertiser to be printed for distribution to various newspapers in advance of the ceremony.  Once again there is controversy about the distribution of Everett’s speech.  Apparently, Everett did not even have a printed copy of the speech until 5:00pm on the 14^th.  But, in all likelihood, Lincoln had received his copy of it and had read it before he left Washington D.C. on November 18. 

     Everett rose to speak. He began his one hour and fifty-seven minute oration with a call for patience, by saying, “But the duty to which you have called me must be performed;--grant me, I pray you, your indulgence and you sympathy.”  He discussed the causes of the Civil War and the early years of the conflict. He concluded by describing the three-day Battle of Gettysburg with thoughts concerning meaning and memory.  Once finished, Lincoln rose from his chair on the platform, grasped Everett’s hand and said, “I am grateful to you.”

     After a musical interlude, the presiding officer announced, “The President of the United States!”  With paper in hand, Lincoln stood and prepared to share his burden with the nation.  As an aside, by the time he delivered his speech, he was quite unwell.  Later, doctors diagnosed his illness as mild case of smallpox.  Perceptive Gettysburg resident, Harvey Sweney, sensed the moment and stated, ”The dreadful responsibility that this nation and this wicked rebellion has cast upon him, has had its marked effect…He feels the terrible responsibility that rests upon him.”  An Associated Press reporter provided this account of the speech: “He stood for a moment with hands clasped and head bowed in an attitude of mourning—a personification of sorrow and sympathy of the nation.  Adjusting his old-fashioned spectacles, a pair with arms reaching to the temples, he produced from a pocket of his Prince Albert coat several sheets of paper from which he read slowly and feelingly.  His marvelous voice, careening with fullness of utterance and clearness of tone, was perfectly audible on the outskirts of the crowd.  He made no gestures nor attempts at display, and none were needed.” 

      In a few minutes Lincoln delivered the most memorable 272-word speech in American history.  “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new Nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”  Nine sentences later, Lincoln completed his address to a silent crowd. His short speech was a sharp contrast to Everett’s nearly two-hour oration, not what the audience was expecting.  No one knew what he was going the 14^th.  But, in all likelihood, Lincoln had received his copy of it and had read it before he left Washington D.C. on November 18. 

     Everett rose to speak. He began his one hour and fifty-seven minute oration with a call for patience, by saying, “But the duty to which you have called me must be performed;--grant me, I pray you, your indulgence and you sympathy.”  He discussed the causes of the Civil War and the early years of the conflict.  He concluded by describing the three-day Battle of Gettysburg with thoughts concerning meaning and memory.  Once finished, Lincoln rose from his chair on the platform, grasped Everett’s hand and said, “I am grateful to you.”

     After a musical interlude, the presiding officer announced, “The President of the United States!”  With paper in hand, Lincoln stood and prepared to share his burden with the nation.  As an aside, by the time he delivered his speech, he was quite unwell.  Later, doctors diagnosed his illness as mild case of smallpox.  Perceptive Gettysburg resident, Harvey Sweney, sensed the moment and stated, ”The dreadful responsibility that this nation and this wicked rebellion has cast upon him, has had its marked effect…He feels the terrible responsibility that rests upon him.”  An Associated Press reporter provided this account of the speech: “He stood for a moment with hands clasped and head bowed in an attitude of mourning—a personification of sorrow and sympathy of the nation.  Adjusting his old-fashioned spectacles, a pair with arms reaching to the temples, he produced from a pocket of his Prince Albert coat several sheets of paper from which he read slowly and feelingly.  His marvelous voice, careening with fullness of utterance and clearness of tone, was perfectly audible on the outskirts of the crowd.  He made no gestures nor attempts at display, and none were needed.” 

      In a few minutes Lincoln delivered the most memorable 272-word speech in American history.  “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new Nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”  Nine sentences later, Lincoln completed his address to a silent crowd.  His short speech was a sharp contrast to Everett’s nearly two-hour oration, not what the audience was expecting.  No one knew what he was going to say or how long he would speak. Both were a surprise to the attendees.

     That surprise may account for the conflicting reports on the audience’s reception of the Gettysburg Address. While some described the reaction as intermittent applause during and after his speech, many said the audience did not applaud upon its completion. Recollections by citizens of Gettysburg overwhelmingly suggest that there was no applause. Some interpreted this supposed silence to be indicative that the address was a failure. According to one account, Lincoln himself turned toward his seat, thinking that his speech was a failure. Lincoln’s friend Ward Hill Lamon reported that after the speech Lincoln said he “greatly regretted not having been better prepared. It is a flat failure and the people are disappointed.” This makes it appear Lincoln was concerned about what people would think, although Lamon’s credibility can be questioned.

     On the other hand, some said the applause following the speech was “hearty.” Perhaps the competing accounts can be explained by a third and most likely response—that the response was delayed. One observer noted that the applause was delayed for good reason. “The speaker had, as we thought, but barely commenced when he stopped. That clear, ringing voice ceased before we were ready for it.” He concluded, “But when it was apparent that the address was really concluded, the applause was most hearty.” That account is supported by another, who said the Address was met with “profound silence, followed by hearty applause.”

     Miami of Ohio history professor, Martin Johnson, suggested that the crowd’s initial reaction was one of disappointment, but the “cult of the address did not become pervasive until the late 1880s.” Lincoln’s comments appeared to be well-received, earning praise from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Johnson writes, “For American memory, as speeches go, this one would be at least among the top three. I’m not sure that any other speech has yet made it to the level of American civil religion the way the Gettysburg Address has.“ According to Johnson, the speech’s success and endurance to its dynamic nature, allows it to be interpreted differently and for a different purpose by each generation, from World War I to September 11, 2001.

     Whether or not the audience applauded at the conclusion of the Gettysburg Address, Edward Everett approached Lincoln and said, “Permit me also to express my great admiration of the thoughts expressed by you, with such eloquent simplicity and appropriateness, at the consecration of the Cemetery. I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”

     We will conclude our thoughts on President Abraham Lincoln’s “a few appropriate remarks” in our upcoming final entry, June 14th, Flag Day..