The Bixby Letter

[Steve]

(07-25-2017 05:13 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  I'm afraid don't get the logic of something being penned by someone excludes the piece being a joint venture? Nevertheless I don't doubt the letter to the parents was entirely composed by Abraham Lincoln, and to me this one is very different to the Bixby letter. What strikes me is that in the latter letter he "stepped back" and sort of excluded himself from the thanks of the Republic as considering himself almost "unworthy". I cannnot recall he did similar elsewhere, usually he put himself or something of himself - thoughts, feelings, experiences, anecdotes - into a message or speech, at least an unquestioned "we". The Bixby letter, while linguistically highly praised, appears somehow sterile to me.

I agree with you about the Ellsworth Letter, it doesn't exclude a joint venture but was likely solely written by Lincoln. I was just restating Burlingame's view.

You're sort of making my point about the Bixby Letter. If this new study linking it to Hay stands up to scrutiny with its methodology; then isn't it possible that Lincoln was trying to quickly write the letter could've asked Hay for advice on some of the wording?