The Bixby Letter

[RJNorton]

"Seven years later Rollo Ogden of the New York Times asserted that the Bixby letter "was doubtless signed by Lincoln and is certainly characteristic of his language; but it was actually written by John Hay." When queried about his source, Ogden replied, "I know of no scrap of documentary evidence, but Mr. Hay in his lifetime told more than one person that he really wrote the letter which Lincoln signed. Among others he confided this fact to ... W. C. Brownell, who told me of it at the time"

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"The letters quoted prove not only that Robert Lincoln believed his father had written the Bixby letter but also that John Hay himself told Robert he’d had nothing to do with it."

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The above are quotes from the links in the postings above. It seems clear Hay told different information to different people. Did he tell Robert what he thought Robert wanted to hear? If Hay told a bunch of folks that he wrote the letter, but told Robert what he thought his friend would want to hear about his father, then I might begin to agree with Burlingame's analysis. I have always thought Lincoln wrote the letter, but at this moment I am divided. I do find it somewhat strange that Hay apparently told several people he was the author, but he never told his own family.